Self-described as a movement united around the idea that the physical environment can directly impact the creation of more prosperous and happier lives for its inhabitants, New Urbanism emerged as a concept in the United States in the 1990s and became consolidated through the Congresses for the New Urbanism (CNU), held annually since 1993.

In 1996, three years after the First Congress for the New Urbanism, the Charter of the New Urbanism was launched with the goal of establishing the guiding ideals and principles of the movement and, in doing so, exploring the possibilities for the development of American cities.

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As an overwhelmingly hegemonic field in which cisgender white men have historically held, and continue to hold, the majority of prestigious positions—from the leadership of major firms to international accolades like the Pritzker Prize—architectural practice has traditionally rendered invisible the careers and professional experiences of many women architects.

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The period between the 16th century and the early 19th century in Brazil, known as Colonial Brazil, began when the Portuguese invaded Brazilian territory and imposed the colonization process. In architecture and urbanism, this process established a series of standards that, over the centuries, shaped the country's architecture and cities.

With the arrival of the Portuguese, the first settler installations emerged in Brazilian territory, characterized primarily by their precariousness and inability to defend against other invaders. Following the Portuguese Crown's decision to divide the land into hereditary captaincies administered by donatary captains, villages and urban settlements began to emerge. 

As previously explained in an earlier article, the concept of modulation in architecture refers to adapting a design to a defined module, whether based on a specific baseline measurement or the dimensions of a given building material.

Closely linked to this concept, yet grounded in other definitions, modular construction relies on the study and planning of transportable prefabricated modules assembled on-site. Consequently, these structures are typically completed faster and more efficiently than traditional ones.

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In 1979, Rosalind Krauss published her classic article Sculpture in the Expanded Field in the journal October, in which she identifies a certain fraying of boundaries in the field of sculpture, “showing how the meaning of a cultural term can be extended to include almost anything” [1]. The critique, specifically directed at artistic work produced between the 1960s and 1970s, was used 26 years later, in 2005, as the foundation for the publication of Architecture’s Expanded Field by Anthony Vidler.

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Trend, style, and movement are some of the most common classifications used in attempts to define Brutalism—a term used to describe a body of architectural work produced between the 1950s and 1970s that shares certain characteristics, most notably the raw, exposed use of building materials. Defining Brutalism precisely, however, remains a difficult task, even though (or perhaps precisely because) the term has achieved such widespread currency, sparking numerous attempts to conceptualize it.

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Today, March 22, marks World Water Day. According to data from the UN, the organization responsible for establishing this commemorative date, by the year 2050, between 3.5 billion and 4.4 billion people will have limited access to this resource, the use of which increased sixfold over the last century and currently grows at a rate of approximately 1% per year.

In light of such concerning figures, the concept of sustainability and the importance of solutions aimed at water conservation and reuse become even more critical.

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From using linguistic theory as an analytical methodology in architecture to understanding buildings as mediums of communication, the intersections between language and architecture are closer than they might first appear. 

Understanding the building as a medium of communication can occur in various ways—such as integrating paintings, engravings, sculptures, and ornamentation into the architecture—but also through the literal incorporation of letters and symbols as architectural elements. 

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Designed to allow light to pass through spaces while ensuring greater privacy for users, the use of reeded glass expands the possibilities of applying glass in architectural projects.

The grooves that characterize reeded glass are produced through the drawing process of flat glass, fragmenting the image passing through the surface into vertical or horizontal bands, depending on its orientation.

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While they can serve various functions in many projects, stairs are, first and foremost, elements of vertical circulation used to connect two or more levels. Due to the relatively intermittent nature of their use, many designs for small spaces leverage this characteristic to explore solutions that go beyond traditional configurations and standard riser dimensions.

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A cada ano, a equipe de Curadoria de Projetos do ArchDaily rememora a vasta gama de obras publicadas ao longo desse período, apresentando retrospectivas que permitem não apenas identificar tendências e variações na produção arquitetônica, mas também reconhecer de que forma impactam a nossa audiência. No ArchDaily Brasil, a seleção anual de melhores casas – que ano após ano, segue permanecendo como nossa categoria de projeto mais popular – representa uma amostra das variadas soluções, estratégias, técnicas e materiais encontrados na arquitetura residencial dos países de língua portuguesa.

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The design for the Fiat factory in the Lingotto district of Turin, Italy, was developed by engineer Giacomo Mattè-Trucco in 1915. Construction began the following year and was carried out in stages until its completion in 1923. Inspired by Fordism, a manufacturing model that emerged in the United States in the 1910s, the factory was designed with an upward-moving assembly line. Upon reaching the roof, the completed cars were ready to be tested on a track approximately 1 km long.

Tactical urbanism, a practice that has gained prominence in recent years, has proven to be an appealing strategy for activist collectives, architects, urban planners, and designers worldwide. By proposing low-cost, micro-scale, targeted urban interventions, it aims to promote the right to the city. This approach to thinking about public spaces in the city operates through a non-hierarchical logic, where civil society (whether or not in collaboration with the state and/or private enterprises) proposes alternatives to the traditional design process in the urban sphere.

Designing in a country with a predominantly equatorial or tropical climate requires decisions that mitigate heat gain within the building's interior. The versatility, functionality, and aesthetic appeal of the brise-soleil encourage architects—particularly within the Brazilian context—to incorporate them into residential designs. The brise-soleil, or sunshade, acts as a middle ground between openness and enclosure, controlling natural light without obstructing ventilation. Furthermore, this system strikes a balance between interior privacy and exterior views.

It is no coincidence that curved forms in architecture are deeply embedded in the global perception of Brazilian architecture. Invariably evoking the work of Oscar Niemeyer, curves are hallmark features of the landmark architectural complexes of Pampulha and Brasília. Yet they are also found in residential masterpieces, such as the Casa das Canoas in Rio de Janeiro.

When thinking of galleries, museums, and exhibition spaces in general, the image of an enclosed, well-lit room with white walls and a neutral floor—likely made of wood—commonly comes to mind. The notion of designing exhibition spaces as "pure" environments, whether to focus on the artwork itself or to facilitate the rotation of exhibitions, has perhaps been the dominant guiding principle in the creation of these spaces over the last few decades. However, just as art transforms space, space can also be a transformative agent for art. This shifting perspective gave rise to artistic productions conceived for specific venues, widely known as site-specific installations.

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Factories, slaughterhouses, gasometers, convents, water towers, and railway stations are just a few examples of structures that often remain within the urban fabric of cities over time, even after losing their original purpose. Repurposing an existing building for new functions is what has become known as adaptive reuse. While not a contemporary concept, the practice has been widely adopted in recent years as a strategy to manage spaces in a more economical, sustainable, practical, and efficient way.

Brick is one of the most widely used materials in Colombia, helping local architecture stand out globally. This prominence is due to the exceptional quality of the clay found in several regions of the country. Beyond cladding the majority of the buildings that define Bogotá's urban landscape, the material is used in all its forms, from adobe to floor tiles in rural homes.

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