"Architectural competitions represent the combination of the art of choosing and the craft of being chosen," says Roberto Fernández about an area of our discipline that is widely recognized as an excellent platform for firms and independent professionals to present their ideas as true manifestos. Meanwhile, in academic circles, competitions often serve as tools for formal, conceptual, and graphic experimentation.

These types of commissions undoubtedly inspire not only architecture and urban planning professionals but also the public as a key player in their evaluation. Whether or not these proposals are built, they demonstrate that we must constantly champion innovation, recognizing the immense effort behind these results. With this in mind, we have selected six award-winning projects that reflect the value of architectural competitions in Colombia.

In interior design, striking a balance between aesthetic style and the functional needs of a project is essential. In this regard, it is fascinating to see the diverse solutions that Colombian architects and designers have recently proposed. We have selected eight local projects that demonstrate a compelling balance between functionality and aesthetics in interior design.

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As part of the launch of the Bogotá Public Space Biennial, we invite you to join us this Friday, July 27, at 4:00 p.m. for coffee with Spanish architect and urbanist José María Ezquiaga to discuss public space and the city.

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Natural disasters continue to leave thousands of people homeless every year, forcing them to seek refuge without any alternatives. On many occasions, cities cannot cope with refugees, limiting their resources. In addition to this, the difficulties to sustain refugees in a dignified way, becomes increasingly complex, leading to the collapse of conventional strategies.

It is at this moment when innovation and creativity play an important role in construction practices, ultimately creating a quicker and more efficient construction model that can be replicated after natural disasters.

Undoubtedly, there are some principles that should be taken into account when designing a semi-permanent structure. Thus, we have gathered some tips and examples that you may find useful. 

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Out of 41 applicants, Colombian architect Lina Toro has won the 4th New York Research Fellowship organized by the Arquia Caja de Arquitectos Foundation and the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, according to the Spanish foundation.

The jury unanimously decided to award the prize to Toro's project, "Pedagogical Conversations," recognizing it as a way to delve deeper into architectural teaching methodologies through "pedagogical conversations." "Pedagogical Conversations" is part of her doctoral thesis, "Pedagogies on the fringes: the conditions of the next architectural manifesto," developed within the Department of Architectural Design at ETSAM in Madrid, which seeks to highlight conversations with seminal and emerging figures of contemporary thought, art, and architecture.

Following much anticipation, the results of the report compiled by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) for UNESCO have finally been released. The report follows a visit to the city several months ago, where experts inspected Cartagena's heritage sites and the development of the Aquarela residential complex—a project that threatens Cartagena's status on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

The inspection was carried out jointly by the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Mayor's Office of Cartagena, and ICOMOS advisor and expert Luis María Calvo, during which various plans and initiatives were presented to safeguard the heritage sites. The primary objective of the visit was to provide technical expertise and draft recommendations to improve the conservation of the Port, Fortresses, and Group of Monuments of Cartagena, without passing any value judgments during the process.

There is no manual on architecture competitions to guarantee success; rather, the specific conditions and the different ways of approaching the problem determine whether a proposal is appropriate and, hopefully, a winner. Some participants push their capabilities to the limit, treating the project as a deeply personal challenge. However, the solutions we find in difficult moments strengthen our confidence, proving just how far we can go. There is nothing quite like the satisfaction of a job well done after hours of effort and dedication.

Below, we share three tips from Colombian architect Dan Gamboa, who won the SkyCity Challenge 17 architecture competition in China. His winning project merges a library with a children's playground. According to Gamboa, the proposal was developed in just 48 hours after his team pulled out of the competition a week prior.

The digital architecture and design magazine Arquetipos, published by the Arquia Foundation, has released a new issue dedicated to architect Anna Puigjaner, interviewed by Moisés Puente. The interview covers the architect's four professional pillars: research, teaching, editorial work, and her practice with MAIO architects.

The path from research to publication, and from travel to teaching, feeds the expanded architectural practice of Anna Puigjaner, of MAIO architects.

Colombia is a country whose architecture continues to surprise us with projects that seek to improve the quality of life of its residents, which in turn tends to attract individuals to learn and contribute to proposals that generate and create much more vibrant cities.

The city's advances in architecture and urbanism in recent years have materialized in a series of programs and projects in other cities, awakening the interest of professionals and academics from architecture and global urbanism.

The development of projects such as the Metro Cable in Medellín, TransmiCable in Bogota, or the series of parks and libraries that have been built throughout the country after the success achieved in the first two cities, makes the idea of betting on much more innovative projects a more attractive prospect, which dares citizens and designers of all kinds to dream, stoking the spirit of entrepreneurship throughout the country and much of Latin America. To reflect this, we have chosen 6 projects that will undoubtedly change and improve the quality of life in Colombia.

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During an official tour in late April, the Metro company revealed new details of the alignment for the Bogotá Metro's first line. The inaugural route will feature 16 stations, 10 of which will integrate with Transmilenio, the Colombian capital's mass transit bus system.

According to local newspaper El Tiempo, a 32-hectare site in the Bosa district will house the metro's train yard and workshop, serving as the "starting point for the 23 trains scheduled to begin operating in 2022." Currently, the site is located near the Cundinamarca canal—a stormwater reservoir that, along with a major power transmission tower, will be modified to accommodate the project.

Calm and silence prevail in many of the municipalities of Colombia, where the ochre colors intermingle with the green of the landscape to preserve the colonial styles that characterize some of the architectural typologies of the place. Small urban centers that hide an incomparable beauty are the main attraction for many tourists who today travel to know these obscure places, where one can go to learn a little of their traditions and their culture, creating an almost perfect adventure, where heritage value becomes a characteristic in common.

That is why we have chosen 10 Colombian towns that highlight both the physical-spatial value and the socio-cultural value.

Bamboo construction—locally known as guadua—is, without a doubt, one of the regional techniques that defines contemporary Colombian architecture. As an environmentally friendly resource, it serves as a highly functional and practical building material, easily sourced in Colombia due to its rapid growth.

Farmers, architects, and builders have adopted this "vegetable steel" in many of their projects, which blend seamlessly into the landscape. With proper treatment, it performs exceptionally well across the South American country's diverse altitudinal zones. In addition, it offers varying textures and color tones, bringing a brilliant yet subtle aesthetic to these buildings.

By 2050, an estimated 89% of Latin America's population will live in urban areas. This "need" to live in urban centers has brought about a growing inequality, manifested in a lack of access to basic services and homeownership.

In this context, Venezuelan-American David Gouverneur, a professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, uses his book Diseño de nuevos asentamientos informales (Design of New Informal Settlements) to call for greater awareness of the need to address and study informality in our cities, recognizing it as an unavoidable reality.

Following its presentation and discussion with restaurant, commercial, and resident associations, the Mayor's Office of Cartagena (Colombia) announced the pedestrianization of 45 streets in its historic center, as reported by Caracol Radio. The decision is backed by the Bolívar Trade Council through its executive director, Patricia Galindo, who told the local outlet that the project will regulate traffic in the historic center and the San Diego neighborhood. This and other measures aim to improve mobility for residents, citizens, and tourists in the area.

The Bolívar Trade Council has participated in the various events organized by the District to coordinate these measures. Crucial to this process was listening to all stakeholders, as well as the district administration's willingness to lead on one of its most important issues, working to find effective and consensus-driven solutions for everyone.

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The Rogelio Salmona Foundation has opened the third edition of its call for entries, which seeks to recognize the best works in Latin America and the Caribbean. These projects stand out for their architecture, which creates significant civic spaces that are embraced by their communities, highlighting the importance of collective space as a catalyst for social cohesion within the context of our Latin American cities.

Many architects in Latin America have understood the relationship between architecture and the city. This award aims to recognize architecture that is generous, where the spaces created open up to the city and successfully generate places for social interaction and participation, enriching the use of the city and the surrounding environment.