Intervening in buildings of historic value is one of the most delicate tasks facing architects. Today, preservation is no longer limited to restoring centuries-old buildings; it also encompasses the language of modern architecture.

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Every year, we host a call for graduation projects open to our audience in all Portuguese-speaking countries. Through this, we aim to select the most interesting projects to present inspiring visions and debates for the fields of architecture and urbanism.

No longer a space of purely functional hygiene, the bathroom has taken on a prominent role in architectural design, becoming an essential element in both public and private programs.

Inaugurated in 1971, the João Goulart elevated highway, popularly known as the Minhocão, has been a subject of criticism, study, and a landmark in the city of São Paulo. In 2014, its future was determined when the Strategic Master Plan introduced a specific law for its progressive decommissioning for cars, scheduled for completion by 2029. However, its ultimate fate remains uncertain: what will become of it when this happens? Will it be transformed into a park or demolished?

While MASP is closed in accordance with World Health Organization guidelines, you can still explore the museum's collection through Google Arts & Culture or via its #maspemcasa digital programming.

Jenny Holzer (b. 1950, United States)

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Videos

Olivia de Oliveira completed her doctoral thesis on architect Lina Bo Bardi at the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB) and is the author of the book "Lina Bo Bardi. Built Works," which grew out of a 2002 visit to Lina's constructed buildings alongside photographer Nelson Kon. In this work, she presents the full architectural complexity and the cultural, political, and social visions of the architect. The book has just been re-released in Brazil in Portuguese by Editora Gustavo Gili.

In the following interview, we delve deeper into the story behind the book and into Lina Bo Bardi's legacy through the author's perspective. Oliveira touches on crucial topics such as the construction site, the surrealism present in the architect's work, and the ongoing preservation of her buildings.

Through biomimicry, GCP Arquitetura & Urbanismo designed a hotel in southern Bahia that draws inspiration from solutions found in flora and fauna to ensure greater thermal comfort in the buildings and lower the environmental impact of its operation.

The Arquitetas Invisíveis collective is pleased to invite researchers, professionals, students, and artists interested in reflections linking architecture across its various scales with gender issues, in different disciplinary fields, to participate in the call for submissions for the 3rd issue of the Arquitetas Invisíveis Magazine.

The Arquitetas Invisíveis collective, the group responsible for publishing the magazine, will also feature selected submissions from this call on its platform – www.arquitetasinvisiveis.com – as deemed appropriate. The magazine and the website stem from a desire to share knowledge and reflections, as well as to contribute to advancing gender discussions in architecture and related fields. This initiative aims to offer a platform to showcase the work of individuals addressing gender in architecture, while fostering interdisciplinary exchange by welcoming contributions from diverse fields—including History, Geography, Sociology, Anthropology, Art, Psychology, and Journalism, among others, as well as non-academic work.

After at least five years of study, the time comes for architecture and urbanism students to complete their final graduation projects—often referred to as TCC, TFG, or Final Projects. In choosing their topics, students highlight civic, urban, or theoretical projects that are of great importance in sparking a debate about the future of our cities, the built environment, urban infrastructure, mobility, and many other fundamental issues shaping how we inhabit space.

Completing these projects requires a major effort in data collection, research, and design development to address complex challenges. Since they are not always recognized as they deserve, we launch an annual call to showcase the best work by students from Portuguese-speaking countries, helping them reach a wider audience and inspire the general public with new ideas.

The Arquitetas Invisíveis (Invisible Women Architects) Collective is an initiative that seeks to promote gender equality within the field of architecture and urban planning by recognizing and promoting the life and work of women architects who have been historically overlooked. Founded by students at the School of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of Brasília, the group's initial effort aimed to expand the repertoire of architecture and urban planning students and professionals while sparking discussions on gender in both academic and professional spheres. Arquitetas Invisíveis was officially launched on March 8, 2014, in honor of International Women's Day, using Facebook to reach architecture students and professionals across Brazil.

Today, March 8, 2018, the Arquitetas Invisíveis Collective is launching the second edition of the Arquitetas Invisíveis Magazine, under the theme "In the Shadows."

The new illustrated version of the Building and Works Code (COE) is now available online. Released by the São Paulo Municipal Secretariat of Urbanism and Licensing (SMUL - PMSP), this edition features graphic design by oitentaedois, making the legislation more accessible to the general public.

Nine of the architect's unbuilt projects, which have never been exhibited in Brazil and were only previously shown at the Venice Biennale in 2000, are featured in the exhibition, which opens in his honor a month and a half before his 90th birthday. In total, the show brings together 11 of his most radical and experimental works, which share common themes of water, nature, landscape, and territory beyond the architectural scale.

Balkrishna Doshi designed numerous projects throughout his career, yet his name remains relatively unfamiliar in the Western world. Directed by Premjit Ramachandran, the documentary “Doshi” offers viewers insight into the design philosophy of the renowned Indian architect through his own reflections, while also showcasing several of his works. Filmed as a series of candid conversations, the documentary reveals Doshi as a highly original and creative architect who, even in his later years, remained deeply passionate about architecture, life, and learning.

The film serves as a roundtable discussion between Doshi, his former students, his peers, and even his family members, all set against the backdrop of the buildings he designed. The camera follows Doshi through these spaces as he shares his narratives, memories, and explanations of his creative process, revealing how he integrated his philosophy into his daily life.

At the end of each year, we issue a call for submissions for graduation projects from our Portuguese-speaking readers. Through this, we aim to select the most interesting proposals to present inspiring visions and foster debates for our entire audience.

For this edition, we received 466 proposals from all over Brazil, as well as cities like Lisbon and Luanda. Before presenting the 30 selected by our editorial team, it should be noted that this list does not necessarily feature the "best" projects received. Instead, it highlights the works we found most well-presented, graphically engaging, and with themes that seemed particularly relevant for a final graduation project. Rather than simply resolving a design program satisfactorily, we believe that a final graduation project—as a culmination of a student's efforts during the transition from academia to professional practice (while, importantly, still part of their academic journey)—should raise questions and provoke discussion about the proposed theme.

It is worth noting that several submissions did not follow the guidelines of the call and were disqualified or lacked sufficient material for evaluation. 

Below is our selection* of the best final graduation projects from Portuguese-speaking countries, accompanied by descriptions provided by their authors.

September 27, 2010 

“It was that one over there, look. That one. See?”  Dona Ana pointed to the seventh-floor apartment where, a week earlier, the fire had broken out.  Further down, on the fourth floor, Anastasia, Aécio, and Itamar offered strained smiles from a campaign banner .

No one knows how the fire started in one of the subdivided apartments in Tower 100, occupied by a waste picker. But the spectacle that followed played out comme il faut.  Panic, screams, flames, flashing lights, a helicopter hovering overhead, journalists accosting the supposedly injured and devoring improbable accounts, sirens, smoke, commotion, action.

Featuring references to his career, projects, and travels, the Ocupação Paulo Mendes da Rocha celebrates the 90th birthday, on October 25, of Brazil's most important living architect. Through sketches, technical drawings, models, and other materials selected from Mendes da Rocha’s personal archive, curator Guilherme Wisnik reveals some of the architect’s most radical ideas, which use ideology and technique to challenge and subvert colonial mindsets that still echo in Brazilian architectural design.

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The “Infinito Vão – 90 Anos de Arquitetura Brasileira” exhibition is currently on view at the Casa da Arquitectura. To bring the ideas of curators Guilherme Wisnik e Fernando Serapião to life, architect João Mendes Ribeiro was commissioned to conceive the exhibition design. We interviewed him to learn about his main inspirations and to find out more about his design process when showcasing major achievements of Brazilian architecture.