Construction of the Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Station, the Brazilian Navy's research base in Antarctica, is complete after three years of work on the planet's most extreme continent. A masterpiece of architecture and engineering, the facility features 700 tons of steel structures, an aerodynamic shape to withstand winds of up to 200 km/h, and a stilted base to prevent winter snow accumulation from reaching the building. 

Building certified sustainable public buildings is now a viable reality. At least, that is what the Hassis Daycare project in Florianópolis, designed by architect Rachel Braga, demonstrates. The 1,182-square-meter building is the first of its kind in the world and the first public building in Brazil to receive the highest Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating: Platinum.

Videos

An open lecture on architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha and the Brazil Pavilion at Expo ’70 Osaka, as part of the exhibition "Architecture of Exception – The Brazil Pavilion at Expo ’70 Osaka." Exhibition curators José Paulo Gouvêa and Alexandre Benoit invite FAUUSP professor Guilherme Wisnik and Daniele Pisani, professor at Politecnico di Milano and author of the book Paulo Mendes da Rocha: Complete Works (Gustavo Gili, 2002).

Contemporary architectural production in São Paulo is as diverse as one would expect from one of the most populous cities in the world. While architecture also encompasses the outcomes of urban disorder and population growth — buildings born out of the necessity of people who, with scarce resources, build their own homes — architectural discourse often focuses on production whose genesis lies in deliberate design.

The CAU/BR is studying new rules for issuing Technical Responsibility Records (RRT) and Technical Collection Certificates (CAT) by architects and urban planners. The Professional Practice Commission, which is presenting the proposal to the public, aims to improve the registration system to protect both architects and their clients regarding the technical responsibility of architecture and urbanism services.

The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich) is offering free online courses on smart cities and future cities. Available through the edX platform, which is shared by institutions worldwide, the courses last ten weeks and are conducted via video.

The United Nations, through its Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), launched a publication this month focusing on strategies to integrate nutrition policies into urban planning. The document highlights best practices in reducing food waste, promoting healthy diets, and strengthening local production chains.

Photographer Manuel Sá shared with us his photo essay of the Coati Restaurant, designed in 1987 by Lina Bo Bardi, João Filgueiras Lima - Lelé (precast reinforced mortar), Marcelo Ferraz, and Marcelo Suzuki. The complete complex—comprising a restaurant, a bar, and three historic houses slated to be converted into nine apartments with ground-floor commercial space—is located in Salvador's Pelourinho district and is part of the Pilot Project for the Recovery Plan of the Historic Center of Bahia, proposed by Lina. Unfortunately, the restaurant is currently abandoned and falling into ruin, as is the rest of the complex.

Since the beginning of the month, thousands of fire outbreaks have been recorded in Brazil's northern states, spreading through Acre, Rondônia, Mato Grosso, and Mato Grosso do Sul, and reaching the triple border of Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. According to the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), the country is experiencing its worst wave of wildfires in five years.

The year is 2010. As the first Arab country selected to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Qatar is already ramping up its preparations to host this highly anticipated and costly event 12 years down the line. Extensive construction and reconstruction efforts are being launched, targeting not only the facilities directly demanded by FIFA, but also, more broadly, the urban infrastructure systems of the country's major cities.

The Federal University of Alagoas unanimously approved the Honorary Doctorate for architect Zélia de Melo Maia Nobre. In a historic moment for architecture in Northeastern Brazil, the “lady of the elegant line,” an icon of the regional modern movement, was recognized as the “first woman to receive the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from UFAL,” in the words of Rector Valéria Correia, president of the University Council.

The search for the ideal city has always permeated human history, constituting a utopia pursued by rulers, artists, philosophers, and, in more recent history, by us, urban planners. Since the 19th century, various models of ideal cities have been proposed—and, at times, built—ranging from Howard's garden cities to mechanized, radial, and walking cities (like those of the Archigram group), to nomadic ones like Constant Nieuwenhuis's New Babylon, and modernist cities, among others.

Today, São Paulo's largest and most visited park, Ibirapuera, celebrates 65 years since its inauguration in 1954. To mark the occasion, the Municipal Secretariat for the Green and the Environment (SVMA) is hosting five days of special programming featuring tours, debates, concerts, meditation classes, performances, and workshops, among other activities.

Infinito Vão: Brasil, the series of talks taking place on March 22 and 23 at IMS, is an extension of the program of activities for the exhibition of the same name, currently on view until April 28 at Casa da Arquitectura in Matosinhos, Portugal.

Curated by Fernando Serapião, Guilherme Wisnik, and Nuno Sampaio, Infinito Vão: Brasil will bring together architects, photographers, and cultural managers over two days for a series of talks and debates on the history of Brazilian architecture, its influence on daily and cultural life, and the connections it builds with other artistic expressions.

Registration is now open for the 27th World Congress of the International Union of Architects (UIA), the world's largest architecture event, which will be held for the first time in Brazil, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, in 2020.

The Tomie Ohtake Institute has announced the 15 projects selected for the 2nd Tomie Ohtake Institute Leroy Merlin Design Award. This edition's theme, CIRCULAR, prompted proposals and discussions on the word as a form, and as a synonym for displacement, movement, communication, exchange, renewal, and sustainability, among other interpretations.

What images come to mind when we think of major Brazilian cities? Perhaps traffic jams, pollution, insecurity, and noise. Perhaps crowds of people coming and going. Pedestres. Bicycles. Buses. After all, eight out of ten Brazilians live in urban areas—regions that have undergone rapid urbanization. Over the last six decades, the country's population grew from 70.2 million to 209.3 million, and the proportion of urban dwellers surged from 44% to the current 85%.

Guilherme Essvein de Almeida's doctoral dissertation presents an analysis of two major works of contemporary architecture: the Casa da Música in Porto, designed by Rem Koolhaas, and the Cidade das Artes in Rio de Janeiro, designed by Christian de Portzamparc. Defended in 2018, the dissertation was advised by Prof. Dr. Carlos Eduardo Dias Comas as part of the graduate program at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. Read the author's abstract and find the link to the full dissertation below.

Many of the most compelling design solutions stem from site conditions—whether climate, local materials and labor, construction techniques, or, above all, the way these factors are addressed within the highly specific context of the plot. The plot is the ultimate space for putting these strategies into practice. As cities increasingly feature smaller land parcels, designing for narrow lots has become a recurring reality.

An overview of the work of Ruy Ohtake, spanning from his early career as a recent graduate to his current projects, will be featured in two exhibitions in São Paulo. While the Museu da Casa Brasileira exhibits about 40 projects, either built or under construction, curated by Agnaldo Farias, the Instituto Tomie Ohtake showcases his work as a designer, featuring approximately 25 pieces selected by curators Fábio Magalhães, Marili Brandão, and Priscyla Gomes.

The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Marcelo Crivella, has signed into law Bill No. 642-A of 2017, authored by former councilwoman Marielle Franco, which establishes free, public technical assistance for the design and construction of social interest housing for families with a monthly income of up to three minimum wages in the state capital.

Announced in November by Minister of Economy Paulo Guedes, the Mais Brasil Plan includes three Constitutional Amendment Proposals (PEC) aimed at balancing fiscal accounts at the federal, state, and municipal levels. Among them is the dissolution of municipalities that are not financially self-sustaining.

When driving alongside a bike lane, it is hard to escape comments like “it’s always empty,” “it takes away space from cars,” or “businesses lose customers.” But is there any truth to these claims? Here are some of the most common myths about bike lanes – and the reality behind them.

A person living in Moema, a neighborhood with one of the highest income concentrations in São Paulo, lives 20 years longer than someone born in Cidade Tiradentes, in the far east of the capital. Brazil's wealthiest city exposes just how unequal the country is, and how much access to public policies varies depending on where one lives.