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Architectures of the São Francisco River: A Travel Diary

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These river journeys are intended for on-site research, documentation, and data collection focusing on rivers. They are conducted by researchers from the Fluvial Metropolis Group of the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of São Paulo (FAUUSP), coordinated by Professor Alexandre Delijaicov. Each researcher maps out their itinerary based on personal interests, yet shares a common goal: to gather design references for fluvial infrastructure architecture, expanding the research group's imaginary and repertoire. The driving question for the researchers is: how do people relate to the river waters flowing through their metropolises, cities, or towns within the built environment along the riverbanks? The boundary defined by the elements of land and water is the starting point for this observation.

The Importance of the Urban Planner in Territorial Intervention - The Case of Mariana

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Economic and urban processes are known to drive major modifications in the urban structure. In light of the events of January 25, 2019, with the collapse of the Brumadinho dam, it is clear that environmental negligence by major mining corporations also has the power to produce profound consequences and alter the ways in which people inhabit and utilize the territory.

What does Ancient Rome have to teach Brazilian metropolises?

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Metropolis is a word derived from the Greek metropolis, a combination of meter (mother or womb) and polis (city). Thus, the metropolis is the mother city, the most important within a context where several interconnected cities depend on one another to fully function. In most cases, metropolises feature conurbations of multiple urban clusters.

Iphan Dictionary of Cultural Heritage: What Is "Identity"

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The term identity lends itself to various definitions depending on the disciplinary field. Discussions of the term in social theory have frequently been appropriated by the cultural heritage field. Therefore, it is useful to trace the dynamics of this expression's transformation within the social sciences. In this context, identity relates to the individual's self-conception, their sense of belonging, and their group affiliations. 

Brazilian Houses: 8 Residences with Bamboo

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From chopsticks to religious temples, and often associated with the culture and, more specifically, the architecture of Asian countries, bamboo is a highly versatile, safe, and durable material with exceptional ecological performance. Due to its rapid growth, it is relatively inexpensive compared to other construction methods, and its most notable applications can be found in projects that leverage its unique materiality, color, and rhythm.

Paraty and Ilha Grande Named UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Brazil has just received another World Heritage designation. Paraty and Ilha Grande (RJ) were recognized this Friday, July 5, by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Committee during a meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan. There are now 22 Brazilian properties on the list of sites of outstanding universal value.

Tactical urbanism: paint, cones, and the transformation of cities

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In September of this year, the streets surrounding the Anne Frank School in the Confisco neighborhood of Belo Horizonte received new ground markings, featuring pedestrian crosswalks and lane boundaries to organize vehicle circulation. In addition, planters made from recycled tires, traffic cones, and street furniture for resting were installed. The following weekend, from September 20 to 22, coinciding with World Car-Free Day, motorized traffic was temporarily closed, transforming the space into an Open Street with concerts, cultural activities, and gathering spaces for local residents. The following month, in October, students aged 8 to 10 from the Anne Frank School participated in a workshop to assemble traffic signs, writing messages that would become part of the neighborhood's official street signage.

Women architects question how cities can be more inclusive for women

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Have you already crossed the street out of fear today? As a woman, what is your greatest fear when walking down the street? How would you feel safer? With the goal of reflecting on how we can plan more egalitarian cities for everyone, the firm amb ateliê, in partnership with architects Fernanda Linero and Beatriz Teixeira, launched this initiative across various neighborhoods in Curitiba. The project ci.da.de; substantivo feminino (city; feminine noun) is part of the 3rd Biennial Architecture Exhibition for Curitiba.

Stop building houses to solve the housing shortage

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3D-printed houses. Prefabricated houses. “Open-source” houses. Minha Casa, Minha Vida. From technological panaceas to government programs, countless solutions aim to resolve the housing deficit by building houses. The problem with this strategy is that the housing shortage is not a shortage of houses, but of apartments.

Iphan Dictionary of Cultural Heritage: What Is a "Quilombo"

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By introducing terms associated with quilombos in two of its articles, the 1988 Federal Constitution paved the way for social peasant movements, mobilized and organized around ethnic identity, to appropriate this category. This was an unforeseen outcome for legislators, who had approached the quilombo category from a past-oriented perspective, relying on an archaeological and exoticizing view of cultural heritage associated with non-Luso-Brazilian cultural roots.

Asbestos production could resume in Brazil - despite health risks

Widely used in roofing tiles and water tanks, the production of asbestos in Brazil was halted in 2017 by a Supreme Court ruling. Studies conducted by the World Health Organization prove that the material is carcinogenic; however, counter to this evidence and the consensus in 65 other countries, four Brazilian senators are calling for the resumption of the mineral's production.

CAU/RJ launches calls for proposals for cultural sponsorship and funding for technical assistance for housing

The Council of Architecture and Urbanism of Rio de Janeiro (CAU/RJ) has launched two public calls for sponsorship proposals and one partnership call for the production of short films on urban policy. The sponsorships focus on projects relevant to the knowledge, strengthening, and development of the profession in the state of Rio de Janeiro, as well as projects supporting technical assistance for social interest housing (ATHIS).

Hans Broos's Brutalist Monastery in Vinhedo

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The tension between modernity and tradition is the most striking feature of Hans Broos's work, as evidenced by his designs for Cia Hering, where eclectic buildings are juxtaposed with exposed concrete structures in a symbiosis of historical eras.

Herein lies the radical contemporaneity of his work: Broos understands the contemporary as the coexistence of distinct eras meeting at the same moment, shaping the wonderful entanglement of which time is made, as Lina Bo used to say.

Hans Broos's Brutalist Monastery in Vinhedo - Image 1 of 4Hans Broos's Brutalist Monastery in Vinhedo - Image 2 of 4Hans Broos's Brutalist Monastery in Vinhedo - Image 3 of 4Hans Broos's Brutalist Monastery in Vinhedo - Image 4 of 4Hans Broos's Brutalist Monastery in Vinhedo - More Images+ 26

New law encourages the use of solar energy in the city of São Paulo

A new law scheduled for approval by the end of the first half of 2019, set to take effect by decree in 2020, is expected to establish guidelines and objectives for solar energy use in the city of São Paulo. Regulations from Palmas, in the Brazilian state of Tocantins, and California, in the United States, served as benchmarks to technically develop a bill tailored to the city's needs.

Iphan's Cultural Heritage Dictionary: What Is "Place"

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Places are physical spaces imbued with cultural significance, to which values are assigned. In Brazil, the term was permanently integrated into the heritage vocabulary in 2000, following Decree No. 3,551—which established the four Registry Books, including the Registry of Places—and the implementation of the National Inventory of Cultural References. Within this framework, Place is, therefore, a category for classifying cultural assets.

Tomie Ohtake Institute Hosts the Exhibition "Oscar Niemeyer (1907-2012) – Territories of Creation"

Following runs in Rio de Janeiro in 2017 and Brasília, the exhibition “Oscar Niemeyer (1907-2012) – Territories of Creation”, organized to mark the architect's 110th birth anniversary, arrives at the Tomie Ohtake Institute with several new additions.

Souto de Moura: “I like things left unfinished. A finished house is a ruin”

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Signs all over the city, on trains and subways. The words "Souto Moura" require no further explanation in a city with two world-renowned architects. It is the opening night of his exhibition "Souto de Moura: Memory, Projects, Works" at Casa da Arquitectura on October 18, 2019, and the two greatest leading figures of the so-called Porto School are there, side by side. Álvaro Siza, alongside other guests of honor, walks through all forty projects in the exhibition, listening to Eduardo Souto de Moura's concise, humble, and almost simple explanations of each one. They are Portugal's two Pritzker laureates, who also happen to live and work in the same buildings, in addition to having collaborated on several projects. Eduardo does not hide his pride in Siza's presence at his solo exhibition. Nor does he hesitate to acknowledge the master's influence on his career. Yet Souto de Moura's architecture is unique; it has a life of its own. And everyone there knows it.

Climate crisis and the right to the city

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In May of this year, *The Guardian* recommended in its style guide that journalists and contributors heighten their language when discussing climate change or global warming. Now, the British newspaper announced, it is a climate crisis, emergency, or climate breakdown.

Government of São Paulo establishes the Nossa Casa housing program

The Government of the State of São Paulo has established the Nossa Casa housing program, which aims to stimulate private investment in social interest housing geared toward low-income populations. The program came into effect through Decree No. 64,388 of August 14 of this year.

Architecture and Urbanism, a Right for All: CAU/RJ Campaign Aims to Expand Access to the Profession

This week marks the launch of the national advertising campaign by the Council of Architecture and Urbanism of Brazil (CAU/BR), themed "Architecture and Urbanism, a Right for All." Its objective is to highlight the importance of the work of architects and urban planners for society as a whole, including those planning modest renovations and construction projects. As an example, the campaign features the Moradas da Saúde residential complex in Rio de Janeiro, designed by architect and urban planner Demetre Anastassakis. 

Lina Bo Bardi's Glass House Offers Free Admission on São Paulo's Anniversary

The Glass House, the residence where Lina Bo Bardi and her husband, Pietro Maria Bardi, lived for over 40 years and the current headquarters of the Lina Bo and P.M. Bardi Institute, will open its doors for a special free tour in celebration of São Paulo's 465th anniversary. The program begins at 11:30 AM and will feature the participation of the Institute's president, Waldick Jatobá.

Brazilian Apartments: 10 Apartments with Exposed Concrete Slabs

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For several months, we have been publishing compilations of Brazilian residential projects across various themes in our Casas Brasileiras series. With this in mind, and considering the diverse challenges and scales that shape architectural practice—and, above all, contemporary living—we are launching our first article in the *Brazilian Apartments* series today. In it, we will explore the design challenges, innovative solutions, and new materialities of this housing typology.

Crowdfunding campaign for the "Jajja's House" project

The **A Casa de Jajja **project explores the relationship between affection and architecture as an emancipatory practice. It grew out of research developed as Mariana Montag’s graduation thesis at the School of Architecture and Urbanism of Mackenzie Presbyterian University. This connection of affection emerged through her involvement in the School Project in Kikajjo, a rural village in Uganda, East Africa. There, Mariana met Jajja Imaculate, a strong and faithful 75-year-old woman, grandmother to Rose and Gift. Together, they designed and discussed what a house would look like—a home whose architecture not only shelters Jajja but also serves as an emancipatory practice challenging gender roles, with the construction process conducted through capacity-building workshops for women.

"Organic Rational - Pedro Ramalho" Exhibition at Casa da Arquitectura

The exhibition “Organic Rational” on the work of architect Pedro Ramalho, curated by Nuno Brandão Costa and drawing on his archive recently donated to Casa da Arquitectura, is on view at the Gallery of Casa da Arquitectura – Portuguese Centre for Architecture, in Matosinhos, until September 8.

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