The international workshop and symposium “From the Villa to the Cell,” held at the School of Architecture of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile between April 2 and 20, focused on social and collective housing, understood not only as vital to the city, but as an eminently architectural problem. The workshop featured local tutors Alejandra Celedón, Álvaro Arancibia, Tatiana Carbonell, and José Manuel Monge, alongside international guests Sam Jacoby (AA/RCA, London), Francesco Marullo (UIC, Chicago), and Max Kahlen (AA, London).

As the organizing team explains, "we questioned the definition of the word 'villa,' which has been used to designate very different kinds of architecture: from the 'Palladian villa' to the villa as a housing development, and the villa as a collective project; the workshop will build its own definition. Through the idea of the “cell,” the project sought to challenge the concept of “minimum housing,” viewing it no longer individually or as an isolated architectural object, but through the ideas of Karel Teige, who as early as 1932 proposed understanding this problem not as a scaled-down version of the dominant minimum-housing typology, but as a spatial transition toward a collective mode of habitation."

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Plazoleta Amo Torres is a project by Echauri Morales in collaboration with Corporación Planen. Located in downtown Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, the intervention comprises a series of urban design gestures aimed at revitalizing the area along Hidalgo Avenue at its intersection with Santa Mónica Street, directly in front of the Corona Market.

Driven by a shared interest in cities, architecture, and photography, the FORM+ research group at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and ArchDaily en Español established an editorial partnership in 2018 to showcase the research of FORM+, following the recent publication and exhibition Bogotá en la mirada de 10 fotógrafos held in the Colombian capital.

Through this collaboration, our Spanish-speaking readers discovered the work of pioneers of urban and architectural photography, drawing on research by curators María Pía Fontana (UdG), Miguel Mayorga (UPC), and Margarita Roa (USB, Cali), all members of the FORM+ group. "Photography is a form of intellectual and sensory mediation with the world, expanding our perceptual experience and renewing our visual sensitivity: an instrument to learn how to look, a resource for the creative imagination, and a means to recognize space and the built environment," the curators explained.

Below, we present the profiles of the 10 photographers featured in this editorial collaboration:

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The deck is finished, the beams and columns have already been painted, and construction is moving forward at a good pace at the Guarda Housing Complex in Perafita, Matosinhos, Portugal, which will very soon see the completion of Uma Casa de Brincar e Não Só… / Not Only a Playhouse, built as part of the second edition of “O Lugar de Partilha.” At the end of the first week on-site, there is still much work to be done for this Self-Construction Laboratory organized by Casa da Arquitectura (CA) – Portuguese Center for Architecture and curated by Roberto Cremascoli, but spirits are high, and by August 10th, everything will be ready for the local community to enjoy.

Born in Slovakia in 1921, architect Hans Broos began his career in Brazil in 1953, after graduating in Germany in 1949. His brief European career was marked by the reconstruction of Germany, during which he worked alongside architect Egon Eiermann as his assistant at the Technical University of Karlsruhe. During this period, Broos came into contact with Le Corbusier and his principles of modern architecture. Aligned from the beginning with the architects of the Modern Movement, Broos developed his first works in Blumenau and Florianópolis, in the state of Santa Catarina, far from major Brazilian urban centers. Throughout his professional life, the architect addressed a wide range of programs—from residential and industrial to religious, commercial, and social projects—over a career spanning more than 50 years and nearly 400 projects. Of these, approximately 100 were built in various states, including Santa Catarina, São Paulo, Pernambuco, and Goiás. The architect passed away in 2011.

At the end of last November, we published the winners of the second call for graduation thesis projects in Colombia, which received 70 proposals from 14 cities and 29 universities. Ultimately, nine projects cleared all three evaluation stages, standing out for addressing pressing issues, presenting rigorous research, and proposing challenges for both urban and rural contexts, much like in 2016.

Here, we take an in-depth look at the Paseo Bolívar Cultural Integration Center, a proposal developed by Ángela Puerta Gaviria and Carolina Delgado Quintero, both graduates of the Universidad del Valle in Cali.

Brasília needs no defense. Its reality asserts itself above any discourse. As Paulo Leminski wrote in his Catatau: Brasília – the joy of maps.

In these dark times for our country, criticism has resurfaced regarding the untimeliness, or mistake, of transferring the capital from Rio de Janeiro to the cerrado of the central plateau. It is a conformist argument with avant-garde pretensions, attempting to draw a parallel between the dismantling of Rio de Janeiro and the relocation of the capital.

The dust of memory makes us forget the conflicts and revolts surrounding the relocation of the capital from Bahia to Rio, which was also considered a mistake at the time. Along with the move to the new and beautiful setting of Guanabara Bay came the slave-based system and the naturalization of violence implicit in its organization. A parallel can indeed be drawn between Rio-Brasília and Bahia-Rio. Neither architecture nor a new geographical setting inherently changes the way a society organizes or governs itself.

Seu Acervo, a platform for architecture final graduation projects, has released the results of the "Most Popular Project of 2017" open call, launched last November. The goal of the call is to expand the reach of the material available on the platform and encourage recent graduates to engage with digital publishing media. 

The winners of this first edition of the award are Rogério Oliveira da Costa, from the Centro Universitário Belas Artes de São Paulo; Nayara de Paula, from the Universidade Anhembi Morumbi; and Hugo Rossini, from the Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie. See the winning projects below.

Much like in Brazil, British local authorities are also required to periodically publish and revise their master plans. Accordingly, London, under the leadership of Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan, recently released the draft of the new version of the London Plan for public consultation.

The plan's foundation is sustainable development (encompassing social, environmental, and economic advancement), followed by: principles of equal opportunity for Londoners; the reduction of income inequality; assessing climate change impacts; encouraging the use of the River Thames for passenger and freight transport; and identifying the resources available to implement the plan.

Colombian artists Carolina Caycedo and Gala Porras-Kim arrive in the United States with two augmented reality art installations. These projects seek to convey social, economic, and environmental issues through augmented reality.

These installations are part of the project “Defining line,” which leverages the reach of technology through a free mobile application, democratizing access and virtually bringing people closer to works of art.

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Designed by the offices Flock design arquitetura e cidades and Okna arquitetura and built in the Pinheiros neighborhood of São Paulo, the Circular House is a building designed for the circular economy and inspired by cradle-to-cradle design. There are many differences between this type of construction and the traditional one, but what definitively separates these models is the question: “what happens next?”

In a circular economy, buildings are understood as material banks that can be reused for future cycles of use: whether in other constructions (assembly and disassembly), in expansions or reductions, or by dismantling and transforming their materials into new products with new uses.

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Rozana Montiel is one of the 71 architects invited by the curators of the 16th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, which opened on May 24, 2018, at the Arsenale in Venice, Italy. Her participation in this renowned festival engages with the central theme, 'Freespace,' which suggests both an imperative—'to free space'—and a resource—'having free space (to act/engage).' The Mexican architect's studio explores this theme as an imperative for action and a social resource for free agency.

Rozana Montiel Estudio de Arquitectura is an internationally recognized firm known for providing users with a sense of place and well-being, promoting habitability and spatial densification to foster active public spaces and local cultural production. Ultimately, this expands horizons of interaction, paving the way for community integration.

The 21 projects that make up the Official Selection of the Mexican Pavilion at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale converge in latitudes, geographical regions, and echoes of the territory, drawing from the curatorial theme "Freespace." In four installments, we will share the works and insights of each of the participants representing Mexico in Venice. Read on to discover the third part of these projects.

Fundación Arquia, along with architect Ana Asensio, invites us to reflect on how cities have been designed until recently—spaces of friction conceived without equal participation in decision-making, which consequently leads us to discuss feminism.

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The hillsides are like a shroud surrounding us, yet in a skewed manner. Lima's fog serves as an excuse for this neglect. Speaking of inhabiting the hillsides can still be synonymous with "uninhabitable" due to the precarious conditions of so many vulnerable homes, which make up 70% of the city's self-built housing. Yet, by virtue of their geography, hillsides offer habitable qualities that we must recognize and rethink to position ourselves wisely within the territory, and thereby reinhabit them with a fresh perspective. Not all self-built homes are "devoid of knowledge"; some offer their own lessons. Most, however, do not. The truth is, this is a field that remains to be explored.

For many, this fascinating parallel world occasionally brings forth theses like this one, deeply grounded in reality. Accordingly, “Urban Occupation Strategies to (Re)inhabit Hillsides” has won first prize this year in the undergraduate thesis category of the XVIII Peruvian Biennial of Architecture. While this is the first time the Peruvian Biennial has chosen to recognize recent graduates, the proposal itself offers valuable lessons for professional practice. In justifying its decision, the jury highlighted it as an intriguing and well-crafted solution for hillside development, combining landscape design with renewable technology.

The new illustrated version of the Building and Works Code (COE) is now available online. Released by the São Paulo Municipal Secretariat of Urbanism and Licensing (SMUL - PMSP), this edition features graphic design by oitentaedois, making the legislation more accessible to the general public.

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Numerous movements are demanding alternatives to current urban mobility—systems designed by and for vehicular traffic, burdened by an outdated planning mentality that centered everything around the car. Their reasons are equally diverse: improving public health, utilizing economic resources more rationally when commuting, lowering pollution levels (both noise and air), and even increasing efficiency by reducing travel times.

Yes, we are referring to the endless and inevitable daily traffic jams we have all experienced. 

If the benefits across all sectors are so clear, why haven't we implemented an alternative mobility system on our streets yet? There are several answers to this question, ranging from public resistance to change and a lack of prioritization in political agendas, to the simple fact that there is no universal, magic formula to solve every issue overnight everywhere. Once we overcome these barriers, we can begin by analyzing who currently uses the streets, who does not, and why.

To celebrate the diverse groups that built the cultural heritage of São Paulo and helped shape the city's identity, the Municipal Secretariat of Culture will host the Jornada do Patrimônio (Heritage Journey) on August 18 and 19, under the theme "One City, Many Hands."

The event offers a free, diverse program aimed at connecting the public with historical and emotionally significant spaces that define the city's history. In total, 320 activities will take place, including tours, lectures, workshops, building visits, guided tours, and book launches.

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Across nine episodes, the series Proyecto Habitar delves into the privacy of homes to explore the reality of housing in Chile. Through the perspective of its protagonists, the series explores a range of housing-related issues, as directors Joaquín Mora and Verónica Wüst aim to spark a long-overdue discussion.

"Housing is a crucial issue that will soon come to the forefront, as we live within an economic system that raises various challenges we must discuss as a society," Mora comments.

This time, we invite you to watch three new episodes of the series: health, work, and occupation.

On December 20, the final curatorial review of the first National Essay and Research Competition, Written Architecture 2017, took place at the national headquarters of the Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile.

Organized by Grupo Arquitectura Caliente and co-organized by Ediciones ARQ, the competition awarded the 20 best articles out of 87 submissions in the undergraduate and graduate categories, representing 18 architecture schools across 9 different Chilean cities.

The competition was directed by Gabriela García de Cortázar and featured a jury of 30 prominent academics and professionals on the Evaluation Committee.

Below is the article by Universidad de Chile student Pablo Schmidt, winner of the Graduate Category.

República Portátil is a creative architecture and design company founded by Universidad del Biobío (Concepción) architecture graduates Luis Felipe Maureira, Julio Suarez, and Valentina Torres, alongside industrial designer Andrés Moreno and publicist Cristina Vergara. In this interview, they discuss the origins of República Portátil, when its members, then university students, gathered to generate spatial experiences designed to disrupt the everyday and transform urban environments:

This approach, heavily inspired by the ideas of the Situationist movement, is reflected in works such as Pabellón Deshabitado, Pabellón Difuso, and Pabellón FAV (Valparaíso Festival of the Arts). Through these projects, República Portátil presents an innovative and sustainable vision that questions how we inhabit public space, focusing on its temporality. Through demountable architecture, they highlight the significance of territory and the activities that unfold within it over time, designed to engage all of the spectator's senses.

The 2022 World Cup takes place in Qatar from November 21 to December 18, promising to amaze spectators with its stadiums. There are eight projects in total—some built from scratch, while others are existing structures undergoing renovation.

The 20th century in Mexico was a period of vibrant artistic and architectural experimentation. This era marked the establishment of the Modern Movement, bringing with it innovative ideologies that nurtured new talent and shaped the frameworks of artistic and architectural production.

For many years, architects worked as multidisciplinary designers, creating both spaces and furniture under a single, cohesive vision. Yet despite this, some of these pieces have faded into obscurity, overshadowed by major architectural works and the fast pace of modern life, where mass-produced furniture renders these unique designs invisible.

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Large-scale sculptures shape spaces where viewers can immerse themselves in a vast sensory world. It is work that appeals to all five senses, inviting the public to explore mind and body through a journey where touch, color, scent, and different ways of inhabiting space form the essence of the artistic medium. The intersection where art merges with architecture creates a platform of interaction between visitors, their physical sensitivity, and the environment.

Ernesto Neto is a Brazilian artist born in Rio de Janeiro in the 1960s. He became interested in sculpture at an early age, and although he admits to having felt uncertain about his future as an artist at times, he has always remained dedicated to his greatest passion: exploring the senses and the diverse experiences that the natural world offers humanity through material form.

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