In recent years, population density in Santiago de Chile has gained significant prominence as an urban and architectural topic, as well as an economic, political, social, and environmental one. Its vast impact—both positive and negative—has generated conflicting viewpoints among experts, prompting us to ask: should we densify Santiago?
The film Volume II: Inhabiting the Territory is part of the project From the Periphery, which comprises a trilogy of documentaries exploring various themes related to contemporary Latin American architecture.
This second installment is an audiovisual essay focusing on the academic practice of the Talca School of Architecture and its relationship with the inhabitant, the landscape, and the materiality of Chile's Central Valley through the experience of the Taller de Obras. Specifically, the narrative is set during the 2006 edition of the course, held in the town of Curtiduría under the theme of vulnerability as the workshop's central axis.
The Mayor's Office of Bucaramanga, together with the Colombian Society of Architects, sought innovative proposals for the orderly and sustainable development of Bucaramanga's urban peripheries in Colombia. Through viable, long-term management, financial, social participation, and regulatory models, the initiative aimed to foster the creation of a “Nuevo Norte” (New North) as a key central hub for the city and its metropolitan area, serving as an epicenter for inclusive, cohesive, productive, biodiverse, connected communities with high-quality habitats.
The public ideas competition for the territorial occupation model of the municipality's North Border aimed to gather urban proposals that integrate the needs and opportunities of both rural and urban environments. In this competition, the jury—composed of José Alejandro Gómez Suárez, Giovanna Vittoria Spera Velásquez, Helga María Rivas Ardila, Diana Wiesner Ceballos, and Manuel Sánchez Ruiz—awarded first prize to TA – El Taller De Arquitectos. Read on to learn more about the winning project.
On August 24, Romano Guerra Editora will release the book Arquitetura e escrita: relatos do ofício, which brings together twenty-four interviews with Brazilian and international architectural historians and critics from various theoretical and professional backgrounds, academic disciplines, and generations. Mostly previously unpublished, the interviews were conducted both in response to local interest in the subjects and to reflect the global momentum of theoretical and historiographical debates in the field over recent decades.
From the pre-Columbian period of the Americas –during which cultures such as the Olmec, Maya, Purepecha, and Mexica (Aztec) thrived– to the modern era where architecture has been influenced by social movements and even natural disasters, Mexican architecture showcases a valuable architectural expression, with its own unique voice and distinctive characteristics. Nobel Literature Laureate Octavio Paz argued that architecture is an incorruptible witness to history. Likewise, the materials used to shape it have acted as protagonists of that history, enduring in many cases over time and evolving thanks to the generations of architects who have contributed to it, from different perspectives.
To trace a timeline, it is possible to take as a starting point pre-Hispanic architecture, which exhibited a diversity of nuances due to Mexico's vast territorial extension. This allowed diverse cultures to find their niche and develop their characteristic architectural styles. Subsequently, the era of Spanish colonization, which itself drew influence from Islamic architecture, represented a noteworthy turning point in architectural development. This phase endured until the advent of Mexican Independence in the 19th century. In turn, this marked the initiation of social and cultural movements, both during and after the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century.
An International European cultural project, U-RE-HERIT, launched an initiative to protect Ukraine’s architecture, heritage, and memory. This wide consortium of architectural institutions came together to reach a common goal of preserving Ukrainian culture. With the ongoing crisis, the project aims to address heritage as a resource for cultural, social, environmental, and economic recovery. Moreover, the project hopes to redefine local cultural identity and rebuild the city with the sensitivity of collective memory.
Fortyseven is a novel thermal wellness spa designed by the architect Mario Botta, nestled alongside the Limmat River in Baden, Switzerland. Baden, renowned for its rich cultural and wellness offerings, boasts a spa heritage that extends over thousands of years. The Fortyseven Thermal Wellness Spa has revitalized this historical legacy by presenting wellness culture through a modern lens. Designed by Mario Botta, this project offers an immersive encounter for the body, mind, and soul. The essence of the site and its design is captured by the lens of architectural photographer Paul Clemence, in his latest series.
Colors are much more than just aesthetics. They can tamper with the sensations a space conveys, how we perceive the environment, and even comfort issues. With so many factors that they can influence, using them is not an easy task, and that is why many architects choose to stick with the classic white, grayscale, or even exposed materials to avoid any possible visual conflict. However, some architectural practices dare to use bold color palettes and create unique works that stand out precisely because of how colors help compose the project.
If you find yourself baffled by the confusing world of baffle paneling, don’t be concerned. That’s what they’re there for. The purpose of baffles of any kind – and where they take their name – is to confuse matter. In other industries, baffles are used to direct water flow, to control airflow and heat exchange, and to stop traffic from traveling too quickly.
When used in the scientific world of acoustics, baffles are positioned to disrupt sound waves by projecting out into our busiest environments, to catch, absorb and soften the sound, either in naturally noisy or specifically quiet areas or to selectively filter sounds from making a return journey. That doesn’t mean, however, that the slatted sight of regimental baffles can’t give an aesthetic advantage to interiors, providing often much-needed visual activity to an otherwise bare ceiling.
The rustic village of Vals in the Swiss Alps is one of the country’s most picturesque areas, located at an altitude of 1250 meters above sea level with numerous exceptional projects. The main square is surrounded by original Vals houses roofed with stone tiles made of Vals quartzite. Throughout the years, the village maintained its authentic residential and rural typology, making sure that its agriculture and rural fabric remained intact. Perhaps the most powerful natural resource of the Vals Valley, one that has nurtured its landscape and wilderness, is the water. For millions of years, ice and rain have forged the deeply-cut topography, and provided the village with a 30-degree thermal source, the only one in the Grisons Canton which springs straight from the ground.
One of the most notable architectures in Vals is The Thermal Spa designed by 2009 Pritzker Laureate Peter Zumthor. The secluded structure is built with local quartzite, a stone that blends the elements of water and stone to create “the perfect wellness experience”. Another iconic architecture tucked within the mountains of Vals takes advantage of the local material, structural typology, and topography, a project that leaves the original landscape intact and subtly intervenes to create a one-of-a-kind award-winning vacation home; The Villa Vals.
The US Cities Forward program selects various municipalities in the Western Hemisphere requiring urban assistance based on environmental, economic, and social criteria, focusing on the concepts of "sustainability, inclusion, and resilience." The initiative recently announced the 24 cities that will participate from this year through 2026, engaging in peer-to-peer learning with US cities while gaining access to tools and funding to achieve their sustainability goals.
Interior design is the art of transforming the experience of interior space by manipulating spatial volume and treating surfaces to enhance the inside of a home, apartment, building, or restaurant. Closely related is landscape architecture, which focuses on shaping open, outdoor spaces.
From the grid plans of ancient Greek cities to the Renaissance's idealized urban layouts, the history of urban planning is a reflection of evolving power structures and societal priorities. Across the world, many African and Asian cities simultaneously existed without clear visual manifestation. the organizational structure being deeply embedded in cultural needs and social relations. Urban development is marked by a dichotomy - the contrast between top-down planning strategies led by influential entities and governing bodies, and the bottom-up initiatives driven by local communities. This interplay shapes cities, influencing aspects from infrastructure and public spaces to housing models and urban character. Delving into the differences between these strategies is essential to crafting a harmonious urban landscape that caters to the needs of its residents.
Sketching has always been an essential part of the architect’s creative process. Case in point, architect I.M. Pei drafted his preliminary design for the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art on a cocktail napkin.
Modern architectural sketches combine design intent with data and constraints. The sketch grows in resolution as layers of information are added by different stakeholders. Architects today use both tactile and digital tools for sketching. The conundrum has been to choose either the flexibility offered by freeform modelers or the data-richness offered by BIM tools.
Cities across the globe are developing comprehensive action plans in order to create a coordinated response to the challenges of climate change. Targets and goals for consumption-based emissions are important for guiding strategic planning and decision-making, improving accountability, and communicating the direction of travel to businesses and the public. National and regional government officials are working with the private sector, international organizations, and civil society to create change at every level, from structural interventions in supply chains and industries to individual choices. This demonstrates a rising understanding of the role of cities in mitigating the adverse effects of rising temperatures.
Among the many marks left by architect Lina Bo Bardi in Brazilian architecture is the use of red as a highlight in her works. Whether bringing lightness and vividness to the hardness of São Paulo's concrete at Sesc Pompeia or warming the whiteness of Solar do Unhão in Bahia, red transcended mere visual and aesthetic status to become a distinctive characteristic of the Italo-Brazilian architect, weaving connections between many of her works.
Casa Batlló, located on the iconic Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona, Spain, is an architectural masterpiece that embodies a synthesis of creativity, innovation, and architect Antoni Gaudí's deep connection with nature. Built between 1904 and 1906, this residence is a major tourist attraction in the city and an important contribution to architectural history. Here, we analyze Casa Batlló through concepts central to the field of neuroarchitecture.
Sérgio Ferro is a Brazilian architect, artist, historian, and architectural critic who, due to his political activism during the military dictatorship, was imprisoned and exiled to France in the 1970s. Throughout his career, he has observed and intervened in the production spaces of civil construction, developing a critique of the production of plastic arts and architecture based on the construction process and its agents: the construction site, technologies, materials, and the builder.
In a historical context dominated by Eurocentric and male references, Ferro, along with architects Rodrigo Lefèvre and Flávio Império, formed Arquitetura Nova, a group that proposed debates centered on architectural production, the social role of the architect, and the relations of production on the construction site, challenging hegemonic thinking and practices, whether in design practice or academia. Following his exile, unable to practice as an architect, he dedicated himself to teaching at the École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Grenoble.
One of the leading names in Brazilian photography, Hans Gunter Flieg (1923) worked in the fields of industry, advertising, and architecture. His images document the country's industrial development and verticalization, particularly in the city of São Paulo, starting in the 1940s. Through highly technically sophisticated photographs, he documented industrial facilities, machinery, buildings, and objects, challenging the boundaries between the objectivity of documentary photography and formal rigor.
Ancestral, vernacular, minimalist and harmonious. For many, these words have come to define the architecture of Japan, a country that has long served as a source of cultural and technological inspiration for countless societies worldwide. Popular Japanese techniques have reached even the most remote corners of the globe, gaining traction across various fields that range from technical craftsmanship to digital innovation. Within the realm of architecture, the appropriation and reinvention of various materials and construction systems –such as the use of carbonized wood in facades– has been an enduring theme.
Color hues play an important role in the thermal comfort of buildings, influencing the absorption, reflection, and emission of thermal energy. Alongside the analysis of the local climate, solar orientation, and the qualities of construction materials, it is possible to design an integrated approach based on surface coatings that even helps save on utility bills. Learn how these variables can be combined to leverage color for the thermal performance of your project.
Architecture is generally understood as a positive construction—that is, tectonics, volume, an object in the world. And indeed it is. However, shifting the observer's perspective—from the distant, aerial view to the interior experience of the occupant—transforms the notion of the object in the world into a "world" in itself. Furthermore, it can also act as a frame, capturing and directing the gaze. Indeed, the view is a key element of architectural value, highlighting a specific angle of the outdoors and inviting the occupant to contemplate. The projects of TETRO Arquitetura highlight this interplay between form and frame.
Neuroarchitecture and environmental psychology are two fields based on the relationship between the physical environment and human behavior, yet they employ distinct approaches and practical applications. Learn about the differences between these fields and their practical applications in architectural and design projects.
The "Kilometer Zero" concept has been gaining popularity in contemporary architecture, promoting environmentally conscious approaches to reducing carbon emissions. One application of this concept is the blōma project by SPBR arquitetos, led by Angelo Bucci. The São Paulo-based firm's first project in Curitiba, the residential building was designed to prioritize local resources and labor.
