Architecture is often described by architects themselves as an exhausting path of study, where pulling all-nighters is encouraged and sleep is sacrificed—in theory—in pursuit of project quality, yet at the expense of mental health.

How did a house designed by the world’s most renowned engineer—the Frenchman Gustave Eiffel, designer of the tower that bears his name in Paris—end up in Argentina?

How did this structure settle in one of Córdoba’s most culturally active neighborhoods, only to open its doors a century later as a cultural space thanks to the intervention of local residents?

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The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has decided to remove the Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works in northern Chile from the List of World Heritage in Danger, a status they had held since 2005.

On Friday, December 6, Chile's Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage announced the results of the first phase of the ideas competition for the curation of the Chilean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2020, themed How will we live together.

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As part of our ongoing effort to highlight the important academic work being done in universities, we launched an open call last January inviting Mexican architects to share their thesis projects. We sought academic research and theses addressing key issues in the Mexican context—projects that often remain on paper but deserve international recognition. This call in Mexico joins the recognition already granted to architects in Colombia and Argentina.

The National Ideas Competition for the Pabellón del Centenario and its surroundings, promoted by the State Property Management Agency and organized by the Sociedad Central de Arquitectos, closed on April 22, yielding a total of 65 proposals and the participation of architects from across the country.

The significance of the competition lay, on one hand, in the opportunity to restore the architectural value of the Pavilion which, designed by Virginio Colombo, is the only standing building of the 20 constructed for the Centennial celebrations in 1910. At the same time, it presents an opportunity to enhance and revitalize the adjacent areas, generating urban-scale impacts that will drive the future development of the area and integrate a wide variety of scenarios.

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A few months ago, the first exhibition by Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) in Latin America concluded. It was held at the Museo Universitario de Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC) within the Centro Cultural of Ciudad Universitaria in Mexico City. The exhibition featured some of architect Zaha Hadid's projects through models, audiovisual materials, paintings, and photographs. It explored the creative process of her practice, highlighting the importance and complexity of design as the central axis linking form and construction processes in her work.

The "Microcentralidad la Y" ideas competition, organized by the Metropolitan Institute of Urban Planning (IMPU) and the Pichincha College of Architects (CAE-P), aimed to develop a plan for the former "La Y" northern station, proposing a management model for its execution that incorporates environmental sustainability aligned with the New City Model outlined in Vision Quito 2040. The jury awarded first place to the team from Raíz Estudio. Read on to learn more about the winning project in the words of its designers.

Videos

Last month, the National Board of the Association of Architects of Chile announced Miguel Lawner as the winner of the 2019 National Architecture Award, the highest honor an architect can receive in that country. The following interview, conducted in 2015, not only delves into the details of his life story, but also reflects several of his thoughts on the political sphere.

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Educational facilities have evolved over the years in response to technological advancements and new pedagogical models, which increasingly focus on flexible methods that allow students to chart their own paths within a shared framework. The significance of these facilities lies in their role as meeting points that satisfy our social need to share physical spaces, pointing toward more horizontal and inclusive educational systems. A prime example is the Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, designed by Taller de Arquitectura Mauricio Rocha + Gabriela Carrillo, which seeks to create diverse sensory experiences through materials, light, and temperature both inside and outside.

In its fourth consecutive edition in Chile, Casa FOA 2019—the international exhibition that brings together design, interior design, architecture, landscaping, and art—showcased established and emerging design talents who revitalized the forgotten Paseo San Damián in Las Condes.

The exhibition aims to introduce the public to the latest trends in the design industry under the concept of creating, transforming, and rethinking the way we live and work. This year's edition was guided by the concept of Coliving, the current expression of social and generational evolution, pointing toward collaborative living and the construction of collective intelligence through shared workspaces and common home areas.

On September 11, the winners of the National Ideas Competition for the “Architectural, Urban, and Landscape Development of the Northeast Entrance of the Port District - City of Santa Fe” were announced. The call for entries sought to offer new spatial responses for the area, contributing to the material and symbolic reconstruction of this sector and helping to strengthen its connection to the city and the waterfront.

The following project is the winning entry of the National Architectural Design Competition "Enhancement of the Cerro San Cristóbal Tourist Circuit and Creation of the Virgen de Cocharcas Santísima Theme Park."

Architect Belén Hermida has been elected dean of the Official Association of Architects of Madrid (COAM).

Guadalajara 90210 presents “Pabellón de las escaleras” (Staircase Pavilion), an exhibition consisting of a series of installations by artists from various disciplines—architecture, contemporary art, and industrial design. The venue is an unfinished building located in Santa María la Ribera—a neighborhood that has recently experienced a surge in cultural events, art installations, and architectural proposals—featuring open-air sections, a concrete labyrinth, and exposed pipes.

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This November, Mexico City cements its status as one of the most exciting creative capitals in the world, featuring a circuit of activities designed to highlight the avant-garde, experimentation, and new digital art models that the city attracts and inspires. After 16 years of continuous work, MUTEK Mexico is proud to be part of this circuit, collaborating with other organizations to offer the public one of the year's most intense and stimulating weeks dedicated to digital art and sound.

The Venice Architecture Biennale is arguably one of the most influential exhibitions in the world. Established in 1895 as the "Venice International Art Exhibition," the Biennale has become one of the most prominent cultural institutions worldwide, serving as a universal platform for nations to showcase their work. Consequently, every two years, the global spotlight turns to Venice.

If you look back at who has been awarded the Pritzker Prize in previous editions, you will realize that anything is possible. Over the last three decades, the world's most renowned architects have received it, helping to shape public discourse around current trends and ideas in the field of architecture. Recent years have been no exception: in 2014, for instance, Shigeru Ban's humanitarian work sparked a widespread discussion on the social role of architects; and in both 2016 and 2018, awarding the prize to Alejandro Aravena and Balkrishna Doshi served as a continuous reminder that "architects are at the service of society."

However, just as the selection of the Pritzker Prize can shape public debate, it is also influenced by public opinion. Consequently, a month ago we asked our Ibero-American readers from ArchDaily en Español and ArchDaily Brasil to share their thoughts on the potential winners. We conducted a poll on who should win the 2019 Pritzker Prize, offering a selection of architects we thought stood a chance, along with the freedom to nominate their own candidates—always keeping in mind not who is likely to win, but who should win.

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As part of the cultural program of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao presents an exhibition exploring and interpreting Mexico's historical culture and building traditions. Titled The Architect’s Studio - Tatiana Bilbao, this is the third installment in Louisiana's The Architect's Studio exhibition series, which features internationally renowned architects showcasing their careers.

In 2018, a group of former political prisoners who had been incarcerated at the Punta Carretas prison from 1968 to 1985 formed a "pro-Memorial Site commission" to promote a project that would invite reflection and memory regarding the events that occurred during their years of confinement in the former penitentiary. Seeking to create a site that fosters memory for current and future generations, they launched a call for proposals to develop a Memorial. This project honors the victims, their families, and the entire community, continuing the struggle for truth, memory, and justice in Uruguay.

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The Safe Cities Index (SCI) by The Economist Intelligence Unit ranks 60 representative cities worldwide based on indicators covering digital security, health security, infrastructure, and personal security.

Focusing on Latin America —and setting aside the repeated leadership at the top of the list by Tokyo, followed by Singapore, Osaka, Amsterdam and Sydney— where do this region's cities rank in terms of safety for 2019?

To showcase the valuable output of Argentine universities, for the third consecutive year we launched an open call inviting our Argentine readers to submit their final thesis projects, sharing the work that launched their careers as newly minted architects.

After receiving more than 60 submissions from various Argentine architecture schools and cities, our editorial team selected nine projects, focusing on those that demonstrated critical thinking toward contemporary issues, formal resolution, and representation. The selection not only recognizes those projects that delivered the best possible architecture through simple design suited to their context, program, and users, but also highlights those showing a strong commitment to human scale, mediation, transition, and new ways of approaching urban architecture. This edition's jury was composed of Fabian Dejtiar, Managing Editor of ArchDaily en Español; Mónica Arellano, Editor of ArchDaily México; and Delia Bayona, Editor of ArchDaily Perú.

Read on to explore the selected projects in detail.

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"SOM: Art + Engineering + Architecture" is an exhibition opening at the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso in Mexico City. Presented in collaboration with MEXTRÓPOLI, the global architecture and urbanism festival organized by Arquine magazine, the exhibition offers a comprehensive overview of SOM's structural engineering practice, its integration with architectural design, and the firm's long tradition of collaboration with the visual arts.