Since ancient Greece, public space has been the primary setting for gathering and socialization in cities and towns, supporting a wide range of activities as well as political debate and collective empowerment. It is a common good from which to foster equality, respect, and solidarity as the foundation of a fairer society. One of the primary characteristics of public space is its capacity to adapt and open itself up to new challenges and uses. 

However, in recent years, licensing the commercial use of public spaces has become a growing source of revenue for municipal governments. The regulation and legal restriction of how our plazas and other spaces are used, enforced through municipal ordinances and codes, represents one of the primary dimensions of the privatization of public space. Privatization is understood here as the process of establishing conditions that restrict free access to a common good. The overexploitation of public space for corporate profit promotes a consumerist urban model that is detrimental to the citizenry.

One of the most highly anticipated collateral events of the 16th Venice Architecture Biennale was the *Young Architects in Latin America* (YALA) exhibition, an open call organized by Architecture-Studio through its CA’ASI cultural center to mark its tenth anniversary.

Following editions focused on Chinese, Arab, and African architecture, CA'ASI's fourth open call invited young architects from across Latin America to showcase their built work on a global stage. Out of more than 200 submissions, 60 Latin American practices were selected for the digital catalog and the exhibition presented in Venice. In the digital catalog, the organizers note that "in a region so vast, diverse, and in constant flux, we find common characteristics among the submitted works that bear witness to the efforts of young architects to improve habitat conditions in Latin America."

At the exhibition's opening ceremony on May 25, the organizers announced 15 honorable mentions and 3 winners, including practices from Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, and Brazil, among others. Discover them below:

Designed by Esteban Ramírez, the Teatro Navegante project was chosen as one of the 10 winners in the Thesis Projects category of the Concurso Arquitectura Caliente 2018 (CAC 2018), a Chilean competition organized by Grupo Arquitectura Caliente and funded by the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage.

Historically, the Chiloé Archipelago has been defined by its own inhabitants as an annex to the mainland due to the physical, social, and cultural isolation existing since the beginning of the last century. Sea and land define the everyday lives of its people. From these environments, they extract the resources for their survival, and their land routes extend through the channels and fjords vital to connecting the islands and their communities. In this isolated and fragmented territory, climatic and geographical conditions make it difficult for nearly 15,000 inhabitants to access educational, health, and cultural infrastructure, which remains concentrated in the region's urban centers kilometers away—an ongoing issue that the State has yet to address.

The NGO Soluções Urbanas launched a crowdfunding platform earlier this month to enable technical assistance, the purchase of materials, and renovation work in precarious housing. Named Arquiteto de Família, the tool was developed with sponsorship from CAU/RJ.

The platform's goal is to facilitate access to better housing conditions, and the funds raised through the tool can be combined with resources from other sources, such as microcredit and barter fairs.

The third edition of Hello Wood Argentina is approaching—the renowned timber architecture and design festival that aims to teach thinking with your hands and learning through experience.

From March 2 to 10, 2019, 10 selected projects will be built around this edition's theme: a space of containment, a space of CON-TENSION.

Discover the projects selected for Hello Wood Argentina 2019, described in the words of their creators, below.

The Institute of Architects of Brazil - São Paulo Department (IABsp) stands in solidarity with the victims of the fire and collapse of the Wilton Paes de Almeida building. Beyond the tragedy this episode represents, it must be emphasized that we are facing systemic problems afflicting most large Brazilian cities—issues that demand discussions integrating urban development, housing, cultural heritage, and public asset management policies.

In 1958, Tsinghua University established the Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University (THAD) as a practical platform for architectural education and academic research, serving the development and construction of the newly founded republic. In 2018, THAD celebrates its 60th anniversary. Over the past six decades, the institute has navigated the shifts in China's social and economic development, witnessing the evolution of modern Chinese architectural design. To mark this 60th anniversary, THAD and the Tsinghua University School of Architecture are jointly hosting the "60 Years of Tsinghua Design Practice" event, inviting key figures and institutions from across the Chinese architectural community to join the celebration. Through a series of exhibitions, forums, lectures, and publications, the event aims to review the institute's history, reflect on the progress of Chinese architectural design over the past 60 years, and share research, practice, and insights to continue serving national development and the advancement of architectural scholarship and practice.

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University, the Tsinghua Design Academic Week will be held on October 25, 2018. Prominent Chinese academicians, including He Jingtang, Wang Jianguo, and Meng Jianmin, alongside international guests such as Coop Himmelb(l)au and UNStudio, will attend. Concurrently, the exhibition titled "6X10: The Modern Architectural History of a University Design Institute" will officially open.

Now in its sixth edition, the Arquitecturas Film Festival invites directors, architects, and production companies to submit documentary, experimental, and fiction films—including feature, medium, and short-length films produced after January 1, 2017—on themes related to architecture, space, and cities. The official launch of the call for entries was marked by the screening of Henrique Pina's documentary "Aires Mateus: Matéria em Avesso," dedicated to the work of the renowned studio, in the main hall of Cinema São Jorge in Lisbon.

It is well known that mass tourism causes significant inconveniences for local residents, benefits large corporations at the expense of small entrepreneurs, and can strip away the very character that makes a place attractive. Yet, one must also admit that tourism generates jobs, increases income, stimulates new businesses, and improves urban quality in many respects—through urban revitalization, infrastructure improvements, and the construction of cultural facilities, for example. 

For several years, Lisbon has been experiencing a tourism boom that embodies both of these aspects. The city has undoubtedly changed. Urban rehabilitation projects have breathed new life into dilapidated areas, revitalizing public spaces and investing in the restoration and retrofitting of buildings that, in many cases, would otherwise have been condemned to ruin. New cultural facilities have been built, such as the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology - MAAT, designed by British architect Amanda Levete, and the new National Coach Museum by Paulo Mendes da Rocha, in collaboration with the firms MMBB arquitetos and Bak Gordon Arquitetos.

It is highly unlikely that you made it through architecture school without seeing or even helping to build a geodesic dome. These structures are defined by a mesh composed of a network of polygons—usually steel, wood, or bamboo triangles—that, when materialized in three dimensions, form spaces. By connecting the edges (struts) and rendering the structure three-dimensional, this model achieves strength and structural lightness through the uniform distribution of its dead load to the ground. From a technical and structural standpoint, this dome is composed of a series of similar struts that form a hemispherical surface based on triangles. Within this complex composition, strength and lightness are achieved through the uniform distribution of forces.

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This edition of the International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale has been the most active and representative yet for Mexican architecture. This biennale brings together the largest number of Mexican participants across various fronts and collaborative projects. The Mexican Pavilion, “Echoes of a Land”—located in the Sale d'Armi of the Arsenale—presents an approach to architecture that goes beyond form and programmatic function, associating it instead with geography, culture, and identity.

Videos

Across nine episodes, the series Proyecto Habitar delves into the intimacy of homes to explore the reality of housing in Chile. Through the perspective of its protagonists, directors Joaquín Mora and Verónica Wüst aim to spark an urgent conversation on housing-related issues.

"The issue of housing is crucial and will soon take center stage, as our current economic system presents various challenges we must address as a society," Mora comments.

This time, we invite you to watch the final three episodes of the series: childhood, roots, and projection.

The Mexican architecture scene is increasingly shaped by young architects committed to holistic, globally conscious design. One such firm is LANZA Atelier, which will present three of its projects at SFMoMA on March 31.

The *Geography, City, and Architecture* graduate program at Escola da Cidade invited architect Mario Figueroa to deliver a lecture on Chilean architecture, where he discusses the so-called “Generation of the '90s” and the Museum of Memory and Human Rights.

Construction is complex. Anyone who has been on a construction site understands this. It is not just about having the right attitude and knowing how to lead a team of skilled craftspeople, masons, and specialists, but also about providing—or at least understanding—the right tools for them to perform each task in the best possible way.

While the construction knowledge gained during your university studies might be minimal until you have a few projects under your belt, learning to recognize the tools available on the market will not only help you save costs, but also speed up construction and reduce physical effort—delivering significant advantages.

Here, we present an overview of the different equipment, tools, and machinery most commonly used in architectural construction.

As part of our coverage of the 2018 Venice Biennale, we present the participation of the São Paulo-based firm GrupoSP: an installation titled "unnamed spaces" that is part of the FREESPACE exhibition. Below, the architects describe their contribution in their own words.

"Unnamed spaces" [espaços sem nome] was a term that professor and artist Flávio Motta [1] used to describe the free, generous, and open spaces of radical architecture that accommodated the unpredictability of life. They can also refer to the open spaces or clearings within our city.

Today, August 17, is National Historical Heritage Day, a date that honors the efforts to preserve assets of cultural, historical, and artistic significance across Brazil. This date coincides with the birth of historian and journalist Rodrigo Mello Franco de Andrade, who played a crucial role in founding the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN). Established in 1937, IPHAN is the agency responsible for promoting and organizing the preservation of Brazil's National Cultural Heritage, aiming to “protect and promote the country's cultural assets, ensuring their endurance and enjoyment for present and future generations.” [1]

In early March, students, architects, and designers from Argentina gathered to bring their ideas to life in the second edition of Hello Wood Argentina, an international experience brought by local partners TACADI and MANDARiNA.

For this edition, the chosen theme for 2018 was "CON-TEXT"—a context we consciously build, where balance is achieved through the interaction of each of its parts, and what each part contributes is unique.

Discover the projects built in this edition below.

Videos

Coexist is the new work by Erik Harley, an audiovisual artist and urban studies expert from the University of Barcelona, created for Biel Blancafort, a Spanish music producer based in Barcelona.

The music video uses digital imagery from Google Earth paired with electronic music to explore the built condition of our globalized world and the way we understand the environment as we construct and digitize it. Theoretically grounded in the ideas of British geographer and social theorist David Harvey, the video critiques the continuous and unlimited growth of our cities, which leads to design solutions driven by financial arguments and executed rapidly while the next development is already being planned.

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After winning the elections on November 16, Lluís Comerón Graupera today assumes the presidency of the Higher Council of Colleges of Architects of Spain (CSCAE) for the 2018–2021 term. Founded in 1931, the CSCAE is the organization that unites all regional associations to achieve and defend the general common interest of architecture and its professionals. It also serves as the highest representative body for these associations and the profession before the state administration and international organizations.

According to the CSCAE, Comerón Graupera holds an architecture degree from the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB), is an associate professor at ETSAB, and is a co-director at the Vallès School of Architecture (ETSAV). He also runs his own practice, where he has developed a diverse portfolio for both public administrations and the private sector.

From the Fundación Arquia Blog, architect María Álvarez García presents an article on the controversial revival of garden cities in England's urban planning, which is depopulating city centers—proposals that lead to an inevitable segregation of uses that is neither sustainable nor conducive to social and economic development.

The Gustavo Capanema Palace will officially serve as one of the venues for the 27th World Congress of Architects – UIA 2020 Rio. The authorization agreement for the building's use was signed on Thursday, September 20, during an event marking the completion of the restoration work on the building's facades. The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Culture; the president of Iphan, Kátia Bogéa; the president of the IAB, Nivaldo de Andrade; the UIA Vice President for the Americas, Roberto Simon; the president of UIA2020RIO, Sérgio Magalhães; as well as the presidents of CAU/BR and CAU/RJ, Luciano Guimarães and Jeferson Salazar, respectively.

It is time to say goodbye to 2018 and look back at everything we have achieved. What captured our interest? What surprised us? What made an impact?

After presenting the best architecture of 2018, we decided to round up and highlight some of the Argentine projects that generated the most engagement on our social networks. Goodbye 2018, hello 2019.

Women represent the majority on the streets and in public transit. Travel patterns and transport mode usage vary significantly by gender, largely because women still disproportionately shoulder domestic responsibilities, many of which involve caring for children. While gender issues remain overlooked in urban planning, the access of women with children to the city is a topic in even greater need of attention. Through the testimonies of several mothers, the everyday consequences of failures in urban planning and mobility on mothers and children become glaringly clear.