When we speak of passive climate control, we refer to techniques that, with little to no energy consumption, create the appropriate temperature, humidity, and air quality conditions for comfort and habitability, partially or fully replacing active mechanical systems. Typically, these strategies are based on natural environmental parameters—such as air currents, the earth's thermal stability, and solar paths, among others—to regulate heat gain in the summer and heat loss in the winter, achieving optimal thermal comfort.
Primer Premio. Image Cortesía de Ballesteros Arquitectos
The National Public Competition of Ideas for the Redevelopment of the Lacar Lake Waterfront in San Martín de los Andes—organized by the Architects' Association of the Province of Neuquén (CAN), promoted by the Municipality of San Martín de los Andes, and sponsored by the Federal Investment Council (CFI)—aimed to design and plan various urban, landscape, and environmental interventions. These proposals seek to enhance and improve conditions in the area, prioritizing public use through comprehensive actions and a management model that guarantees long-term sustainability.
CPTM platform at Luz Station in Downtown São Paulo. Photo: Bruno Escolastico/Photopress/Estadão Conteúdo
More than a year has passed since the pandemic imposed a new routine and atypical safety protocols on the world. A survey by NZN Intelligence, in partnership with the Estadão Summit Mobilidade Urbana, shows that 45.3% of people in Brazil have changed the way they get around since then.
Avoiding crowds led 40.2% of respondents to increase their use of private cars and 31.6% to travel more on foot or by bicycle, reflecting a global trend toward promoting active mobility.
Parque Emergente / El Taller de Arquitectos + Al2 Arquitectos. Image Cortesía de El Taller de Arquitectos + Al2 Arquitectos
The Cundinamarca and Bogotá chapter of the Colombian Society of Architects has announced the winning proposals for the public architectural preliminary design competition for the EDDI - RETO comprehensive development prototype.
From **September 24 to 26**, the seventh edition of Open House Madrid will take place, an architecture and urbanism festival that promotes architecture by opening the doors of various works of great cultural and heritage value to the public, aiming to bridge the gap between the public, professionals, enthusiasts, and the city.
A-001 Taller de arquitectura + Dellekamp / Schleich + Esrawe Studio present their new project in Mexico City's Historic Center, built upon ruins that evoke the memory shaping the city. Spanning 470 m2, the project is composed of a series of layers that wrap around the legacy of each era; in turn, their overlapping creates an inherent need to redefine themselves as a whole. The building housing the hotel project is an 18th-century structure, designated as historical heritage by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).
Top: 1) Los Copihues Condominium 2) Aysén Regional Museum 3) Concepción Civic Esplanade. Bottom: 1) Interventions in Til Til 2) Restoration of the Zuñiga architectural complex 3) Sur Sur Viewpoints.. Image via Trienal Sur del Mundo
Between November 26 and December 4, the Trienal Sur del Mundo: 'Human Cities' took place in the city of Concepción, Chile, under the general curatorship of Sergio Baeriswyl. The event was an invitation to take an in-depth look at architecture and urban design at the scale of intermediate cities, and to rethink how our habitats are built in the face of today's changing scenarios.
What if we told you that fungi could be the future of building materials? The possibilities of mycelium in architecture are becoming increasingly tangible, thanks to its capacity to be molded into everything from furniture and packaging to insulation panels and bricks. It offers excellent acoustic and thermal properties, along with remarkable fire resistance.
In Argentina, this is already a reality. Refugio Fúngico is a recent experimental biotechnological research and development project led by SUPERPRAXIS. It takes the form of a temporary installation in the city of San Carlos de Bariloche, crafted from a biomaterial made from organic waste and mycelium.
Established in March 2008, Shanghai RUF Architectural Design Consulting Co., Ltd. (RUF) is the sole branch in China of the Boston-registered US RUF Design Consulting Co., Ltd. The firm specializes in schematic design for high-end residential projects, commercial complexes, industrial parks, hotels, and characteristic small towns.
https://www.archdaily.com/1128240/shanghai-jobs-rufus-design-design-director-lead-architect-project-manager-architectMilly Mo
It took nearly 60 years to build the San Carlos Canal, an engineering feat that drew water from the Maipo River to irrigate the lands of southeastern Santiago.
TEN Arquitectos is a practice based in Mexico City, New York, and Miami. Founded by Mexican architect Enrique Norten, the firm has 33 years of experience designing with a global perspective that yields a consistent international sensitivity when creating new spaces. This trajectory has been recognized with various national and international awards, including the Mies van der Rohe Award for Latin American Architecture, honors from the national American Institute of Architects (AIA) and several US chapters, Architectural Record, Architect Magazine, Architizer, Biennials in Mexico, Argentina, and Ecuador, and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), among others.
Paste Up, a festival that brings the selected works of six local visual artists to the streets of Santiago, Chile, launched an outdoor route in early December hosted on a series of iconic buildings in the municipality of Vitacura. Renowned urban artist and photographer Caiozzama, whose artistic interventions became icons of the 2019 social uprisings, curated and edited the pieces. The process of translating various sizes and techniques into large-format works also includes the subsequent recycling of the large-scale prints, which will be on display until the end of February. The artists who participated in this edition of the festival are Fab Ciraolo, Bruna Truffa, Juana Gómez, Cecilia Avendaño Bobilier, and Santiago Ascui. Learn more about the works and the urban art route below.
Out of necessity, buildings change uses over time. Churches become libraries, and abandoned warehouses are transformed into cultural centers. Although much has been written on the subject since N. John Habraken's concept of open building in the 1970s, a fascinating global debate is currently underway. Do we really need so much square footage dedicated to offices when the pandemic proved that much of our work can be done remotely?
Image: javarman. Shibam, Hadramaut Governorate, Yemen. The buildings' construction method is rammed earth. Image via Shutterstock
The construction sector's contribution to today's climate crisis is deeply concerning: between material production, construction, and building operations, the sector is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases. Meanwhile, as urban populations grow at historic rates, we find that in the development of major energy-intensive cities, reducing the discipline's environmental impact seems to rely on niche interests and individual initiatives rather than large-scale actions from academia, the profession, or policymakers.
History has shown us numerous construction techniques and applications of local materials that have proven sustainable over time—relying on the efficient use of resources that require no intensive industrial processing and eliminate the need for long-distance transportation. In some cases, at the end of their life cycle, these materials can even be returned to the environment, as is the case with adobe and wood.
“Arquitectos” is a micro-documentary series produced by AvantVisual and directed by Mauro Alfaro on the life and work of prominent Chilean architects. The series was originally scheduled to premiere at the XXI Chile Architecture and Urbanism Biennial, “The Common and the Everyday.” However, due to the suspension of the Biennial in the wake of the 2019 social uprising, the premiere could not take place.
Out of necessity, various building types have changed their use. Churches converted into libraries, abandoned warehouses turned into cultural centers—and while much has been written on the subject, from N. John Habraken's 1970s Open Building concept to Adamo Faiden's contemporary From Mixed-Use to Diff-Use, today we have, more than ever, an engaging global debate surrounding adaptability in housing. Is it truly necessary to dedicate so many square feet to office space when the pandemic proved that most work can be done remotely? This was one of the central questions during the lockdowns of recent years.
Educational master plan designed by OMA in Dubai. Courtesy of OMA
In any planning process, a series of documents—comprising both graphic and textual materials—establishes a framework for future development. In urban planning, the master planstands out as one of the most common instruments for this purpose.
Today is the day to announce the finalists for ODA2021. Our expert jury—meaning you, our readers—has selected 15 favorite projects from nearly 1,000 works of architecture across Latin America and Spain.
Now in its thirteenth year, this award has become a true tradition. We invite all of our readers to recognize the projects published during 2020 that inspired them and represent the identity of their local contexts in a globalized planet, shaping architectural practice in Latin America and Spain within an increasingly heterogeneous and multicultural world.
Starting today and until next Wednesday, March 31, at 11:59 PM (GMT -3), you can explore each of the finalists in detail and vote for the work that best represents the "Spanish-language" architecture that inspires us, defines us, and leaves its mark on us.
This year was filled with far too many "unexpected" and "unforeseen" events. The pandemic transformed our external environment, shifting our psychological landscapes and behaviors in tandem. As an architectural observer and critic, I have found that the most profound change the pandemic brought to the profession is in our very way of seeing. "Lockdowns" have increasingly forced us to experience culture and space through images. This mode of observation traps us within digital platforms—relying on translated texts, edited photographs, and curated videos. Consequently, our sensory understanding of space (encompassing sight, hearing, smell, and touch) has been reduced to sight alone, leaving our critique of the built environment as a mere synthesis of fragmented impressions.
When the channels of intellectual nourishment shift, the evaluation systems of space inevitably change as well. But how does this affect design? Physicist Carlo Rovelli once noted, "Sometimes, a crazy perspective sees further than our usual blurry vision." Through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic, I hope to expose issues and provoke collective reflection rather than mere complacency. In this year-end review, we attempt to respond to these shifts. Below are the ten most-discussed articles of the year, categorized into ten themes, offered in the hope of sparking further response and dialogue.
With the opening of the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale, projects from around the world showcased unique responses to the question, "How will we live together?" Neither the pandemic nor its repercussions hindered the curators. Instead, they took it as an opportunity to explore how the notion of "living together" has shifted over the past year, and how it can help reimagine better built environments. ArchDaily had the opportunity to sit down with architect Alejandro Aravena of ELEMENTAL to discuss the Koyaüwe project and its significance for the future of architecture.
The 2021 Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism (BEAU) has announced the finalists for its "Panorama of Architecture and Urbanism Works" category. Out of 581 submissions, 100 projects were initially shortlisted, with 70 now selected for the final round. Of these, 20 will ultimately be recognized as the most outstanding works of Spanish architecture and urbanism from the last three years.
CROX was founded by architect C.R. Lin. The name CROX represents "cross over" (interdisciplinary design), with a portfolio spanning urban planning, architecture, interiors, furniture, curation, and artistic creation. Guided by an "Avant-garde Natural" design philosophy and deep humanistic sensitivity, CROX expands design from mere art into a dialogue between culture and nature, continuously exploring the fluid and organic potential of the imagination to leave a contemporary mark. In recent years, the firm has participated in the 2016 Milan Triennale, as well as the 2016 and 2018 Venice Architecture Biennales. Its projects have been recognized with numerous prestigious international honors, including the World Architecture Festival (WAF) Awards, the Architecture MasterPrize (AMP), the Andrew Martin Interior Design Award, DNA Paris Design Awards, K-Design Award, and the JCD Design Award.
The results of the National Ideas Competition for the Development of Housing and Complementary Spaces for Urban Habitat / “Ex Pediátrico Urban Development” have been announced. Organized by the Professional Association of Architecture and Urbanism of the Province of Chaco (CPAUCH), promoted by the Provincial Institute of Urban Development and Housing (IPDUV), and sponsored by the Argentine Federation of Architect Associations (FADEA) and the Social Security, Insurance, and Loan Institute of the Province of Chaco (INSSSEP), the competition invited the country's architects to design urban and architectural proposals for dignified living, while also revitalizing an urban void in the city of Resistencia within a residential area with high development potential.
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