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As part of an event held for the thirteenth consecutive year, a showroom opened in October featuring spaces designed by various architects and designers to showcase the new ColorLife TRENDS 2021 palettes by the Comex brand. Participants included Adrián Marfil, Alexia Ulibarri, Andrés Gutiérrez, Arlette Salas, Cristina Grappin, Jorge Ballina, Luis H. Muñoz, Mauricio De la Garza, Moisés Hernández, Penélope De la Madrid, and Rodrigo Noriega.

Academic architectural practice must push students and faculty toward constant adaptation and exploration. First-semester students at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana built an intervention of ephemeral architecture using wood as a structural material in the arts building (prior to the state of emergency). This gave future architects the academic experience of hands-on construction during their very first semester in the department.

Art Week kicks off today in Mexico City, with more than 210 galleries opening their doors to host diverse programs showcasing the work of artists from 26 countries. Our featured lineup ranges from the recently opened exhibition "Habitat" by Lina Bo Bardi at Museo Jumex to the internationally renowned ZⓈONAMACO art fair, as well as the well-known exhibitions organized by guadalajara90210 that blend art and architecture.

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As part of a call for entries launched in 2019 by GAP (Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico) for the remodeling of facades, as well as the expansion of the public concourse and parking lot of Guadalajara Airport's Terminal 1, the proposal by Bosco Arquitectos (Bosco, Lázaro, and Sebastián Gutiérrez Cortina), Andrés Casillas de Alba, and Lucio Muniain et al has been announced as the winning design.

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The Abierto Mexicano de Diseño is an international festival that annually gathers and celebrates the design community in Mexico in all its breadth within a single geographic point: the Historic Center of Mexico City. Its programming aims to connect the public with the creative initiatives of established designers, emerging studios, students, universities, cultural institutions, and other stakeholders. This year, the festival features the theme: “Design and Utopia: From Manifesto to Action.”

Videos

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Breeding Space is a  living architecture that grows, is cultivated, and even generates edible byproducts. Created using generative algorithms, the space uses oyster mushroom mycelium (Pleurotus ostreatus) and straw as raw materials. The structure was built in a garage-turned-laboratory, through a collaboration between a digital fabrication company and an artisanal workshop. Measuring 3.7 meters in diameter and 2.5 meters high, the installation reveals from the inside all the auxiliary elements required for its construction: an endoskeleton of welded iron rods and a permanent formwork of wood panels. The space is completed by a soft floor made of stuffed traditional Moroccan fabrics and the audiovisual projection Amplifying by Espírituescalera, which narrates other possible worlds.

Being admitted to a hospital means entering an experience of anxiety and uncertainty. At a moment when survival is the sole objective, aesthetic attributes seem irrelevant, and analyzing the ambience of the hospital environment might feel like an untimely indulgence.

However, being in an Intensive Care Unit can be even more distressing if patients lack a window to show whether it is day or night. Or when, during the initial diagnostic triage, one must navigate narrow corridors and a succession of closed rooms for first contact with on-duty doctors and nurses—a true labyrinth.

Jointly developed by China Resources Land and Shanghai Land Group, with architectural design by KPF, the Lujiazui Riverfront Center is nearing completion. Located along the Huangpu River within Shanghai's Lujiazui waterfront district, the project spans a total gross floor area of 200,000 square meters. Eight small-scale, standalone commercial buildings run parallel to the shoreline, reshaping the waterfront skyline with staggered heights. Inside the cluster, a network of pedestrian paths and axes links the internal plazas and surrounding buildings, integrating with neighboring historic structures to establish a strong dialogue with the broader urban design.

Characterized by its low-density layout, the development features specialty retail, shared conference spaces, sunken plazas, and rooftop gardens. By connecting with nearby luxury hotels, art venues, and high-end residences—all within walking distance—it creates a 24-hour elite lifestyle hub, establishing Shanghai's first workplace that seamlessly integrates garden-style offices with the Lujiazui CBD. Additionally, the project features a generous 4.5-meter floor-to-floor height, yielding a clear height of 3 meters for standard floors and 3.5 meters for executive floors. In terms of floor plate design, the column-free interior spaces offer unobstructed, panoramic views of the Huangpu River.

Designed and built by the team from Universidad Mayor, a sustainable social housing project featuring productive and commercial spaces was named the winner of Construye Solar 2019, the third edition of the Chilean competition organized by Ruta Solar.

After receiving 105 proposals from 32 different countries, the Rural Tourism Accommodation (RuTA) international ideas competition in Vietnam, organized by arquideas, has announced its winning projects.

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In 2019, third-year architecture students from the Universidad del Desarrollo in Concepción, Chile, traveled to the town of San Juan on Chiloé Island to build the Piuche Lookout. In this project, students faced the realities of construction processes—experiencing challenges associated with adverse weather and physical fatigue—working with the community and interpreting the territory, materials, and local crafts to realize a full-scale project. This activity, which began with a blank page and culminated in a built idea, serves as the students' first hands-on experience with developing an architectural project. Piuche is positioned vertically along a coastline south of the town, in dialogue with the natural elements: the hills, the sky, and the water.

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On August 28, the exhibition “Arquitectura Popular del Noreste” (Vernacular Architecture of the Northeast) opened at the Distrito Tec Open Gallery in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. The show features a series of images of the region's vernacular architecture captured by a group of 16 photographers, alongside residential surveys conducted by two architects: Francisco Álvarez, Tania Anchondo, Marcelo Barahona, Marcel del Castillo, Colectivo El Norestense, Sofía Garfias, Nora I. Gómez, Sofía Kalionchiz, José V. Kontos, Iván Manríquez, Josué Olivo, Isaac Rincón Aiza, Jar Rock, Carolina Segura, Martín Tovar, Marcela Vela, David Verazaluce Lugo, and Ignacio Woolfolk.

The following article proposes rethinking architecture from object to subject. Carlos Medellín and María Victoria Londoño delve into the subject, questioning Vitruvian principles and the adaptability of the architectural object to its various uses through the example of the Metro Riviera Theater / Theatron in Bogotá.

Peripheria Films shares a documentary that explores "the exploitation of territory, the private occupation of public space, the representation and construction of identity through postcards and souvenirs, the conversion of architectural heritage into a product and the city into a brand, and the touristification of historic centers."

Videos

Brazilian architecture firm Estúdio Leonardo Zanatta has received an honorable mention in the international competition "Cool Abu Dhabi," which challenged participants to design creative solutions to tackle climate change and mitigate the urban heat island effect in Abu Dhabi. Titled Abu Dhabi Skins - (Bio)Reactive Urbanscape, the proposal is the only selection from the Americas.

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The winners of the "Sustainable Urban Housing" National Ideas and Master Plan Competition have been announced. Promoted by the Municipality of Mendoza (Argentina) and organized by the provincial Association of Architects (CAMZA), the call invited professionals from across the country to reflect on **ways of inhabiting the contemporary city** through the development of ideas for a Master Plan and a preliminary architectural design for housing units. The sites considered in the competition—an urban sector of more than 13,000 square meters—are remnants of railroad lands that, over time, have transformed into urban voids, remaining as vacant areas within the consolidated fabric of the city.

In its 6th edition, Open House Porto (OHP) welcomes the city of Maia, which joins Matosinhos, Porto, and Vila Nova de Gaia for the major annual architecture festival organized by Casa da Arquitectura – Portuguese Centre for Architecture. To inform and guide visitors, applications to recruit 400 volunteers are open until April 20.

For nearly two decades, Wienerberger AG has hosted the biennial international Brick Award, providing a stage for outstanding brick architecture and its designers. Architects from around the world showcase their innovative concepts using ceramic materials: 644 projects from 55 countries were submitted for this year's award. The winners of the Brick Award 20 impressed the jury with bold, creative architectural concepts for sustainable, forward-looking spaces.

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The results of the Ideas Competition for the construction of the Museum of Prehistory and Archaeology of Cantabria (MUPAC) have been announced. The open call invited architecture professionals to develop design proposals for the new museum in Santander, Spain. With over 18,000 m2 of space and a complementary administrative building, it will become one of the most representative venues for Spanish archaeological history. Located in the city center alongside other landmark spaces such as the Palacio de Festivales, the Maritime Museum, the Centro Botín, and the Central Library, the building is set to become a signature civic facility and a major visitor attraction.

Videos

The professional career of Mexican architect Gabriela Carrillo reveals an impeccable and relentless commitment to recognizing the values of the territory in order to provide spaces that dignify their inhabitants. This approach has shaped her practice for 19 years, nine of which she spent as a partner at Taller de Arquitectura Mauricio Rocha + Gabriela Carrillo. Her work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Gold Medal from the French Academy of Architecture.

After the original dome of the building designed by German architect Karl Trambauer—located in the Old Town of Montevideo, Uruguay—partially collapsed, the void was occupied by a temporary new dome. This symbiotic architecture sought to fill the building's physical gaps while raising awareness of the systematic destruction suffered by structures in Ciudad Vieja. It served as both a provocative object and a restorative organism, experimentally intervening in the building's visible void.

Podcasts are a relatively recent medium in Brazil, but they are on the rise and growing rapidly in popularity. A survey by the Deezer platform showed that podcast consumption in Brazil grew by 67% in 2019. Far from a passing fad, this format is being used for entertainment, information, and even as a pedagogical resource for educators.

Among the wide variety of topics available, many shows have fostered debates about the environment, especially regarding the Amazon—considered one of humanity's most valuable natural heritages and the largest natural reserve on the planet.

Having lost their sense of purpose, cities are searching for new meanings. Today we rely on digital social networks to access common goods like culture, leisure, and meaningful encounters—but how can we leverage technology to enable the right to the city during a pandemic? We are witnessing a global slowdown in urban development: the emptying of cities in India, the urban exodus in France, and a return to smaller towns and rural areas where there is lower population density and a higher quality of life. What is the city if not the promise of access to the commons it offers? 

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The winners of the Ecoparque Las Piedras Public Competition (Uruguay) have been announced. Organized by the Government of Canelones and sponsored by the Ministry of Housing, Territorial Planning, and Environment (MVOTMA) and the Society of Architects of Uruguay (SAU), the call invited participants to design proposals to transform a large sector of the city of Las Piedras into an urban park.