Do you like podcasts? We recently partnered with ArquiCast, an excellent Portuguese-language podcast on Architecture and Urbanism hosted by Adilson Amaral, Aline Cruz, and Raphael Rodrigues. For those who don't know, a podcast is a type of audio program periodically updated by creators via RSS (Really Simple Syndication) technology for blogs. Check out some of the episodes they have already recorded discussing articles published on ArchDaily.

In this article shared by the Bamboo Experimentation Laboratory at UNESP - Bauru the researchers involved report on the construction of the Workshop Shed at the Horto de Aimorés Rural Settlement. The project utilized raw bamboo combined with round aroeira columns and metal connections. Read the summary submitted by the authors and the results of this process below.

The site comprising the historic city of Paraty and the Ilha Grande Basin, in Angra dos Reis, in the southern region of Rio de Janeiro state, received a favorable technical recommendation this week from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to become a World Heritage Site. 

While conventional American urbanism is known to drive excessive sprawl, it is worth remembering that, ultimately, the true extent of a city's horizontal expansion lies far beyond the reach of urban planning controls.

A team of professionals from the Housing Company of the Federal District (CODHAB/DF) has launched a crowdfunding campaign for the publication series “Experiências em Arquitetura Social” (Experiences in Social Architecture). The books compile architecture and urban planning projects designed to improve the quality of housing design and construction in the Federal District.

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In architectural discourse, much is discussed regarding the influence of the site where a building is situated, whether through the incorporation of surrounding elements during the design process, or through the negation or overcoming of its undesirable characteristics. Some situations make this negotiation more evident than others, especially when the natural environment is dominant. In these cases, one constantly observes the tension between natural preexistence and human intervention, as well as the possible ways to achieve harmony between the two.

Since the 1970s, architecture has sought connections with other fields of art, looking for inspiration to break with the paradigms of the time in sculpture and painting, as well as in music and literature. In schools and professional practice, architectural projects were developed based on the study of "paintings by Vermeer, as well as those of the Cubists, the music of Bach, as well as Meredith Monk, literary fragments by Heraclitus, as well as Herman Melville's Moby-Dick and James Joyce's Finnegans Wake."[1] 

The XI Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism, which will take place in Paraguay, has just released the list of projects selected to participate in the exhibition. The selection was made by committees appointed by each country. In Brazil, those responsible are: UNA Arquitetos (curators), Carlos Eduardo Comas, Fernando Luiz Lara, Guilah Naslavsky, Guilherme Wisnik, Luciano Margotto, Naia Alban, Otávio Leonídio, and Paulo Henrique Paranhos. In Portugal, the selection was overseen by: Paulo David (curator), Ana Pedro Ferreira, and Pedro Maria Ribeiro. See the complete list of selected projects below.

We are pleased to present today the finalist projects for the 2019 Building of the Year Award (ODA19). After two weeks of nominations and more than 10,000 votes, the favorite projects have been selected from hundreds of works built in Portuguese-speaking countries. Our jury of experts—our own readers—has once again done an outstanding job selecting the 15 finalists. The projects span a remarkable diversity of programs, including cultural, commercial, and educational facilities, public squares, high-end residences, and renovations. This selection offers an engaging overview of contemporary architectural production in Brazil and Portugal, deeply shaped by material exploration, the richness of our geographic contexts, and the diverse challenges faced by our societies.

Margarida Quintã and Luís Ribeiro da Silva are the winners of the 15th edition of the Fernando Távora Award, the Northern Regional Section of the Order of Architects (OA) announced this week. With the proposal As Fronteiras do México [The Borders of Mexico], the duo explores "the impact of architecture and urbanism on mediating issues related to territorial borders, migration, and the cross-border dimension of human well-being."

The School of Architecture and Urbanism of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF) has announced the results of the national competition for its new headquarters building. The winning team consists of architects Bruno Eduardo Nakaguma Gondo, Carlos Eduardo Murgel Miller, Eduardo Saguas Miller, and Felipe Fuchs, from São Paulo.

Flávio de Carvalho was a modern Brazilian architect recognized worldwide for his innovative and provocative way of showcasing his worldview through art. Discover some of his artistic expressions below.

The author of more than 30 books and a champion of cities for people, Danish architect Jan Gehl and his team of around 50 professionals have worked to free the centers of cities as diverse as Moscow, Melbourne, Shanghai, and New York from cars.

Romano Guerra Editora has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Catarse to reissue the celebrated book RINO LEVI – arquitetura e cidade. Based on Renato Anelli's doctoral dissertation, the book features iconographic research by a team led by Abilio Guerra and is filled with photography by Nelson Kon.

The benefits of urban vegetation are numerous and well known. In addition to shading public spaces and producing oxygen, trees and shrubs contribute to thermal comfort, by humidifying the air, and acoustic comfort, as they can be used as barriers to minimize noise. 

Brazil's most famous architect, Oscar Niemeyer, kept his office active until his death in 2012 at the age of 104. One of the last projects he designed is nearing completion in Leipzig, Germany. The project is a 12-meter-diameter sphere embedded in the corner of a 19th-century brick building, which will house a cafe and bar for employees of the HeiterBlick and Kirow Ardelt AG railway companies.

In October, the Casa da Arquitectura – Portuguese Centre for Architecture will open the exhibition “Souto de Moura – Memory, Projects, Works,” which will remain on display until September 2020. Curated by Francesco Dal Co and Nuno Graça Moura, the exhibition offers a unique and rare monographic reading of the work of one of Portugal's most prestigious architects.

The proposal to build South America's largest Ferris wheel in Balneário Camboriú (SC) underwent another public hearing this Monday (11)—this time to present the project's Neighborhood Impact Assessment (EIV), which plans for a 57,200-square-meter complex in the Praia do Coco area.

The Urban and Environmental Policy Commission (CPUA) of CAU/BR will produce supplemental educational materials on architecture and urbanism for elementary and middle school classrooms. Developed in partnership with Pistache Editorial, the project aims to bring urban planning discussions into schools to help build better cities in the future. The goal is to foster students' critical perspective on the urban environment, helping them understand the city as a space with multiple historical layers. 

Partially destroyed by a fire in 2015, the Museum of the Portuguese Language has undergone a lengthy restoration process and now has a date to reopen its doors: June 27, 2020. The announcement was made by state and municipal officials this Monday, December 16, during a visit to the site.

The Instituto Tomie Ohtake and AkzoNobel have announced the 12 finalist projects in the professional category, alongside three in the student category, which was introduced in this sixth edition of the Instituto Tomie Ohtake AkzoNobel Architecture Award.

Much like stone, wood, and other natural materials, straw and thatch have been used as building resources since the dawn of human history. However, with the advent of new technologies like concrete, and the concept of *Progress* driven by the Industrial Revolution—and subsequently by the rise of steel—many traditional materials fell out of favor, widely replaced by modern alternatives.

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Today marks one year since the brutal assassination of Rio de Janeiro sociologist and city councilwoman Marielle Franco. The week before her death, Marielle took part in a series of debates organized by CAU/RJ called "Architecture - Feminine Noun," aimed at strengthening mobilizations for International Women's Day.

The “De-whitening the City” Podcast is a space invented from the desire of five Black women residing in Salvador, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte to circumvent geographic distance in order to foster and celebrate connection. Emmily Leandro, Gabriela Gaia, Luciana Mayrink, Malu de Barros, and Natalia Alves make up the Terra Preta collective, giving shape and voice to this exercise in creating a shared virtual territory—both a political and aesthetic commitment—now made public for the first time.