Offering a perspective unusual for locals, Instagram user Deensel photographed Santiago by drone during a visit to Chile. The results feature bucolic sunsets over Santa Lucía Hill, cool summer nights in the city's dense downtown, and unprecedented views of the so-called Sanhattan district, crowned by the Costanera Center —the tallest skyscraper in Latin America— and the Titanium Tower.
Here, the ARKRIT Collective presents three hypotheses that stabilize and support the potential liberal logic behind the Quinta Monroy project by the firm ELEMENTAL, in light of the current reality of this social housing complex fifteen years after its construction—a reality that begs the question: did this project succeed in addressing inequality in Chile?
Fronteira Livre was a process that generated interventions in six stations of the São Paulo Metro Red Line for the 11th Architecture Biennial: Em Projeto. The initiative was collaboratively developed by immigrants, activists, architects, social workers, and artists during a ten-day immersive workshop at CAMI (Immigrant Support Center) in São Paulo.
Few neighborhoods possess a collection of modern residential architecture of such high caliber as Higienópolis. Works by Vilanova Artigas, Artacho Jurado, and Rino Levi, among many other prominent architects, coexist with historic mansions along its tree-lined streets. The planned subdivision was the first in São Paulo to feature gas lighting, street trees, streetcar lines, and water and sewage networks. Furthermore, because it is located mostly on higher ground, it did not suffer from flooding and was less prone to diseases such as yellow fever, typhus, and malaria. Originally settled by São Paulo's aristocracy, the neighborhood remains highly valued and sought-after today. Particularly between the 1940s and 1950s, numerous plots were developed with modern buildings characterized by outstanding design, construction quality, and generous spaces.
The illustrations were developed by Fabrizio Lenci, architect, illustrator, and partner at Vapor 324, for the newspaper *A quadra*, based on a selection curated by André Scarpa. Below, discover a brief history of each of the illustrated buildings:
Whether you are collaborating on a project with peers, entering a design competition, starting a new firm with a friend, or simply entering the workforce: regardless of your current academic or professional stage, sooner or later you will have to face the collaborative reality inherent to our discipline.
Teamwork offers many positive facets and learning opportunities that working alone simply cannot match. However, if not managed properly, it can lead to awkward moments, heated arguments, fractured friendships, and other risks, both major and minor. Therefore, whether you are working with your best friend, your partner, a studio classmate, or an office colleague, there are certain guidelines you should always keep in mind.
The tragic end in early 2017 of the Guzmán House, designed by architect Alejandro de la Sota, seems poised to repeat itself—this time with the Vallet de Goytisolo House, one of three works built in the capital by José Antonio Coderch (1913-1984), a prominent 20th-century Spanish architect, and his partner Manuel Valls.
According to the newspaper El Mundo, the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Community of Madrid has issued a report rejecting the designation of this example of modern residential architecture—located at 5 Belisana Street in Madrid's Ciudad Lineal district—as a heritage site.
Earlier this year, the full list of nominees for the 2018 Oscars—selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences—was announced, and anticipation is building to see which films will take home the top honors in this edition.
The construction of a four-tower housing complex just steps from the historic center threatens Cartagena (Colombia)’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The community is currently awaiting a judicial ruling on the Aquarela case, the name of the multi-family social housing (VIS) project.
According to statements by the Bolívar Business Council (Consejo Gremial de Bolívar)—the organization tasked with promoting competitive development in the city and department—the situation is delicate, as the advanced stage of construction complicates potential decisions. Given that the city is one of Latin America's primary tourist destinations, the lack of oversight from national and local authorities—who failed to act in accordance with the planning principles outlined in Article 2 of the Colombian Constitution—is difficult to explain.
Opened in August 2017 and setting attendance records, Sesc 24 de Maio—the second-to-last branch of the network to open, succeeded by Sesc Avenida Paulista—was designed by Paulo Mendes da Rocha in partnership with the office MMBB Arquitetos, who retrofitted a former department store, remodeling its interior spaces within the existing structure and creating a new central structure to support the rooftop swimming pool.
From the Fundación Arquia Blog, architect Raúl García García invites us to explore the creative process of Álvaro Siza—one of the leading figures of 20th and early 21st-century architecture—through his sketches.
As the annual graduation season arrives worldwide, we recognize that among the various ways to learn architecture, nothing is more direct than a hands-on design-build project. It offers a firsthand look at how different materials form structures, how those structures respond to compression and tension, and how the process of construction shapes the final outcome. In recent years, architecture schools have increasingly embraced opportunities for students to build, producing work that ranges from small-scale temporary interventions and pavilions to permanent structures, each with its own unique character.
To demonstrate that exceptional architecture can emerge from an educational environment, ArchDaily has issued an open call for student work for four consecutive years, inviting submissions of student-built projects completed over the past year. ArchDaily’s four localized platforms—English, Chinese, Spanish, and Portuguese—are now accepting submissions for our fourth annual selection of the "Best Student Design-Build Projects," which will be featured and shared with our global audience.
Two young entrepreneurs from Curitiba have developed a technological innovation that brings a long-held dream within reach for many Brazilians: owning a personal power plant. As reported by Tribuna do Paraná, mechanical engineers Felipe Wotecoski (31) and Juliano Rataiczyk (30) have created a device capable of generating electricity in a backyard with minimal environmental impact.
Similar in size to a four-burner stove, the micro-plant can generate up to 720 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month—enough electricity to power three to four homes and feed the surplus back into the grid. According to the engineers, this output translates to savings of approximately R$ 500 per month on electricity bills.
Just as architectural elements—floors, walls, and ceilings—shape and define built space, plant elements are also capable of shaping open spaces across large, medium, and small scales, from parks to residential gardens, acting as spatial structure. According to Benedito Abbud, "Landscape design is the only artistic expression that engages all five human senses. While architecture, painting, sculpture, and other visual arts rely heavily on sight alone, landscape design also engages smell, hearing, taste, and touch, providing a rich sensory experience by combining the most diverse and comprehensive perceptual experiences. The more a garden can stimulate all the senses, the better it fulfills its role."
To offer practical insights for landscape design projects, we have published a series of articles on the topic. In the first post, we discussed planes, clearings, and tree layouts, while the second covered trees, shrubs, grass, and groundcovers in open spaces. In this article, we will focus on shrubs, grasses, groundcovers, and paving.
Established in 1900 following a 19-hectare afforestation effort spearheaded by the Ministry of Public Works and the Intendency of Santiago, Parque Forestal is located on the northern edge of the city's historic center, making it one of Santiago's first linear parks.
Designed by French landscape architect George Dubois, the project revitalized the surrounding urban edges, successfully integrating the Mapocho River and its previously chaotic banks, while providing the city with a new green lung for urban recreation.
The theme “Women’s Histories, Feminist Histories” will guide the 2019 exhibition program at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand (MASP). Six solo exhibitions by female artists—Djanira da Motta e Silva, Tarsila do Amaral, Lina Bo Bardi, Anna Bella Geiger, Leonor Antunes, and Gego—have already been confirmed, alongside a major group exhibition sharing the program's title.
The Arquiteturas Film Festival, one of the most prominent film festivals dedicated to cinema addressing architecture and cities, has announced the list of award-winning films for its 2018 edition. In its 6th edition, the festival, which is an independent project promoted by DYMA – Do You Mean Architecture, focused on "exploring what we learn from the futuristic, utopian, or hyper-realistic stories that have been shaping our visual culture through cinema."
Believing that “there is no cinema without architecture,” the objective of Arquiteturas is to discover and present films that foster meaningful contemporary debates and broaden the viewer's critical thinking.
When Walter Gropius founded his famous school of design and art in 1919, the Bauhaus, he envisioned it as a place open to "any person of good repute, regardless of age or sex." A space where there would be "no difference between the beautiful sex and the stronger sex."
This idea challenged a society in which women were demanding access to spaces previously barred to them. While the artistic education women received at the time was confined to the intimacy of their homes, they were welcomed at Gropius's school, and their applications accepted. So much so that the number of women who enrolled exceeded that of men.
Bioconstruction is based on the principle that it is possible to build with a very low environmental impact. To promote this concept and present practical techniques, the Ministry of the Environment is offering a free online guidebook for training and information on the subject and its methodologies.
Although created for a course within the Support Program for Ecotourism and Environmental Sustainability in Tourism (Proecotur), the material is highly useful for anyone wishing to better understand bioconstruction and learn the details of different sustainable and environmentally friendly techniques.
With an investment of 1.188 billion pesos, a new aquarium will be built in Mazatlán. According to local authorities, it will be the largest in Latin America, spanning 12,384 square meters, with 3,917 square meters allocated for outdoor areas and 9,441 square meters for interiors.
The Mexican architecture firm led by Tatiana Bilbao will head the project in collaboration with international companies, including San Francisco-based EHDD, San Diego-based TJP Engineering, and Chicago-based Space Haus.
Once the bidding process—expected to take three months from the release of the call—is complete, construction will take 24 months. This timeline is planned to avoid disrupting the operations of the existing aquarium.
Following the election, the new government has already begun to announce several changes to its ministries. Among these is the elimination of the Ministry of Cities. In an effort to prompt discussion and prevent this dissolution, a petition has been organized and can be signed here.
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Following much anticipation, the results of the report compiled by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) for UNESCO have finally been released. The report follows a visit to the city several months ago, where experts inspected Cartagena's heritage sites and the development of the Aquarela residential complex—a project that threatens Cartagena's status on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
The inspection was carried out jointly by the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Mayor's Office of Cartagena, and ICOMOS advisor and expert Luis María Calvo, during which various plans and initiatives were presented to safeguard the heritage sites. The primary objective of the visit was to provide technical expertise and draft recommendations to improve the conservation of the Port, Fortresses, and Group of Monuments of Cartagena, without passing any value judgments during the process.
As we welcome the new year, don't miss ArchDaily's selection of the best architecture documentaries to watch this year!
The "Single-Family Housing" Architectural Design Workshop, organized by the architecture firm Cota Paredes Arquitectos, concluded its seventh edition, which invited graduate architects and final-year architecture students to develop a Single-Family Housing Project over four weeks, either in-person or online.
The "Bunker" project arises from a lawyer's need for a more private space to practice their profession and meet with clients in a more intimate and secure setting. Consequently, they decided to use their home as a meeting point, making modifications to create a space with character. Grounded in the concept of introspective architecture to maximize privacy, the house becomes a bunker where life and work merge.
“It was that one over there, look. That one. See?” Dona Ana pointed to the seventh-floor apartment where, a week earlier, the fire had broken out. Further down, on the fourth floor, Anastasia, Aécio, and Itamar offered strained smiles from a campaign banner .
No one knows how the fire started in one of the subdivided apartments in Tower 100, occupied by a waste picker. But the spectacle that followed played out comme il faut. Panic, screams, flames, flashing lights, a helicopter hovering overhead, journalists accosting the supposedly injured and devoring improbable accounts, sirens, smoke, commotion, action.
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