+ 8

The results of the ideas competition to rehabilitate the Raixa estate in Mallorca, Spain, have been announced. Organized by the Department of Sustainability and Environment of the Consell de Mallorca with the collaboration of the Official Association of Architects of the Balearic Islands, the call invited participants to design architectural proposals to rehabilitate the existing building complex (a traditional estate of Moorish origin and high heritage value located at the foot of the Sierra de Tramontana) and transform it into an agroforestry training school (Margers) and a mountain shelter that highlights the Dry Stone Route (which begins in Valldemossa, passes through Raixa, and reaches Bunyola, Orient, and Alaró).

Massimo Paolini shares the following article titled 'Barcelona: Destructions of Use.' It presents the latest projects and debates surrounding the future of the city.

Del Libertador Avenue—which starts in the Retiro neighborhood of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires and ends 35 kilometers later at the San Fernando Canal, north of Greater Buenos Aires—is set to become a pedestrian, cyclist, driver, and public transit-friendly space. The proposal aims to reclaim pedestrian spaces, incorporate one-way bike lanes on each side of the avenue, install bus boarding platforms, integrate new tree species along the route, and implement new technologies to improve vehicular circulation.

Yaiza Terré founded her own architecture studio in Barcelona in 2008, where she currently focuses her professional practice on renovation and reinterpretation projects based on reuse and recycling. Aprop Ciutat Vella is one of her works: a modular emergency housing building made from recycled containers, developed in collaboration with Straddle3 and Eulia Arkitektura. Recently, it was awarded first place in the 2021 Building of the Year Award (highlighting the best built architecture in Latin America and Spain). We reached out to her to learn more about her architectural practice.

In this interview with Yaiza Terré, we explore how this latest recognition helps open up the debate on urban regeneration and the housing crisis in cities. At the same time, we delve into her inspirations, interests, and motivations regarding restoration and adaptive reuse; examine her collaborative and reflective design process; and discuss her upcoming projects and vision for the future of Spanish cities. 

'Des-Armar: Heritage Rescue Through a System of Parts and Components' is Valentina Verdugo's thesis project, selected as the Grand Winner of the 2021 National Thesis Project Competition (CNPT), an event organized by Grupo Arquitectura Caliente to recognize and reward the best student projects in Chile.

This second year of the pandemic offered a tremendous opportunity to continue reflecting on and debating the most urgent issues in architecture. To this end, we wanted our readers to actively participate by contributing their experiences and knowledge. Throughout the year, we invited them each month to share their comments and insights on a wide range of topics—from the future of cities, automation, and multidisciplinary design, to green infrastructure, adaptive reuse, migration, equity, and well-being.

After reading and compiling all the submissions received—from construction professionals and students to architecture enthusiasts—it is now time to present the key perspectives. Thank you very much for sharing your opinions! 

International architecture studio Mestres Wåge has been selected to design Barcelona's future educational and technological hub for the maritime sector. The project, presented last April, stood out for its relationship with the surroundings, its permeability, its integration of public space, and its coherent functional layout.

Founded in 2001, Lacime Designs has grown over nearly two decades to comprise a team of nearly 800 architects, accumulating extensive experience in large-scale projects both domestically and internationally. Operating under an integrated architecture and landscape design model, the firm focuses on planning and design across various sectors, including real estate, commercial, and cultural projects. Within this framework, Lacime Designs' Fourth Design Department places the highest value on the creative and innovative spirit of its designers.

While the construction industry was once among the most technologically lagging, today automation in architecture is undeniably here to stay. 

+ 13

As an invited contributor, Mexican architect Fernanda Canales presents the exhibition After the House as part of the cultural program of the 17th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, curated by Hashim Sarkis. The exhibition features four primary models showing housing projects designed as a reinterpretation of vecindades—multi-family urban housing with mixed residential units arranged around courtyards with shared amenities.

+ 8

The architecture studio ON-A has announced the winners of the first edition of the You’re ON! Ideas Competition, an international call open to undergraduate and graduate students in the design field (including architects, urban planners, interior designers, and engineers). The competition sought to encourage innovation and showcase the talent of emerging architects and designers who constantly research, explore, and create ideas for both the present and the future.

MUDA-Architects was founded in 2015 in Beijing, China, and Boston, USA, establishing its Chengdu office in 2017. MUDA features an international team of architects composed of creative designers from diverse global backgrounds. The firm brings forward-thinking concepts, extensive experience, high professional standards, and unique creativity to the fields of architecture and design. MUDA’s design portfolio spans public, cultural, and commercial buildings, as well as urban design, landscape architecture, and interior design.

ARIZON Design was founded in Shanghai in 2008 by Junwei Shen. The firm specializes in providing master planning, design, and consulting services for boutique shopping centers, commercial complexes, and other architectural spaces. Its completed projects have won numerous international professional awards, positioning the firm as one of the most forward-thinking and specialized design agencies in the commercial retail sector. The name ARIZON is inspired by a passage from the I Ching (Book of Changes): “Great indeed is the generating power of Qian, to which all things owe their beginning,” symbolizing the use of boundless creativity to breathe endless life into architectural spaces. Championing an “ECO-FASHION” aesthetic and driven by the mission of “designing the future of business,” ARIZON strives to create greater commercial value for its clients. 

+ 16

When we speak of passive climate control, we refer to techniques that, with little to no energy consumption, create the appropriate temperature, humidity, and air quality conditions for comfort and habitability, partially or fully replacing active mechanical systems. Typically, these strategies are based on natural environmental parameters—such as air currents, the earth's thermal stability, and solar paths, among others—to regulate heat gain in the summer and heat loss in the winter, achieving optimal thermal comfort.

The National Public Competition of Ideas for the Redevelopment of the Lacar Lake Waterfront in San Martín de los Andes—organized by the Architects' Association of the Province of Neuquén (CAN), promoted by the Municipality of San Martín de los Andes, and sponsored by the Federal Investment Council (CFI)—aimed to design and plan various urban, landscape, and environmental interventions. These proposals seek to enhance and improve conditions in the area, prioritizing public use through comprehensive actions and a management model that guarantees long-term sustainability.

More than a year has passed since the pandemic imposed a new routine and atypical safety protocols on the world. A survey by NZN Intelligence, in partnership with the Estadão Summit Mobilidade Urbana, shows that 45.3% of people in Brazil have changed the way they get around since then.

Avoiding crowds led 40.2% of respondents to increase their use of private cars and 31.6% to travel more on foot or by bicycle, reflecting a global trend toward promoting active mobility.

The Cundinamarca and Bogotá chapter of the Colombian Society of Architects has announced the winning proposals for the public architectural preliminary design competition for the EDDI - RETO comprehensive development prototype.

From **September 24 to 26**, the seventh edition of Open House Madrid will take place, an architecture and urbanism festival that promotes architecture by opening the doors of various works of great cultural and heritage value to the public, aiming to bridge the gap between the public, professionals, enthusiasts, and the city.

+ 9

A-001 Taller de arquitectura + Dellekamp / Schleich + Esrawe Studio present their new project in Mexico City's Historic Center, built upon ruins that evoke the memory shaping the city. Spanning 470 m², the project is composed of a series of layers that wrap around the legacy of each era; in turn, their overlapping creates an inherent need to redefine themselves as a whole. The building housing the hotel project is an 18th-century structure, designated as historical heritage by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

Between November 26 and December 4, the Trienal Sur del Mundo: 'Human Cities' took place in the city of Concepción, Chile, under the general curatorship of Sergio Baeriswyl. The event was an invitation to take an in-depth look at architecture and urban design at the scale of intermediate cities, and to rethink how our habitats are built in the face of today's changing scenarios.

What if we told you that fungi could be the future of building materials? The possibilities of mycelium in architecture are becoming increasingly tangible, thanks to its capacity to be molded into everything from furniture and packaging to insulation panels and bricks. It offers excellent acoustic and thermal properties, along with remarkable fire resistance.

In Argentina, this is already a reality. Refugio Fúngico is a recent experimental biotechnological research and development project led by SUPERPRAXIS. It takes the form of a temporary installation in the city of San Carlos de Bariloche, crafted from a biomaterial made from organic waste and mycelium.

Established in March 2008, Shanghai RUF Architectural Design Consulting Co., Ltd. (RUF) is the sole branch in China of the Boston-registered US RUF Design Consulting Co., Ltd. The firm specializes in schematic design for high-end residential projects, commercial complexes, industrial parks, hotels, and characteristic small towns.

It took nearly 60 years to build the San Carlos Canal, an engineering feat that drew water from the Maipo River to irrigate the lands of southeastern Santiago.