Às vésperas de embarcarmos, coletivamente, à bordo de mais uma aventura conhecida como carnaval, o primeiro propriamente dito após o longo e difícil período da pandemia de Covid-19, é importante falarmos sobre um outro aspecto da folia, menos abordado e visibilizado nas narrativas dominantes sobre o tema. Num recorte temporal mais recente, é possível perceber que em algumas cidades, com o aumento da escala, proporção e engajamento dos festejos carnavalescos, aliado ao grande interesse turístico e econômico disparado pela festa, o carnaval passou a mobilizar engendramentos cada vez mais amplos de logísticas, equipamentos e estruturas. Esses elementos passaram a tensionar uma série de espacialidades e outras dinâmicas urbanas existentes, incorporando-se, cada vez mais invasivamente, na relação entre essa importante festa popular e determinados espaços das cidades.
OUTIN. DESIGN A multidisciplinary, collaborative design firm. Its services span architecture (social and community interaction, innovative retail spaces, exhibitions, co-working spaces, boutique hotels), residential and lifestyle spaces, FF&E design and installation, and product design and fixture R&D. The four design teams under OUTIN. DESIGN operate independently while frequently collaborating on cross-disciplinary projects.
R.E.C The team responsible for architecture (social and community interaction, innovative retail spaces, exhibitions, co-working spaces, boutique hotels), art direction, and strategic consulting. Its name stems from reflections on "Time Recycle"—the "long-term cycle" of 24 hours, 1440 minutes, and 86400 seconds. From understanding the essence of things to designing solutions, the team integrates the cycle and symbiosis of time. This ensures our projects are both poetic and pragmatic, combining research-driven design with the sustainable commercial performance of each project.
WMT The team responsible for residential and lifestyle sectors. Its core concept, "inspiring turning points in life," embodies new inspirations and forms while stimulating new lifestyles. All of our designs express a flexible, practical approach to relaxation and personalized concepts, ultimately creating warm and welcoming living spaces. Over the years, this has formed WMT's core value—"Comfortable life comes from WMT."
SIBAN The team responsible for interior FF&E design services. It focuses on the intersection of social architectural spaces, innovative commerce, and daily life. SIBAN has years of experience in FF&E design and master planning for international home brand exhibition spaces, giving them a global vision and deep understanding of brand display. In residential FF&E styling, the team focuses on reflecting non-replicable, unique living states within private spaces, rejecting purely formalistic, decorative arrangements.
JEDI 404 The creative incubation team responsible for product design and fixture research and development. JEDI 404 seeks to construct original design concepts through "non-existent" and unconventional paths, perceiving and gathering raw emotions from design practice and multidimensional spaces. JEDI 404 builds a boundaryless platform where diverse imaginations converge to co-create infinite possibilities of objects.
Throughout its existence, architecture has continuously reinvented itself, driven not only by the emergence of new techniques and trends, but also by a deeper understanding of the human being. In recent times, the field of neuroarchitecture has yielded valuable research into how built environments influence our brains and, consequently, our behavior and well-being. This interdisciplinary approach suggests that interior design—specifically materiality and surface design—can play a crucial role in modulating individuals' neural and behavioral responses.
Highly beneficial in climates with wide diurnal temperature ranges, where there is a significant difference between day and night temperatures, thermal mass is a key concept to consider when designing for optimal thermal comfort. As a passive strategy for temperature control, it eliminates the need for additional energy consumption, making the building more sustainable.
Bike lane in São Paulo-SP. Image: Joana Oliveira/WRI Brasil
From the mid-20th century to the present day, time lost in traffic has become one of the primary sources of frustration in urban life. Historically, the classic formula for combating this problem has been to add more and more car lanes and build overpasses, based on the unfulfilled promise of improving traffic flow.
This consequence is well documented: every new car lane added represents a barrier to other modes of transportation and means longer travel distances for everyone. The result is induced demand—an invitation for more and more people to travel by car.
There is a clear reason why the circular economy is becoming increasingly central to debates on architecture and urbanism: the global population living in cities is projected to reach 68% by 2050. The environmental challenge will be significant as the demand for natural resources, such as materials and energy, increases, and circularity seems to offer key opportunities to mitigate this impact.
How can we move toward this more sustainable model in our cities? We posed this question to our readers. After reviewing a vast number of comments and opinions from construction professionals, students, and architecture enthusiasts alike, it was surprising to find such a strong consensus on policies and programs that promote responsible consumption and cross-sector collaboration.
Videos
Pelourinho in Salvador. Photo by Kunze, via Visualhunt
Pelourinho, located in the Historic Center of Salvador, Bahia, is one of the most well-known, publicized, and visited landmarks of the Bahian capital. With an urban and architectural colonial heritage of great cultural significance, it was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985. Spanning over four centuries of history, the district has hosted a wide range of activities, functions, and dynamics, its trajectory deeply intertwined with that of the city itself. Today, it is one of Salvador's primary tourist attractions, hosting a variety of tourism facilities such as hotels, restaurants, and museums in addition to its colonial architecture.
With a population of over 17.5 million people and 23 million bicycles—more than three million of which are electric—the Netherlands is a global benchmark in mobility and the development of urban designs that prioritize pedestrians and cyclists. Approximately 27% of all trips in the country are made by bicycle, with over 15.5 billion kilometers traveled annually, according to data from the national government. Despite these high figures, the goal is to implement initiatives that further encourage municipalities to transform their spaces, giving more room to cycling as the primary option for short trips of up to 15 kilometers.
https://www.archdaily.com/1136319/fietsgeluk-the-dutch-concept-of-cycling-happinessSomos Cidade
Identity is a complex, constantly evolving concept—a social construct built from historical elements, cultural factors, circumstances, and phenomena manifested in a specific place. In Mexican architecture, this identity is reflected in works conceived through the vision of artists and architects like Diego Rivera and Agustín Hernández. In projects such as the Anahuacalli Museum and Casa en el Aire, they captured the colossal proportions, symmetry, and simple forms of Mexico's pre-Hispanic past. Similarly, distinctive attributes, such as the folklore of traditions, are reflected in the sensitive use of color in the work of Luis Barragán and Javier Senosiain, creating a rich amalgam of artistic expressions that embody Mexican architectural identity in its diversity and ongoing evolution.
https://www.archdaily.com/1136310/evolving-ceramic-tiles-mexican-architectural-identity-in-the-interior-design-of-the-futureEnrique Tovar
Downtown São Paulo. Image courtesy of AsBEA-SP / Disclosure
The central region of São Paulo holds a significant part of our history, which can be read through its buildings. For many locals, the emotional connection to this area is clear when recalling moments spent in these historic buildings—which carry deep cultural and religious meaning—and along these bustling commercial streets.
Over the last few decades, however, this relationship has eroded due to the obsolescence of buildings, poor habitability, the deterioration of vacant properties, insecurity, and other factors that have driven residents away from downtown—which remains an area with high foot traffic, vibrant commerce, extensive transportation infrastructure, and a unique connection to the rest of the city. An urban space with such infrastructure cannot be abandoned in a city with a high demand for housing, culture, and leisure.
A few years ago, one of my favorite university professors (who inspired me to study urban planning) approached me with a small request: she wanted to transform her small bedroom window into a balcony so she could look out onto the street.
In September 2022, Ricardo Carvalho and Leonardo Monastério published the paper FAR Regulations and the Spatial Size of Brazilian Cities. Available at the link above, the study evaluates the influence of density restrictions on the expansion of the urban footprint.
The term FAR, or floor area ratio, é known in Brazil as the *coeficiente de aproveitamento máximo* (maximum CA). This metric is the ratio between the total built area permitted by law on an urban plot and the plot's total area. Therefore, if a 200 m² plot has a maximum CA of 3, the building permitted on that site cannot exceed 600 m² of total built area.
Initial section of the Wild Mile. Photo: Colin Boyle / Wild Mile
The Wild Mile project is an ambitious initiative by the nonprofit organization Urban Rivers, aiming to restore a 1.5-kilometer stretch of the Chicago River in the United States. The project involves creating a vibrant and sustainable urban oasis with boardwalks and floating gardens.
Since the opening of its first section in July 2023, the Wild Mile has already attracted over 30,000 visitors, including local residents, educational programs, and special events. Leaders at Urban Rivers express pride in the project's achievements, highlighting the transformation of a once-neglected stretch of the river into a thriving public space for both wildlife and people.
https://www.archdaily.com/1136315/floating-gardens-are-transforming-the-chicago-riverMayra Rosa
Dérive LAB is a multidisciplinary laboratory based in Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico, that seeks to explore, understand, and inspire other (new) ways of living and thinking about city life. Through research, design, and action, they have focused on developing projects in art, architecture, urban design, and other disciplines that impact three specific scales: public life, the built environment, and everyday objects.
With the rise of social media, we have entered an era of a multimedia "society of the spectacle," where the influence of images on the public grows year by year. Visually-driven media platforms are increasingly dominating the market, serving as an alternative form of travel that allows people to experience breathtaking scenes from around the world without leaving home. Dedicated to bringing design inspiration to the public, ArchDaily established its presence on Instagram years ago. In 2022, we expanded onto China’s Xiaohongshu (RED), hoping to share exceptional projects with a broader audience. As expected, the influence of star architects remains strong, while playfulness, aesthetics, and relevance emerge as key terms guiding reader interest. Here, we present the top 20 most-liked architectural projects of 2022 on ArchDaily’s official Xiaohongshu and Instagram accounts. Read on to discover the public's architectural preferences.
As part of the Mexico City Art Week lineup, a monumental mural was unveiled on Wednesday, February 1, transforming the facade of Frontón México—a historic downtown building that customer-exemplifies Art Deco architecture in the country, originally designed by architects Teodoro Kinhard and Joaquín Capilla and later renovated by Moyao Arquitectos. The installation was created by Spanish artist Okuda San Miguel in tandem with an immersive experience running inside the venue until March 11.
The lack of safe drinking water and adequate sanitation is an issue that still affects millions of people worldwide; even in the 21st century, a large portion of the population lacks full access to these basic resources. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) show that about 3 in 10 people—equivalent to 2.1 billion people globally—do not have access to safe drinking water at home, and approximately 60% of the global population lacks access to safely managed sanitation services, including many living in urbanized areas.
Instalación LAGUNA. Image Cortesía de Diego González Albarrán
The Doctores neighborhood (Mexico City) is a complex territory; understanding it requires observing the interrelations between objects in space, rather than space and the objects in themselves. Formerly known as Colonia Hidalgo and later renamed after its streets, it has undergone multiple processes of transformation and appropriation over time, ranging from the construction of its first homes during the viceregal period to the spatial and social shift brought about by the 1985 earthquake.
Seattle-based Olson Kundig is a prime example of how a firm's design approach is shaped by geography and culture. Founded by Jim Olson (Jim Olson) in 1966, the firm now comprises hundreds of employees and four other partners, including Tom Kundig. The practice boasts a wide and diverse portfolio. In lectures and interviews, Kundig frequently discusses how his upbringing in a region with a rich history of mining and logging influenced his industrial and rational aesthetic, his use of durable, low-maintenance materials, and his keen focus on craftsmanship. At the same time, an imaginative approach that emphasizes kinetic elements and blurs the boundaries between indoors and outdoors is a hallmark of many of the firm's designs. This is often achieved through the integration of manual, hand-operated devices that allow users to physically activate the building, connecting them to the environment, the architecture, and its kinetic mechanisms.
Established in Shanghai in 2016, Atelier tao+c’s practice spans a diverse range of typologies and scales, from a single pendant light to an entire neighborhood, from micro-apartments in the city to the renovation of old rural houses, and from street-front shops to youth communities. Alongside our design practice, we are dedicated to research initiatives focusing on the renewal of existing buildings and the spatial organization of objects within residential environments.
Unconstrained by typology or scale, our projects focus on scale, construction, proximity, intimacy, and the dialogue between the past and the immediate. Through an exploration and deep understanding of typologies, we seek to uncover the latent potential within each site.
Our design methodology begins with a retreat to the interior, allowing space to grow outward from within, breaking boundaries and forging connections within the often-overlooked interstitial spaces between architecture and interior. We employ elemental forms, clear proportions, and unexpected sectional variations to cultivate a nuanced and cohesive sense of scale across interior and exterior realms. By elevating direct, everyday local materials and vernacular construction methods into a profound expression of craftsmanship and detail, we aim to allow life to unfold in all its complexity within a framework of simplicity.
The studio's work has been featured in books by prominent publishers such as Gestalten and Phaidon, and widely published in leading international design media, including The Architectural Review, Domus, The Plan, AIT, Azure, Wallpaper*, ArchDaily, Dezeen, Yellowtrace, and Divisare.
The composting system can be built with various materials. Photo: Paulo H.Carvalho | Agência Brasília
The average Brazilian generates nearly one kilogram of waste per day, according to a survey by Selurb (National Union of Urban Cleaning Companies). Meanwhile, according to Abrelpe (Brazilian Association of Public Cleaning and Special Waste Companies), organic waste represents half of the total urban waste generated in Brazil every year. This is waste that could be repurposed for composting, biodigestion, and/or energy production, but is instead sent to landfills—where it contaminates the soil and produces polluting gases.
Founded in Paris, France, Tektonn Architecture established its permanent office in Chengdu, China, in early 2018. Architecture connects places and people through the act of building; it is about life, environment, memory, and heritage. We strive to respond through sincere design, build with ingenuity, and observe from an objective perspective. Creating from the environment is the very origin of the name Tektonn.
We excel at observing and listening, where every design begins with a rational and meticulous reading of the site. Driven to explore, we continuously push established boundaries to discover creative ideas and realization possibilities. Methodical by nature, we uncover latent connections and site logic amidst complex realities, evaluating how scale impacts the environment. Committed to the pursuit of detail, we study spatial experience through openness and closure, yin and yang, and proportion, analyzing shifts in human behavior. We are architects in action, dedicated to researching materials and finding the most appropriate local construction methods to build comfortable spaces where stories can unfold.
weico is a newly established architecture firm founded by a group of highly experienced industry professionals. Located in a small courtyard near the East Gate of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, the studio currently comprises about 20 team members. Beyond building design, weico’s practice spans interior design, urban design, architectural programming, and large-scale project management. The firm places a strong emphasis on the cross-disciplinary integration of design with technology, industry, economics, and the humanities, and has recently begun incorporating graphic design into its project workflows. Led by Principal Architect and Partner Sun Wei, weico—established just over a year ago—has already won bids for and taken on major projects, including the T3 Headquarters, Hengli International Headquarters, the Hongqi High-End Customization Center, and consulting for the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) Phase II. The firm was also shortlisted for the CGN Scientific Research Base and the Bay Area University, drawing significant attention within the domestic industry.
Although we are an architecture firm, we do not view design as the end of our work, but rather as the starting point. We hope that all our work can serve as a medium to express our understanding of the world, and even as a tool to drive change.
We can define green technology as a set of instruments that enable sustainable production. This means managing product lifecycles more responsibly, always striving for minimal environmental impact.
The production stages span from raw material extraction, manufacturing, and distribution, to end-use and disposal. Consequently, the entire lifecycle can benefit from the application of green technologies, which help reduce environmental impact by using natural resources in a sustainable and conscious manner.
