Considered landscape landmarks due to their imposing dimensions, gasometers emerged during the Industrial Revolution and were present in many cities around the world, accompanying their urbanization process. With shifts in gas generation and distribution during the second half of the 20th century and the emergence of new technologies, gasometers were gradually decommissioned. Although many have been condemned to demolition in recent years, many also still remain within the urban fabric, standing as testaments to an industrial past. Their potential for architectural, artistic, and landscape interventions prompts us to question what possibilities lie ahead for their future.

Extremamente versáteis, não só por sua variedade de cores e padrões, mas também por suas possibilidades de aplicação, os ladrilhos hidráulicos podem ser encontrados, nos projetos residenciais, em ambientes que vão desde áreas molhadas a salas e quartos. A orientação das peças e a área em que são aplicadas também são fatores que contribuem para a diversidade de conformações possíveis no uso do ladrilho hidráulico: quando são restritos a determinada área de um ambiente, por exemplo, podem funcionar como “tapetes” fixos.

Wood parquet floors, or simply parquet, are made from assemblies of solid wood rectangular blocks, which can be installed in graphic patterns such as diagonal, herringbone, and checkerboard, among others. These diverse designs, combined with the varying textures and colors of the blocks, open up countless compositional arrangements through the application and repetition of identical units.

To promote greater physical distancing and encourage alternative modes of transportation—both for essential workers commuting during the novel coronavirus pandemic and for residents allowed to exercise outdoors—cities around the world are revising transportation policies and repurposing vehicle lanes for cyclists and pedestrians.

One way to separate spaces is by using lightweight partitions, which can be either fixed or mobile. Besides defining boundaries between rooms, these partitions are much thinner than traditional masonry or even drywall walls, allowing for better use of space and greater flexibility in layout configurations.

Historically associated with factories and industrial buildings in general, exposed building services have increasingly been adopted in other typologies in recent years, including residential architecture. Conduits, plumbing, and other elements used in building systems—long relegated to the background, concealed behind walls and ceilings—can actually serve as key features of an architectural concept.

Concrete blocks are building units primarily used in the construction of walls and partitions, serving either structural or enclosure functions. As a low-cost, precast material that is commonly left exposed, it is often chosen for projects aiming for economical, fast, and practical construction without requiring highly specialized labor.

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Staircases made of wood can offer a unique character to each project, thanks not only to the different configurations they can occupy in a space, but also to the variations in color and texture provided by different wood species and cuts, as well as the various ways of arranging the treads.

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With the goal of blurring the boundaries traditionally imposed by walls, so-called integrated kitchens can be incorporated into adjacent spaces—most commonly living and dining rooms—using counters, tables, split levels, or even contrasting flooring and finishes.

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Currently, the most common materials used in high-rise construction—steel and concrete—are non-renewable and energy-intensive to produce. In this context, wood represents a more sustainable alternative for tall building structures, offering well-known benefits such as renewability, carbon sequestration, low embodied energy during extraction, and rapid construction times. Moreover, contrary to popular belief, mass timber can perform exceptionally well in terms of fire resistance, as discussed in a previous article.

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Vertical gardens, green walls, or living walls are different terms used for the same solution: the vertical arrangement of various plant species to enjoy the benefits of vegetation within a smaller footprint. In other words, the vertical application of plants maximizes horizontal usable area, a distinct advantage especially in places with limited ground space for planting.

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In interior design projects, we often encounter certain pieces of furniture that are easily recognized as milestones of a specific era, place, culture, or the career of the designer who created them.

What makes an object or piece of furniture iconic—whether within the design world or beyond—is not determined by a set of rigid rules. Asking what elevates a design to “icon” status leads to deeper questions: Is it its instant recognizability, its ability to break canons, or its timelessness? Furthermore, who are the arbiters who define this iconicity?

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Unlike various construction systems and materials, the landscape is not something that can be specified, or even drawn, in the architectural design of an apartment. However, landscapes are still shaped by the building's design decisions, both from an internal and external perspective—that is, in relation to their surroundings. Facade orientation and window size, for instance, are among the ways the views from an apartment are defined, while the scale and height of the building directly impact the context in which it is situated.

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Just over four months after the first confirmed case of coronavirus in Brazil, and about three and a half months after the initial quarantine decrees, many cities still maintain restrictive measures to promote social isolation. Despite the recent easing of restrictions adopted by some states and municipalities, disruptions to the daily routines of architects and students persist, and the popularity of remote activities, such as online courses, has grown over the past few months.

While many architecture firms face reduced demand and stalled construction sites, students have seen their classes suspended or moved online. With more free time—whether due to shorter commutes or reduced workloads—students and architects have turned to online courses to sharpen or expand their skills in tools, software, and theoretical concepts.

In architecture, Corten steel, or weathering steel, is one of the materials in which the passage of time is most visible and distinct. The patina—the layer that forms on the steel through oxidation—acts as a protective barrier, slowing down corrosion and preserving the material's mechanical properties. Beyond its protective qualities, this layer offers a unique aesthetic appeal that makes Corten steel highly prized in architectural design, from small to large scale.

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Much like schools, restaurants, shopping centers, and other crowded venues, museums around the world had to close their doors with the arrival of COVID-19. Today, some cities where infection rates have significantly decreased are preparing to reopen non-essential services. As part of this group, museums—which sought new ways to connect with the public remotely during isolation—must now adapt to a new way of welcoming visitors.

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Sheet metal is characterized by an excellent strength-to-weight ratio, meaning it performs exceptionally well under heavy loads despite being lightweight and slender. Because of this, bookshelves made from sheet metal offer impressive storage capacity and have become increasingly popular in apartment design.

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In recent years, metal roofing has increasingly gained ground in architectural projects, from the industrial to the residential scale, especially when there is a need to lighten structural loads or span large distances. In residential architecture, this solution offers a viable alternative to traditional ceramic tiles due to its low cost, rapid installation, and the wide variety of types and models available on the market.

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