Supported by a Graham Foundation grant, the artist explores the possibility and synchronicity of materials and processes across architecture and visual art in a new series of sculptures and drawings inspired by Miguel Fisac's innovative architectural and construction techniques.
Experience it all through the short film by Spirit of Space.
As part of the exhibition program of the Museo Experimental El Eco, the open call for the Eco Pavilion 2020 was launched, inviting professionals practicing architecture in Mexico to engage in a dialogue with the museum's space. This edition marks the 10th anniversary of the Eco Pavilion, a competition launched in partnership with Buró-Buró to provide a platform for architectural production focusing on experimentation and spatial reflection.
https://www.archdaily.com/1123784/this-is-the-winning-proposal-for-the-eco-pavilion-2020-competitionArchDaily Team
The use of concrete as a construction material offers distinct advantages in terms of structural strength and construction timelines. These benefits, combined with its plasticity, versatility, and aesthetic value, have led many architects to choose this system to bring their projects to life. The resurgence of trends surrounding exposed concrete applications—that is, without additional coatings—has simultaneously sparked numerous explorations of its expressive qualities, giving rise to new projects that experiment with the material's finishes in interior spaces.
From my hotel room, it was possible to see the roofs of the Forbidden City, though only as a faint shape through the haze blanketing the landscape. Beijing (or Peking, depending on the language or spelling) is one of the most polluted cities in the world, covered by a constant smog produced not only by automobiles—which account for 70% of the city's air pollution—but also by factories, coal-fired power plants, and sandstorms from neighboring regions. It looked like a cloudy day, but in reality, there was not a single cloud in the sky.
Soumaya Museum / FR-EE / Fernando Romero Enterprise. Image
While virtual reality is not a new tool, its adoption across various industries has been gradual. In the architecture and cultural sectors, virtual tours have become increasingly common, offering a much broader perspective of spaces and—in the case of art—their relationship with the exhibited works. Various efforts have been made to promote this spatial mapping, closing the gap between cities, countries, and continents. A prime example is the Google Arts & Culture project, which features a library of 4,500 institutions that can be explored virtually.
On June 17, Mexico's Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) issued a landmark ruling ordering the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) to generate disaggregated statistical data on populations in informal or precarious settlements across the country. This resolution brings to the forefront the discussion on the role that judges can and should play when making decisions that directly impact urban planning, land management, our cities, and our housing.
Children are often overlooked or entirely deprioritized in urban planning. Globally, it is estimated that up to 500 children die every day in traffic accidents. Thousands of others are injured in collisions or develop psychological trauma that can last for years. Whether on the streets or in public spaces, feelings of insecurity or discomfort discourage children from physical activity outdoors—at a time when 80% of children between the ages of 11 and 17 are not physically active, and another 38 million under the age of five are overweight or obese.
https://www.archdaily.com/1123822/how-to-design-safer-and-healthier-urban-spaces-for-childrenNikita Luke, Rohit Tak, Ariadne Samios e Claudia Adriazola-Steil
During a live-streamed event on an exclusive microsite created for the XXII Pan-American Architecture Biennial of Quito, organizers presented the schedule for this year's online BAQ 2020, along with the participating jurors and speakers.
https://www.archdaily.com/1123824/full-schedule-speakers-and-jurors-of-the-pan-american-architecture-biennial-of-quito-2020ArchDaily Team
As the philosopher Byung-Chul Han states: every age has its signature afflictions. These illnesses have represented some of the most significant challenges in human history, bringing drastic changes not only to the healthcare sector but also to economic and political spheres, revealing humanity as a complex network negotiating its daily existence through actions that have reshaped our ways of living and relating to one another.
On World Environment Day, we ask you: Do you know where your household "trash" goes? How do cities deal with the tons of materials discarded daily? Should everything you throw "away" be wasted by being sent to landfills?
The coronavirus crisis has shown us that certain attitudes, policies, and practices must be abandoned if we want a different future—both socially and environmentally. However, this responsibility is not solely individual. To discuss the future of waste in cities, we must shed light on the thread of recent history: the formulation of the National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS), approved in 2010, and the challenges of its implementation.
The winners of the design competition for the Madrid Metropolitan Forest have been announced. Coordinated by the Vice-Mayor's Office and promoted by the Urban Development Department, the initiative invited architects to develop natural infrastructure to drive green growth and sustainable development in the city. Located in Madrid, Spain, the Forest will span 75 kilometers, contributing to the area's ecological rebalancing, carbon emission reductions, the fight against climate change, and the environmental and landscape restoration of degraded areas.
Eric Coufal Impartiendo Dibujo. Aparecen de izq. a der. Alejandro Zohn, Alfonso Jaubert, Carlos Guillermo Orozco, André Bellón, Humberto Macías y Job Henández Dávila. Fotografía: Libro. La fundación de un sueño. Image Cortesía de coolhuntermx
This article is part of a collaboration with the website coolhuntermx, and was originally published under the title "La Bauhaus Tapatía."
"A sort of Bauhaus" is how Mathias Goeritz, in short, tried to convince Italian architect and theorist Alberto Sartoris to come to Mexico. In 1950, through letters, he invited him to teach at the very project that had drawn Goeritz in and excited him so much: the first School of Architecture of Guadalajara, founded in 1948 by Ignacio Díaz Morales.
The Brooklyn-based design firm Territorial Empathy, which has Colombian roots, presented a proposal for the UN-Habitat Global Public Space Programme, rethinking the temporary nature of aid for Venezuelan migrants in Colombia by utilizing the capital district of Bogotá's most iconic public space.
Rarely do we encounter an open-air fine arts museum like the Garden of Fine Arts, designed by Tadao Ando in 1994 for the city of Kyoto, Japan. Reproductions at various scales of renowned masterpieces appear among concrete columns, beams, and walls, along with ramps and glass bridges, interacting with cascading waterfalls and the background vegetation from the adjacent Botanical Gardens.
Pancho Gallardo, the Chilean architectural photographer now based in Madrid, has long admired the Japanese architect's work, particularly for, as he explains, "the use of concrete as an element that creates spaces, textures, angles, and shadows which, above all, in spaces like this open-air museum, establish a direct relationship with sunlight, where every corner becomes a dramatic composition of visual angles."
Below, he shares a series of photographs taken on-site, accompanied by more of his thoughts.
In Mexico, the official Jornada de Sana Distancia (National Social Distancing Campaign) began on March 23, 2020. During this period, various firms, businesses, and universities reached a turning point where it became necessary to discuss the present and future impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on operations at different levels. A few weeks ago, ArchDaily launched a series of interviews with Mexican firms reflecting on their organizational and operational experiences when transitioning from in-person to remote work. But what about universities? What happens to the new generations experiencing this shift in their schools? How is spatial thinking affected after nearly two months of social distancing? What lies ahead for educational models, and especially for university spaces?
Wooden stilt houses in the Educandos district of Manaus. Photo by guentermanaus, via Shutterstock
The global pandemic caused by the coronavirus has demanded emergency actions to save lives, which, in turn, require complementary measures to preserve jobs and income, especially for the most vulnerable segment of the population. The field of architecture and urbanism is no exception: the precarity facing a significant portion of professionals is worsening due to social isolation measures, which are absolutely essential to combat the pandemic. Left without financial reserves to guarantee basic survival, many architects are left with no alternatives. Emergency measures currently being discussed in Congress, such as a basic income, are urgent. While they rightly focus on low-income populations, the scale of the crisis demands additional actions.
Barrio 18 como límite urbano en el año 1969. Image Cortesía de Alejandro Parada Valencia
Residents of the city of Punta Arenas collectively developed—in collaboration with writer Víctor Hernández and architect Alejandro Parada—a literary and graphic reconstruction documenting the heritage icons that represent the founding and evolution of the 18 de Septiembre neighborhood. The project, titled "Rutas Patrimoniales Barrio 18 de Septiembre, Punta Arenas", is framed within the Regional Cultural Identity Strengthening program of the Magallanes Region's Regional Ministerial Secretariat of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage, and is part of the 2017-2022 Public Policies for Cultural Promotion.
“Alternative Utility Platforms” is a project that seeks to generate spaces for social innovation in the integrated management of urban waste. According to Giulia Bianchi and Luis Morillo, the authors of the proposal, the city of Barquisimeto, Venezuela, currently generates approximately 21,147 tons of solid waste per month. Only 61.79% of this waste ends up in landfills, meaning the remaining 33.25% winds up on streets, in informal dumps, rivers, and streams, improperly disposed of. Out of this total, ultimately only 4.97% is processed by recycling companies, and the majority of that volume is sorted and supplied by street waste collectors. For this reason, and through their thesis project developed at the Central University of Venezuela, the authors propose to generate new employment models for the collection and treatment of municipal solid waste through an urban and architectural intervention.
The Eco Pavilion 2020 is the tenth edition of this competition, which, since 2010, has served as a space for reflection on architecture through temporary installations in the courtyard of the Museo Experimental el Eco. This year's edition was structured around Mathias Goeritz's idea of "the serpent," based on a concept proposed by architect Javier Senosiain.
The lobby, also known as the entrance hall or vestibule, is a reception space adjacent to the entrance of a residential building or private home, serving as a transition zone between the public urban environment and the private program.
Typically located on the ground floor of buildings and closely linked to the street, the lobby acts as the project's "public face" to the outside world. Consequently, its design, material qualities, aesthetics, and component elements are of great significance. Its function remains highly flexible, serving as a space for gatherings, receptions, or waiting.
Inteligência lógica. Image Cortesia de Equipe de projeto
Winner of the 2018 National Ideas Competition promoted by the City of Fortaleza, the project presents the requalification of public spaces dating from the early 20th century. The goal is to make them inviting and establish a contemporary urban heritage park in the city center, with a special emphasis on the social dimension, the memory of Liberdade Park as the "Children's City" (Cidade das Crianças), and its connection with Sagrado Coração de Jesus Square.
São Paulo sidewalk. Image courtesy of Caos Planejado
The quality of streets and sidewalks is a widely debated topic in Brazil, and the coronavirus pandemic has added another layer of complexity—public health—prompting us to question whether it is actually possible for pedestrians to practice social distancing. This concern led architecture student Conrado Freire to develop a map of sidewalk widths in São Paulo.
Adapted from Meli Harvey's Sidewalk Widths NYC project on New York City sidewalks, Largura do Passeio uses sidewalk data provided by the GeoSampa portal to visually synthesize information about São Paulo's pedestrian pathways that is not typically accessible to the general public. Based on the open-source code released by Harvey—which has also been adapted for cities like Toronto, Washington, Berlin, and Milan—Freire creates a visual mapping of what is often only felt by pedestrians moving through São Paulo's urban space.
Bamboo is a building material that has been used since antiquity in various structures, demonstrating its superiority over modern materials like plastic and steel due to its myriad benefits—not to mention an incomparable aesthetic appeal that has positioned it as one of today's leading architectural trends.
The Belo Monte Hydroelectric Power Plant, the fourth largest hydroelectric plant in the world and 100% Brazilian-owned, was inaugurated in November 2019 in the Xingu River basin, in northern Pará. The project, operated by the Norte Energia S.A. Consortium, was part of the PAC (Growth Acceleration Program)—a federal government initiative established in 2007 aimed at implementing large infrastructure projects to boost national development, mirroring past initiatives.
https://www.archdaily.com/1123774/belo-monte-hydroelectric-power-plant-the-deterritorialization-of-the-riverine-people-of-the-xingu-riverBruna Ribeiro Alves e Maytê Tosta Coelho