“Public space expresses democracy in its territorial dimension. It is a space for collective use. It is the realm in which citizens can (or should) feel like citizens, free and equal; where society performs, represents itself, and shows itself as a community that coexists, displaying its diversity and contradictions, and expressing its demands and conflicts. It is where collective memory is built and multiple identities are manifested.” [1]

In the longest public hearing in the history of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, 97.23% of participating citizens spoke out against the approval of the bill that seeks to authorize the privatization and subsequent construction on a portion of land along the Río de la Plata waterfront (Buenos Aires, Argentina). The hearings, held between November 27, 2020, and January 28, 2021, featured 2,057 speakers, including members of various foundations, architects, landscape architects, environmentalists, political organizations, the project's authors, and, for the most part, Buenos Aires residents. Of these, only 55 participants spoke in favor.

This week's podcast tackles a topic that, as the saying goes, offers plenty of food for thought. For architects, representing a project is not only a form of artistic expression but also requires mastering a series of tools that must graphically translate the information needed to bring a building concept to life. In this sense, the history of architectural representation is deeply intertwined with the history of design itself, remaining a constant subject of reflection and evolution in our field. 

Guillermo A. Blanco Alcón shares a summary of his research '"Seeing, Being Seen: The Evolution of the Trafalgar Lighthouse and its Social Influence Today".' This study outlines the aspects most affected by its influence on two highly contrasting realities: tourism and illegal immigration.

Archivo de Ideas Recibidas is an interdisciplinary research and dissemination project that aims to document and connect the ideas of people contributing to the contemporary creative ecosystem through art, design, and architecture. It is built on conversations between the team and various creators, exploring topics related to memory, academia, cultural context, key influences, and working methodologies. In this edition, they share an interview with Marta Morelli of the firm K+M Arquitectura y Urbanismo.

The past year has brought the climate emergency and racial injustice into sharp focus. Concern over the state of the environment has never been higher. Thanks to the Black Lives Matter movement and related campaigns calling for justice, voices that have tragically been marginalized for too long are finally being heard. Yet, some of the most ardent activists still view these struggles as separate.

Located in the Balvanera neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Manzana 66 is an example of community resistance and collective action. Its name originates from its designation in the Buenos Aires City Land Registry; the block is bounded by Belgrano and Jujuy Avenues, and Moreno and Catamarca Streets. This section of the city was a point of contention for several years, having been initially demolished to build an indoor arena for music events, destroying housing from the 1920s and displacing its residents.

Ocamica Tudanca Arquitectos, led by Iñigo Tudanca and Iñigo Ocamica, has been named the winner of the 2021 Peña Ganchegui Prize — established to recognize young talent in Basque architecture and organized biennially by the Peña Ganchegui Archive in collaboration with the Directorate of Housing and Architecture of the Basque Government.

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Oficios Asociados is an Argentine practice dedicated to the design and production of furniture and architecture. Taking on highly diverse commissions ranging from artistic pieces to industrialized housing systems, they constantly cross the boundaries of architecture, drawing on the expertise of other disciplines and trades such as metalwork, carpentry, and industrial design. Driven by technique and materiality, they develop both their own projects and commissions for third parties, collaborating on the development of structures or specific elements for projects such as the Scout House by BAAG (where they fabricated the metal mesh covering the facade).

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When discussing bioclimatic architecture, the focus is primarily on practices that reduce energy consumption and the environmental impact of buildings, both during construction—for example, by using materials with a low carbon footprint or incorporating responsible processes tailored to the site—and during their lifespan. This approach results in passive architecture designed to minimize long-term energy use. This is achieved—either by supplementing mechanical ventilation, heating, and cooling systems with passive methods, or by relying entirely on alternative systems—by adapting the design, geometry, and orientation to the topography, climate, natural vegetation, solar radiation, and prevailing winds of the site.

Among the social challenges facing Colombia is the lack of decent housing for a large portion of the population. A survey by the country's population statistics center revealed that 35% of Colombians live in poverty, lacking access to adequate living conditions.

For construction startup Woodpecker, the answer to this problem might lie in another national challenge: agricultural waste from coffee production, as Colombia is one of the world's largest coffee producers.

With the goal of getting to know the architects, projects, and stories behind landmark Portuguese architecture, Sara Nunes, from the architectural film production company Building Pictures, launched the podcast No País dos Arquitectos, where she talks with leading names in contemporary Portuguese architecture.

In this week's episode, Sara talks with architect Luís Rebelo de Andrade about the various buildings and renovations he designed in Pedras Salgadas, a municipality in northern Portugal. Revisit the other interviews from the podcast No País dos Arquitectos and read the transcript of the interview with Andrade below.

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This article by Fulvo Rossetti was originally published in the 14th issue of rita_ magazine under the title "Hosts and Prophets of Antarctica: Architecture, territory, and conflicting imaginaries in 'Argentine,' 'British,' and 'Chilean' Antarctica, 1961 onward" and is part of a joint collaboration for the dissemination of academic texts.

In the following text, three landmark works from the United Kingdom, Argentina, and Chile express different interests projected onto the same Antarctic territory. One is the Halley VI Research Station, located on the eastern limit of the British claim. Another is the utopian “first city in Antarctica,” envisioned near the Argentine Marambio airfield, on the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. The third is the International Antarctic Center, a multifunctional building designed to strengthen the role of Punta Arenas as a gateway city to the white continent. 

The project for the reconversion of the ruins of the former warehouses at the Chillán Railway Station, led by architects Cristóbal Tirado and Alberto Moletto, was selected by the jury as the winning proposal in the preliminary architectural design competition. Organized by the Directorate of Architecture of the Ministry of Public Works on behalf of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage, the competition aimed to rehabilitate this infrastructure and transform it into a cultural space, ultimately defining the program and general layout of the future Ñuble Regional Museum. In addition to strengthening regional heritage identity, the project aims to contribute to the urban regeneration of Chillán, specifically the surrounding area and the future Ultraestación Intercommunal Park, whose industrial structures are part of the city's modern architectural legacy. The Ministry highlighted the winning proposal's ability to "breathe life into this iconic city space and, in doing so, establish a new urban landmark for Chillán."

Founded in July 2014, July Cooperative Company is an elite professional team that values collaboration, pursues the essence of design, and encompasses a diverse range of landscape styles. The firm also serves as the Chinese representative for Japanese landscape master Shunmyo Masuno, Uetoh Zoen, and Izumiya Stone. Combining an Eastern aesthetic with a diverse international background, we aim to leverage our resources to enhance professional exchange and cultivate valuable industry dynamics.

For years, the Talca School of Architecture has played a major role in highlighting the architectural value of the Maule Region in south-central Chile. It is here that the new publishing project Arquitectura Maulina has chosen to continue this path, not only by showcasing some of its own productions but also by publishing articles by professionals, students, and photographers. Their goal is to foster dialogue, prompt questions, and document how we observe this territory and what we ought to do for its benefit.

In the following interview, they share their inspiration when approaching this topic, alongside reflections on academia and the discipline in the region.

Co-founded by Qi Xiaofeng and Wang Yuyang in 2018, atelier xy is a Shanghai-based design studio specializing in boutique F&B, retail, and office projects. Its practice spans the fields of architecture, interior, and product design.

This article by Anna Gabriela Ramírez and Beatriz Piderit was originally published under the title "Post-Occupancy Evaluation of Lighting Comfort in Office Buildings" in the 20th issue of the Dearq journal on July 1, 2017 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.18389/dearq20.2017.10).

The following presents the results of a study proposing a post-occupancy evaluation methodology for lighting comfort. This methodology was validated in the offices of the Bogota Surveillance and Security Fund (Fondo de Vigilancia y Seguridad de Bogotá), confirming the importance of obtaining subjective data from users through surveys and correlating it with technical lighting information via photometric measurements and simulations.

We present this work as part of a joint collaboration to contribute to the dissemination of research, analysis, and opinions developed by the national and international academic community on architecture, urban issues, and related fields.

More than five years after the announcement of the competition winners for Colombia's National Museum of Memory, construction on the project has begun.

The firms Pacheco estudio de arquitectura (Colombia) and estudio.entresitio (Spain) designed the proposal and are moving forward with the construction, which was awarded to the Spanish contractor Obrascón Huarte Lain.

In the following article, Cuqui Rodríguez discusses the installations "La Puta Carra Loca" and the "Archivo Vivo de las Luchas Sociales" (Living Archive of Social Struggles), designed by Al Borde Arquitectos and La Cabina de la Curiosidad, presenting architecture as a vehicle of resistance against hegemony.

Following the release of "Architectural Classics," a series of iconic architectural classics depicted in axonometric views, Diego Inzunza—the Chilean architect and visual artist behind Rosamente—now shares a collection of 22 drawings created in 2021 in collaboration with 16 architects from five countries, including Cristian Danke, David Carcamo, Anita Catricura, Roberto Ibáñez, Rodrigo Ortiz, Charlotte Bazonnard, Javiera Muñoz, Sofía Montealegre, Juan Pablo Santamaría, Tom Gardner, Joel R, Sergio Pita, José Tello, Francisco Guerrero, José Tomás Infante, and Camilo Carrascal.

The title of this new series is “Abstract Architecture,” featuring conceptual drawings that revolve around architecture, nature, and alternative graphic narratives.

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On July 28, the Azcapotzalco Borough opened the exhibition “O’ Gorman O’ Gorman 1905 - 1982” at the Casa de Cultura Azcapotzalco in Mexico City, curated by Sofía M. Provencio and Juan José Kochen. This exhibition is the result of an open call held in July 2020, which invited visual artists, designers, and architects to submit works and perspectives offering a contemporary view of the renowned Mexican artist and architect's work.

The winners of the Award for Excellence in Sustainable Architecture were announced during the closing of the 37th Colombian Congress of Architecture and Urbanism.

"Domingos Libro" is hosted by Carmelo of Enorme Studio, where every two weeks, he delves deeply into forgotten architectural publications, books, and magazines from the '60s, '70s, and '80s that have the most interesting stories behind them.

The Spanish architecture firm IDOM is leading the new San Lorenzo stadium project in Boedo, Argentina.