The levels of air pollution reached by major urban centers around the world in recent years reveal the troubled relationship we have maintained—and continue to maintain—with our environment. The gravity of the issue lies in the fact that this not only affects the overall balance of the planet, but according to the World Health Organization, the current state of the atmosphere also causes, through the simple act of breathing, the death of around seven million people each year. Shortly after governments in various countries announced measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus—lockdowns and isolation—numerous studies began to show an unexpected and promising trend: air pollution levels in many cities began to drop significantly within days of the measures being announced due to reduced traffic and a decline in industrial emissions.
In this exclusive interview with ArchDaily, Ilse Cárdenas, Diego Escamilla, and Juan Luis Rivera—who, along with Regina de Hoyos, make up the firm PALMA—discuss the history of their practice and its evolution over the years, reflecting on how their personal and professional interests shape the way they inhabit and create architecture.
Natural disasters, mass migrations, economic crises, or simply the passage of time can leave significant architectural works—and even entire towns—abandoned to decay, losing their habitability either partially or completely. Recognizing that these buildings form part of our recent history, a growing number of photographers, historians, and urban explorers (urbex) are venturing out in search of these modern ruins.
"I am interested in how we transition as people from one phase of life to another, and as cultures from one historical period to another. Transitions are often difficult, maybe even frightening." With this introduction, we can expect the work of artist-architect Jorge Otero-Pailos to offer a different perspective, particularly in how we understand the passage of time in architecture throughout history.
Below, he shares photographs of his series "The Ethics of Dust," which highlights the cleaning of dust and pollution residue from renowned historical buildings and monuments—making the invisible visible.
The architecture firm Hauser (Argentina), alongside architects Mathías Klotz (Chile) and Edgardo Minond (Argentina), has presented its project 'BRUSCO,' a large-scale mixed-use development with a significant urban impact. Located opposite Montevideo's City Hall, the complex will integrate diverse programs, including an open-air retail promenade, a city hotel, public and private parking, residential units, and offices. The project is already under construction and aims to become a transformative landmark that revitalizes the surrounding area, ensuring both day and night activity by coordinating and integrating the schedules of its various functions.
"We are at a historic moment. Everything is changing—the way we relate, work, and build. The boundaries between the physical and the digital, the local and the global, are blurring as we move toward an uncertain horizon shaped by the climate emergency and social inequalities. In this context, the role of architecture, design, and urban planning is fundamental."
These are the opening words of a new documentary produced by the Arquia Foundation—the first in a series profiling different Spanish cities—directed by Javier Peña. The film explores Barcelona's most radical architecture through the lens of a generation of architects who emerged in 2008 in the midst of the financial crisis. It features contributions from Anna and Eugeni Bach, Maio, David Steegmann, Adrià Escolano, Vora Arquitectura, Bonell + Dòriga, Raúl Sánchez, Arquitectura G, FLEXO Arquitectura, Carles Enrich, La Col: cooperativa de arquitectos, and Harquitectes.
The Mapa Corona nas Periferias, a digital initiative by the Marielle Franco Institute and the Favela em Pauta channel, is now live. The digital map highlights solidarity initiatives combating COVID-19 in socially vulnerable areas such as favelas, communities, quilombos, or rural hinterlands.
São Paulo-based firm SIAA Arquitetos has been named the winner of the national competition organized by AESabesp for the new São Paulo Water Museum, which involves the restoration and expansion of the former water and sewage department (RAE), currently the França Pinto reservation center.
Below, discover the winning proposal, accompanied by the project description written by the SIAA Arquitetos team.
In the past, people lived off their crops, built using materials available in their environment, and traveled great distances in search of the resources necessary for their survival. This led to a deeper understanding of the territory, close observation of nature's behavior, and the comprehension and use of local materials to construct their homes. It is from this close relationship between humans and their environment that the vernacular architecture of San Pedro de Atacama emerged, materially composed of earth, stone, tar, straw, and chañar and algarrobo wood. Today, urban growth driven by a steady rise in tourism, combined with a lack of regulations protecting the town's architectural identity, has led to new construction that threatens the area's built heritage.
The state of Guanajuato is located in the north-central region of Mexico, bordering the states of Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, Michoacán, and Jalisco. Covering an area of 30,607 km², it is one of the country's most populous regions. Its most prominent municipalities include León, Irapuato, Celaya, Salamanca, and San Miguel de Allende. The latter, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, is characterized by its Baroque and Spanish architecture. Additionally, this city is home to the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, built from the region's characteristic pink cantera stone.
Wood is a noble material that has been used in construction since time immemorial, across all regions of the world where it is available. Although this material can be applied to almost any use, we have focused this article specifically on residential projects previously published on our site and located in Colombia.
The winners of the Microscapes - Tactical Micro-Gardens competition have been announced. This international call, organized by the Intendencia Departamental de Río Negro (Uruguay) and the Inter-American Development Bank, invited architects, designers, landscape architects, artisans, citizens, entrepreneurs, and any other interested parties to propose installations to revitalize one of the central spaces of the Fray Bentos industrial complex.
The Tomie Ohtake Institute and AkzoNobel continue to map contemporary architectural production, highlighting, for the seventh consecutive year, significant projects built within the current Brazilian landscape. The relationship to the urban context, the commitment to the site and sustainability, as well as design and construction inventiveness, are the core criteria guiding the 7th Tomie Ohtake Institute AkzoNobel Architecture Prize.
The winners of the competition for Projects to enhance the archaeological site of the Andalusi suburb of Arrixaca and the San Esteban Garden in Murcia (Spain) have been announced. Organized by the Ministry of Development, the call invited participants to devise proposals to protect the valuable Arrixaca Archaeological Site while creating a new public space for the community.
In the year that the nation's capital turns 60, the Council of Architecture and Urbanism of the Federal District (CAU/DF) is launching the CAU/DF Seal - Architecture of Brasília. The initiative celebrates the modern architecture of the Plano Piloto Urban Ensemble, highlighting the city's non-monumental architecture. The goal is to recognize the historical value of these buildings and their authors—who are often little known by the general public—as well as to promote best practices in building conservation and maintenance that have preserved the architectural language of the Modern Movement.
Even as work arrangements, schedules, and environments become increasingly fluid, dedicated office buildings remain a fixture of zoning plans in most cities.
From prefabricated modules that sit lightly on the landscape to projects built on-site and integrated into their surroundings, in Uruguayan projects, wood emerges as a highly capable resource for addressing the wide array of requirements associated with residential construction. Whether used as structure, cladding, or furniture, and paired with concrete, stone, brick, or metal, wood offers endless applications. These possibilities enable the materialization of diverse approaches to the projects' exterior language and expression, while also elevating spatial quality and generating distinct interior atmospheres.
Have you ever had to convince your friends or family that an exposed brick wall can be more appealing than a plastered, white-painted one? Or that exposed building systems can offer significant advantages when it comes to maintenance? Do we connect better with a smooth backdrop for hanging art than with the textures of exposed materials?
Tepoztlán is a region located in the state of Morelos, in the south-central part of the country, bordered by the states of Guerrero, Puebla, the State of Mexico, and Mexico City. Spanning an area of 242.646 square kilometers, it is one of the 111 Pueblos Mágicos (Magical Towns) designated to boost tourism by highlighting the unique attributes of each destination.
As urban sprawl has expanded in large Latin American cities like Bogotá, neighborhoods, spaces, and zones dedicated to specific uses have naturally become increasingly disconnected. Although historic centers are typically hubs of culture and tourism, they cannot keep pace. Driven by growing demand and rising populations, new dedicated cultural zones are beginning to emerge.
Musicologist, journalist, radio broadcaster, and music producer Zuza Homem de Mello is the third guest on Studio Casa, an interview series produced by Casa da Arquitectura - Portuguese Center for Architecture.
Videos
"Ya no estoy aquí" dirigida por Fernando Frías. Image Cortesía de Netflix
Directed by Mexican filmmaker Fernando Frías and winner of the Morelia International Film Festival, “I’m No Longer Here” (“Ya no estoy aquí”) is a film that has been widely discussed across various disciplines. It highlights the specific values and struggles of a territory while transcending borders to showcase the most human and global aspects of our shared world.
Team 10 and the 3 Pioneers: First Generation –Housing cooperatives in Uruguay are currently the country's most prominent form of cooperativism, though by no means the only one. This model transcends housing, having gained significant momentum in the first half of the twentieth century. For instance, Montevideo's transit company (CUTCSA) began operating as a cooperative in 1937. Specifically, while 843 cooperatives were registered in 1989, by 2017 this number had risen to 3,665 cooperatives across various sectors.
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