The 2019 Building of the Year Award—ArchDaily's annual recognition where the winning projects are selected by public vote—has announced its list of winners, and as usual, the selection spans buildings from all over the world. Among the projects chosen by our readers, a Brazilian design won the award in the "Public Architecture" category: Sesc 24 de Maio, by Paulo Mendes da Rocha in partnership with the firm MMBB Arquitetos.

While steep slopes present a challenge, they also offer an opportunity to explore vertical relationships between spaces. Whether adapting to or subverting the natural landscape, these designs gain a powerful expressiveness and a strong sense of place. Negotiating the slope is a constraint for many program types, but in residential design, it often takes center stage, driving the core architectural strategy. Below is a selection of 25 Brazilian residences that exemplify the diverse approaches to addressing sloped terrains.

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On March 18, 19, and 20, 2019, the Escola da Cidade hosted Paraguayan architects José Cubilla and Luís Elgue for a series of lectures in the Geography, City, and Architecture graduate program. Over the course of the three-day program, in addition to presenting work from their respective practices, the architects explored topics related to architectural education at the Universidad Nacional de Asunción, where they both teach, and discussed contemporary architectural production in Paraguay. The Scientific Council of Escola da Cidade (EC) interviewed [1] the architects on the topics covered during their lectures.

Last month, the city of Cuiabá inaugurated its first bus shelter built by repurposing shipping containers. The shelter was developed under a public-private partnership model, in which the companies Pantanal Shopping and Edificatto Arquitetura provided the bus stop to the city in exchange for advertising rights.

Saint-Gobain has announced the winning projects of the 6th Saint-Gobain Architecture Award – Sustainable Habitat. In the Best Project of the Edition category, the winner was Sesc Avenida Paulista, by Königsberger Vannucchi Arquitetos Associados. The winners in the “Comfort,” “Innovation,” and “Sustainability” categories were, respectively, the Nova L’Oréal Building, by RRA – Ruy Rezende Arquitetura; the Fecomércio Sesc Senac Administrative Headquarters (RS), by Estúdio 41; and Sesc Osasco, by Spadoni & Associados Arquitetura e Urbanismo.

In the fields of architecture and engineering, the term "span" refers to the distance between two structural supports, typically describing the uninterrupted space between the columns of a building's load-bearing frame. Several notable spans have achieved fame for their impressive scale, particularly in public and civic projects, such as Lina Bo Bardi's MASP and Paulo Mendes da Rocha's MuBE, both in São Paulo. Yet, large spans can offer spatial generosity and visual freedom in any project, including those on a smaller scale.

Drawings, photographs, silkscreens, and other original pieces by architects and artists from around the world will be auctioned at the Faculty of Architecture of Porto. Organized by second-year students of the Integrated Master in Architecture (MIArq) at FAUP, the "Quem dá mais" initiative—an open-bid auction—will feature works by Norman Foster, Álvaro Siza, and Eduardo Souto de Moura, among others.

Since the 2013 protests, there has been a clear resurgence of the concept of the public sphere in Brazil, particularly in metropolises like São Paulo. Within a context of speculation and a commodified city—where both spaces and public services are driven by capital accumulation, and where public authority operates merely as power rather than in the public interest—a growing movement to reclaim urban spaces by previously marginalized actors has emerged.

Philip Ross is a mycologist who studies the various possibilities of using fungi. He is responsible for the innovative discovery of using mushrooms as an alternative building material. The specialist found that mycelium—a network of thin fibers that mushrooms form underground—is highly resistant when dry and can be used to create a strong building material that is resistant to fire, water, and mold.

Conceived by architects Vinicius Andrade and Beatriz Vanzolini, along with the team from the Arq.Futuro platform, the course “Aprendendo a viver na cidade” aims to awaken young people to the importance of understanding the city, while also discovering how to influence it. The course is delivered in a book format—which is already available in bookstores—and will be officially launched at Escola da Cidade on February 27. The course features videos and audio from the “Cidade Cidadão” series, accessible via QR Code or on the Arq.Futuro website. Teachers who wish to implement it in the classroom will have access to a digital Teacher's Guide (Caderno dos Professores) with pedagogical suggestions and activities.

The effects of urban heat islands, which are particularly noticeable during high summer temperatures, are closely linked to paved areas in urban centers. Because it is impermeable and absorbs significant heat due to its dark color, the asphalt covering streets can considerably raise a city's average temperature—especially in areas lacking vegetation.

With this in mind, the local government of Tietê, a city in the state of São Paulo, implemented a remarkably simple and inexpensive strategy: they painted the streets cyan blue. According to the city's Secretary of the Environment, George Nicolosi, studies show that this blue color reflects more light than the dark gray of traditional asphalt, helping to lower the surface temperature.

In January, the Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism opened the call for submissions for the event's 11th edition, the XI BIAU. The Biennial will be held in Asunción, Paraguay, this October, and will focus on modes of living in Latin America from an everyday perspective. The Brazilian curation is led by Cristiane Muniz, Fábio Valentim, Fernanda Barbara, and Fernando Viégas, partners at the firm Una Arquitetos.

More than 36 tons of organic vegetables are grown on New York City rooftops every year. Beyond providing food, these green roofs also prevent pollutants from reaching the city's rivers.

Originally used to transport large cargo on ships, shipping containers feature a rigid and highly durable steel structure available in various dimensions. However, moving beyond their traditional role in storage and cargo transport, these structures have been adopted as the basis for commercial and residential modules for several years. They offer high strength, low cost, fast construction, and, above all, a sustainability-oriented system through reuse. With this in mind, and moving beyond standardized housing, several architects have developed residential projects by reusing containers as modular blocks, stacking or joining them side-by-side to suit the specific program of each client.

Students, faculty, and staff of the Faculty of Architecture & Urbanism & Design of Alagoas, led by professors Adriana Capretz Borges da Silva Manhas and Josemary Omena Passos Ferrare, alongside student Cecília Oliveira do Nascimento Rossé, have organized an online petition to award professor Zélia de Melo Maia Nobre the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from UFAL (Federal University of Alagoas).

On January 19, Japan House São Paulo will open the exhibition Architecture for Dogs, curated by Japanese designer Kenya Hara. Through the work of renowned architects, the exhibition presents doghouses in a pioneering exercise in scale that considers society's current relationship with these pets.

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Many buildings pique the curiosity of passersby about what lies behind their doors. Instead of merely imagining the uses and privacy of these typically inaccessible spaces, next weekend—June 29 and 30—visitors will be able to explore the interiors of various architectural works in the cities of Porto, Matosinhos, and Gaia during the Open House Porto festival.

WRI Brasil has launched a free online publication detailing the benefits, costs, and barriers of adopting sustainability measures in social housing developments. Jointly produced by Lara Caccia, Henrique Evers, Luana Betti, and Camila Schlatter, the study examines simple, low-cost actions and technologies aimed at reducing water and electricity consumption in buildings.

The recent budget cuts for federal universities have reignited a debate that deserves to remain permanently active: the quality of education in Brazil. The first edition of the Encontros de Arquitetura, organized by IABsp, set out to address this theme through the lens of architecture, bringing together four professionals with extensive experience in school design: Catherine Otondo, Marina Grinover (Base Urbana), Keila Costa (+K), and Pablo Hereñú (Hereñú & Ferroni Arquitetos).

A Solution for Heat Islands

Officially debuting the partnership between ArchDaily and Arquicast, episode #68 Interview: ArchDaily Brasil is now live. In this episode, three of the editors from the Brazilian platform—Pedro Vada, Eduardo Souza, and Matheus Pereira—share a behind-the-scenes look at what it is like to work for the world's most visited architecture and urbanism website. The challenges of adapting to a new kind of career in architecture, the speed of industry transformations, and the role of technology and collaboration are among the topics discussed in this casual and informative conversation, which can be accessed here!

Unesp (São Paulo State University), through its virtual communication channel Univesp TV, is offering a free online course in Art History. Comprising 29 video lessons, the course is aimed at undergraduate and graduate students interested in art, history, research, and culture.

The practice of the dérive is a subject that sparks great interest among urban scholars and professionals. The Situationists, a social critique movement founded in 1957, used this practice to propose new interpretations of the city based on individual lived experience. Jacopo Visconti, curator of the 34th Bienal de Artes de São Paulo, analyzed in his doctoral thesis artistic practices that incorporate the act of walking, seeking the characteristics that defined the Situationist practice of the dérive. Advised by Prof. Dr. Luis Antonio Jorge, Visconti defended his thesis in 2012, which was later published as a book by Martins Fontes. Read the thesis abstract below.

The UN-Habitat Public Space Programme has opened a call for proposals to fund public space projects with up to $100,000 in Brazil. According to the New Urban Agenda, the planning and management of quality public spaces are understood as fundamental prerequisites for poverty reduction and the fulfillment of human rights in urban areas.