The impact of the pandemic on urban centers has laid bare the issues we seemed to have been avoiding in recent years. Today, the historic downtown of Buenos Aires is one of the city's most affected areas. Desolate streets, absolute silence, and endless shuttered storefronts reflect the crisis currently facing the city's downtown.

"Domingos Libro" is hosted by Carmelo of Enorme Studio. Every two weeks, the series takes a deep dive into forgotten architectural publications—books and magazines from the '60s, '70s, and '80s with the most fascinating stories behind them.

In this tenth episode, titled "Demolition Man," Carmelo reviews the catalog of the 1993 exhibition on the work of architect Shin Takamatsu at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Published by Rizzoli, the catalog highlights how three of the four buildings around which the exhibition was structured have already disappeared just thirty years later. In fact, 25% of the buildings by this genius of technomorphic architecture have been demolished, making Takamatsu the Demolition Man of architecture.

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As part of an initiative by the UHPH Platform, co-organized with Habitat for Humanity, the 2021 call for entries was launched for the "Inspiring Practices" competition, held within the framework of the 4th Latin American and Caribbean Housing and Habitat Forum: "Action for Housing and Settlements Facing COVID-19." This initiative seeks to improve urban spaces and equip them with infrastructure that promotes community development.

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In the future, the Internet of Things (IoT) will play an increasingly profound role in our lives, with devices communicating independently and integrating into our daily routines as smart assistants. As a result, demand for smart home technology is growing in tandem with the range of products on offer. In a recent report, market research firm Statista predicted that this year, approximately 12% of households worldwide will own smart home devices, a figure projected to rise to over 21% by 2025—translating to more than 478.2 million users globally. But which of these devices are actually useful? A selection of outstanding technologies and designs has recently been honored with the 2021 iF Design Award, and here we take a closer look at nine of them.

Videos

The Guatemala Architecture Biennale 2021 begins today, serving as a platform that will bring together the region's most prominent professionals from November 16 to 18 at the Miguel Ángel Asturias Cultural Center through symposiums, lectures, and exhibitions.

Mexican architect Fernanda Canales presents her new book "Shared Structures – Private Spaces: Housing in Mexico," which explores the relationship between rooms, people, and cities. Centered on the modern culture of dwelling in Mexico, the research is developed in two parts: a series of texts addressing housing, and an analysis of 70 collective housing projects built over the last hundred years, interwoven with a compendium of quotes from architects involved in the field during this same period, such as Luis Barragán, Juan O’Gorman, Mario Pani, Alberto Kalach, Frida Escobedo, and Mauricio Rocha.

The architectural competition for the San Juan de Dios Hospital Complex in Bogotá was organized by the Urban Renovation and Development Agency (ERU) with advisory support from the Colombian Society of Architects. The goal was to reconnect and integrate the complex with its surrounding neighborhoods and the city center. This involves upgrading both the interior green areas and the peripheral public space, designing the plazas, pedestrian pathways, and interior gardens, as well as proposing options for pedestrian corridors and internal enclosures. In turn, the intervention will integrate the southern edge of the complex with the Policarpa and Sevilla neighborhoods, the north with the San Bernardo neighborhood, and the east with Las Cruces.

The private architectural design competition for the technical laboratories of the Bogotá Water and Sewerage Company (EAAB-ESP) was held to carry out the architectural design, the architectural and technical coordination of the studies, and the engineering designs for the laboratories. Located in Bogotá, the competition was organized by the company itself with the advisory support of the Colombian Society of Architects (SCA).

The evaluation criteria considered aspects such as integration with the urban context, public-private integration, accessibility, functionality, and spatiality of the architectural components, and the implementation of bioclimatic and sustainability criteria, including solar exposure, ventilation, and noise and/or humidity control. Out of the 17 proposals submitted, three prizes and two honorable mentions were awarded. Below, we present the winning projects.

Awarded second place in the “Earth Architecture Competition,” organized by the NGO C-re-aid, the primary school in Moshi, Tanzania, designed by a team of students from the Federal University of Santa Catarina, aims to promote education and sustainability as a means of spatial and social integration within the local reality. Varying heights and lengths of the horizontal planter beds enhance safety in the school environment while maintaining its connection to the street.

The school unfolds from a central corridor that reveals various distinct spaces, allowing children to develop creatively and connect with their surroundings, according to the project's authors: Ana Luísa Schoenell, João Victor Ortiz, Julia Stopasolla Copat, and Mariana Bruggmann Spricigo Pfleger. The program is divided into blocks, with classrooms and services connecting to this central corridor to foster physical and visual integration across all spaces. 

CAU/RJ has extended the registration deadline for the CAU+Mulheres Awards. Female architects and urban planners now have until November 26 to submit their projects.

Now in its second edition, the CAU+Mulheres Award is one of the Council's initiatives to promote dialogue and increase the visibility of female architects and urban planners across their various fields of work. The award features five categories: Architectural Design; Interior Design; Urban Design; Architectural Design for Emergency Situations; and Theoretical Studies (theses, dissertations, books, and publications).

The term ergonomics was first coined in 1857 by the Polish scholar Wojciech Jastrzębowski, deriving from the combination of the Greek words ergon (work) and nomos (laws or rules). Although initially associated with the physical comfort of workers, today the term applies to a wide range of activities, from sports to leisure. It represents a set of guidelines and procedures designed to ensure both physical and mental well-being during any given task.

Public and private sector leaders and civil society representatives from around the world gathered at COP26, held in Glasgow from October 31 to November 12, to debate and deliberate on one of the most pressing issues of the 21st century: climate change. The summit centered on four key goals:

The 8th edition of the Arquiteturas Film Festival explored the theme Bodies Out of Space through an exploration of the social construction of space, connected by a thread running through its own narratives of domination. These are also narratives of identity, which is often stripped away or forced to represent our bodies.

The latest episode of Arquicast addresses one of the most defining and tragic events in recent history—an event that triggered radical political, social, and cultural shifts globally, and centered on an American architectural icon whose symbolism transcended the physical buildings themselves, giving rise to one of the world's most renowned design competitions. We are referring to September 11, 2001, the day a terrorist attack killed nearly three thousand people, injured over six thousand, and brought down the World Trade Center commercial complex, which included New York's world-famous Twin Towers. 

"Domingos Libro" is hosted by Carmelo from Enorme Studio. Every two weeks, the series delves deep into forgotten architectural publications, books, and magazines from the '60s, '70s, and '80s, uncovering the fascinating stories behind them.

In this eleventh episode, titled "El Huevo" (The Egg), Carmelo discusses the 1978 book *L'Oeuf* by André Bruyère. An obsession with eggs led the French architect to propose an egg-shaped skyscraper for New York and write this book, which champions the ovoid as a fundamental form.

Dear readers, with your companionship, ArchDaily has journeyed through 2020. Throughout this past year, we have continued our daily mission to report on and share global architecture, growing along the way while earning the recognition of architects and the invaluable support of our readers. 2020 has been an extraordinary year. At a time when we cannot gather or meet in person, we rely on the digital realm to send holiday wishes, sharing warmth and connection through online greeting cards. We have compiled the holiday cards we received this year to share with you, our dear readers. Let’s take a look at these creative designs from architects worldwide as we welcome 2021 together.

This September marks the 4th edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial under the title The Available City. It is a perfect opportunity to open up the debate on the role of architecture in urban equity.

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This article by Hugo Mondragón and Manola Ogalde (both from the School of Architecture of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) was originally published in the 29th issue of Dearq journal on 01/01/2021 under the title "Consecration and Exclusion: The Disputed Canon of Colombian Architecture, 1951-1981" (https://doi.org/10.18389/dearq29.2021.08) and is part of a joint dissemination partnership.

Lucía C. Pérez Moreno is the principal investigator of the MuWo - Women in Spanish (Post)Modern Architectural Culture (1965-2000) project. A statistical study broken down by gender, it aims to rigorously document the trajectory of female architects over four decades spanning late Francoism and the consolidation of democracy in Spain. The following interview reveals the relevance of conducting this type of analysis, the arduous work process involved, and its key findings.

Wang Hao (born 1978) is the co-founder of Atelier Anonymous. In 2013, he held the solo exhibition "Free Structure: New Chinese Dwellings" at the Shanghai Design Center, and was awarded the German *Bauwelt* First Work Award in the same year. He participated in the Shanghai Urban Space Art Season in 2015, and exhibited at the 15th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2016. In 2020, he co-organized the "Timber Structure Renaissance" exhibition with the K11 Art Foundation (KCG) in Shanghai, and received the Natural Build Award | Young Architect Discovery Award.

Qiu Zhefeng (born 1979) is the co-founder of Atelier Anonymous. In 2008, he published the book *The Forerunner: China's Future in a Small Town*. In 2012, he curated the "Society" project for the City Pavilions program at the 9th Shanghai Biennale. In 2013, he was invited to participate in the 55th Venice Biennale, curating the exhibition *Shanghai and Venice: City Center, Diankou, Lima, and Palermo*.

In a world that is increasingly polarized and intolerant of differences, Portugal's contribution to the theme of the Venice Architecture Biennale—How will we live together?—sheds light on public space as a stage for opposing forces, the confrontation of ideas, and social coexistence. Entitled In Conflict, Portugal's participation is curated by Carlos Azevedo, João Crisóstomo, and Luís Sobral from the office depA architects, with Miguel Santos serving as associate curator.

We spoke with the curators about some central aspects of the exhibition and the cycle of debates they propose—democracy, conflict, and opposing ideas in urban space. 

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On March 8, 2021, various demonstrations were held in Mexico City to mark International Women's Day (#8M), drawing attention to and demanding justice for the rising wave of daily femicides across the country. Over recent years, this crisis has triggered major protests, such as those on August 16, 2019, and March 8, 2020, where thousands of women gathered to protest through both peaceful and disruptive actions. These demonstrations transformed public spaces, resulting in damage to streets, public transit, and—most notably during the August 16, 2019 march—the Angel of Independence monument, which is still undergoing restoration. This damage sparked a massive backlash that discredited the feminist movement, prioritizing property damage over the core demands of the protests.

"Domingos Libro" is presented by Carmelo of Enorme Studio. Every two weeks, he delves into forgotten architectural publications, books, and magazines from the '60s, '70s, and '80s that have the most interesting stories behind them.

In this eighth episode, titled "I'm Gonna Be a Rock & Roll Star," he discusses issue 231 (February 1984) of the French magazine L'Architecture d'aujourd'hui, which was dedicated to Jean Nouvel's projects from 1977 to 1983. Among these, an interview with the French architect stands out, where his words are accompanied by staged portraits that fictionalize everything he says in the interview.