+ 48

The tenth edition of the "Single-Family Home" Architectural Design Workshop, organized by the architecture firm Cota Paredes Arquitectos, has concluded. The workshop invited graduate architects and senior architecture students to develop a single-family home over four weeks, in either in-person or online formats.

+ 10

Studying architecture in the mid-2000s meant high exposure to major Spanish architecture firms, which were experiencing a highly productive period of project development, particularly cultural and public works.
That was how I discovered and studied the work of Emilio Tuñón, who was then a partner at the firm Mansilla + Tuñón Arquitectos. Projects like the León Auditorium, the Cantabria Museum, and the MUSAC taught many of us how to engage with the surroundings, study facades, and use color.

In 2012, he founded Tuñón Arquitectos, a firm dedicated to confronting design and construction practice with theory and teaching, which emerged as a natural evolution of Mansilla + Tuñón Arquitectos. They approach architecture from a humanistic perspective: "it is the construction of an architecture made with people, by people, and for people."

The Maestranza de San Bernardo, an abandoned railway complex declared a historical monument that was once one of the largest railway hubs in South America, located south of Santiago, Chile, is making progress on its restoration and conversion into a boulevard. Designed by the firm Uno Proyectos, led by architect Gonzalo Martínez de Urquidi, the project aims to revitalize the area by introducing a program of economic and civic exchange spaces.

On September 25, the winners of the International Ideas Competition for the design of the new Public Space, Main Boulevard, and Connection Bridge to be built in Tecnópolis for Expo 2023 were announced. Organized by the Central Society of Architects (SCA) and the Association of Architects of the Province of Buenos Aires (CAPBA), and sponsored by the Argentine Federation of Architect Entities (FADEA), this is the last of the six international competitions launched this year within the framework of Expo 2023. Across all competitions, a total of 199 proposals were submitted, with the participation of at least 2,000 architects and engineers from around the world.

Ink and paper were enough to immortalize the charm and spell of balconies, courtyards, and houses—both iconic and everyday structures. The giants of Argentine literature draw their pens to confront the concrete, reminding us once more of what moves and concerns us about architecture.

After receiving 94 proposals from 29 different countries, the Hyde Park Music Pavilion (HPMP) international ideas competition, organized by arquideas, has announced the winning projects. Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in London, England, and one of the city's nine Royal Parks, three of which form a chain from the entrance of Kensington Palace, through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, to Buckingham Palace.

The results of the International Ideas Competition for the design of the Thematic Pavilions for Expo 2023 on the Tecnópolis grounds have been announced. Organized by the Sociedad Central de Arquitectos (SCA) and the Colegio de Arquitectos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CAPBA), and sponsored by the Federación Argentina de Entidades de Arquitectos (FADEA), the fifth of the six international competitions involved the design of two pavilions to serve as exhibition areas for the themes addressed by the Expo, creating ideal spaces to explore creative industries in an educational and entertaining way.

EMS Arquitectos, Pantoja Arquitectos and ALCUADRADO Arquitectos present their second-place winning proposal for the public design competition for the preliminary design of the infrastructure replacement of the UIMIST hospital unit in the municipality of Bucaramanga. The concept is based on redefining the traditional role of the hospital through four perspectives: urban, clinical, landscape, and technical.

To showcase the valuable output of Spanish universities, we launched an open call in September, inviting our readers to submit their thesis projects. Following a comprehensive evaluation of nearly 50 proposals, we selected 6 projects that not only offer innovative responses and deep research into complex, contemporary issues but also challenge and question the future of architecture.

Fifty years after its last participation, Cuba returns to the Milan Triennial for the XXII International Exhibition, titled "Broken Nature: Design Takes on Human Survival."

Addressing the relationship between humanity and nature, the Cuban Pavilion showcases unconventional examples of organic architecture: the National Art Schools of Havana, born of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara's desire to offer art education to all developing nations.

The University of Navarra presents three Master's programs for 2019: the Master's Degree in Architectural Theory and Design (MtDA), the Master's Degree in Environmental Design and Building Management (MDGAE), and the Master's Degree in Architecture (MUA). These in-person programs will be taught at the university's Pamplona, Madrid, and Bilbao campuses starting in September of this year. Explore more details below.

Today, architecture is a fertile ground for experimentation—a laboratory for testing solutions and building theory. It offers an opportunity to question paradigms, rethink contemporary ways of living, and understand our inherent cultural heterogeneity. Ultimately, it provides a space to enhance the critical value of design and investigate the current place of local practices within a global context.

With a deep understanding of their territory and an exploratory spirit, these emerging firms approach the discipline in innovative ways. Many are defined by an open and evolving character, featuring a multidisciplinary makeup where architecture, urban planning, design, and art seamlessly merge. Below, we present six architecture firms based in Argentina whose work prompts us to reflect on contemporary needs, domesticity, objects, the city, and local production:

Lluís J. Liñán, from the ARKRIT Collective, invites us to reflect, in his article "Global Valdrada," on the consequences of humanity's increasingly close relationship with its media representations, to the point where the distinction between the two realities is no longer discernible: it shapes our way of thinking and behaving, and therefore, how we produce everyday reality. Does the same apply to architecture?

The first thing one notices about the houses and other projects of Fran Silvestre and his studio is their distinct atmosphere of elegance and luxury—extravagantly understated—which is as recognizable in its own right as the work of, say, John Lautner or John Pawson. While this first impression might seem somewhat superficial, it is actually indicative of an elusive quality in their work, something we might call an essential “geist” or “gestalt” deeply rooted in their architecture, and one that is far more complex and interesting than a mere matter of “style” or “brand.” 

+ 4

+ 21

The following project, commissioned to architect Sebastian Castro Aedo alongside Bowlpark, proposes seven new interventions and a series of repairs to the skatepark originally designed by Plan Rampa in Parque Araucano. Located in a public park in the eastern sector of Santiago, in the commune of Las Condes, the project demonstrates various ways to activate specific areas, enabling new, more fluid ways of navigating the circuits.

“In this house are the books that helped me write the history of Argentine literature, which is the history of Argentine pain; here is the copious correspondence exchanged over half a century with many wise minds; here is my archive—all of which I have been unable to organize or classify, because my work did not allow it, but everything has been cared for and arranged by my wife. With her consent, I say today that all of this no longer belongs to me: it belongs to the homeland, so that future researchers may find here the elements that will allow them to know how the heart of the country beat...”

These words welcome visitors to the Ricardo Rojas House Museum. A prologue, if you will. Ricardo Rojas's house is an enigmatic piece that encompasses several cultural layers. In the library rest the masters: Borges, Arlt, Walsh, Rojas. In the courtyard, fountains and mermaids, suns and stars. Symbols that appeal to our memory.

The Kalmanani Prize is an annual event held in Mexico City that has recognized the work of various prominent architects over the years, including SANAA, Sou Fujimoto, Steven Holl, and Álvaro Siza. This year, NODE is honored to present Bjarke Ingels of BIG in Mexico City, recognizing the career of one of today's most innovative and prominent architecture firms. Recently named Chief Architect of WeWork, Bjarke Ingels will deliver a keynote lecture in addition to receiving the eighth edition of the Kalmanani Prize.

Bogotá's Historic Center is a crucial sector for the capital's development. But what makes a city an attractive hub for urban development? The answer depends on the scale of the evaluation; for its residents, it is measured in quality of life, job opportunities, and green spaces, among other factors. While economic factors drive the realization of these parameters, public policies that organize the territory and facilitate urban development ultimately take precedence.

On Tuesday, November 19, 2019, the College of Architects of Mexico City and the Society of Mexican Architects (CAM-SAM) held a ceremony to recognize the contributions of architecture to Mexican society over the last two years, presenting the 2019 CAM-SAM Awards.

Building sandcastles on the beach is an ancient practice that allows us to dive deep into our imagination, ideas, and dreams. For many, it was likely our first approach to construction. Water and sand merge, transforming into space—something greater than the sum of its parts. While fortresses, bridges, and moats are a thing of the past for some, another typology has emerged to take their place: the house.

Below, we present a selection of Argentine houses built on sand dunes, designed by architects who turned castles into houses, sand into concrete, and dreams into reality.

Upgrading skills, renewing oneself, or reinventing a career can sometimes feel like a pipe dream. Indeed, work and family obligations, or simply where we live, often make it nearly impossible.

The artifacts found on public streets in most Latin American cities—wherever they are permitted—vary in function and use. These range from mobile street-vending carts and temporary stages to containers for collecting discarded waste, ready to be given a new life by others. 

Ruta 4 Taller together with Coonvite created this workshop format to reflect on the artisanal artifacts or contraptions (cacharros) placed in public space, aiming to foster new encounters through trans-architecture.

Can you imagine five school design models adapted to the country's diverse bioclimatic conditions? In response to its territorial diversity, Peru will soon realize what began as a dream for better education. To this end, the First International Architectural Design Competition for Modular School Catalogs launched a search for the best architectural school designs in five bioclimatic zones: Coast, Rainy Coast, Highlands, Frost, and Rainforest. This addresses the challenge of closing the educational infrastructure gap for the bicentennial.

Educational projects are one of the typologies most emphasized in Colombian architecture, and the Public Preliminary Design Competition for the Lombardía School breaks away from the typical format of public competitions to offer even greater benefits to the community.