The Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize (MCHAP) has selected Containing the Flood: Colosio Embankment Dam by Loreta Castro Reguera and José Pablo Ambrosi of Taller Capital as the winners of the 2022 MCHAP.emerge award. Acknowledging the best-built work in the Americas authored by a practice in its first ten years of operation, the 2022 MCHAP Prize for Emerging Practice (MCHAP.emerge) considered built works completed in the Americas between January 2018 to December 2021. Past MCHAP.emerge Laureates include Pezo von Ellrichshausen (2014), PRODUCTORA (2016), and Rozana Montiel Estudio de Arquitectura (2018).
As part of the cultural agenda of LIGA, Espacio para arquitectura in Mexico City, the work of a Cuban architecture office is presented for the first time: Infraestudio. The studio, composed of Anadis González and Fernando Martirena, addresses various conflicts and challenges in their daily practice, including job precarity in a context where private architectural practice is illegal. Despite this obstacle, they have managed to develop a provocative body of built work, intertwining it with proposals linked to artistic practices.
Concrete, metal, or wood—all building materials degrade over time when exposed to water and moisture. Moreover, every building element is exposed to weathering to varying degrees, from the foundation to the roof. Consequently, protective layers must be incorporated to prevent water from contacting raw materials—a process known as waterproofing—ensuring the structure's maintenance and longevity.
Before transforming a space, the ability to envision its future aesthetic is essential. Visiting a showroom firsthand offers the opportunity to interact with products and materials, creating a space of visualization and inspiration for architects, designers, and visionary clients ready to explore design innovations.
Depending on user needs, showrooms are categorized into two main specialties: office furniture and storage systems.
Nevada's annual Burning Man has retured to the Black Rock Desert, after a three-year physical attendance hiatus due to the pandemic. From August 28 until September 5th, this year's festival explored the theme of "Walking Dreams", celebrating the dreamers who channel the power of dreams and imagination, both in literal and figurative ways. Similar to every year, the pavilions that were installed in the desert explored the theme in creative and unexpected ways.
This year, many of the installations approached themes of ecology and sustainability. Some of the installations were built with reused materials, including an interactive light sculpture made from plastic recovered from the ocean. Every year, the Burning Manfestival issues a number of grants, funded from revenues from ticket sales, for the purpose of partially funding specific art projects.
A developer in NYC purchased the first-ever non-fungible token (NFT) Office building in New York City. "Located" at 44 West 37th Street, the 4700 square meters NFT serves as an immutable digital asset that points to transforming how we design, build, operate, and monetize our spaces with only "one-click". The 16-story building was created by spatial intelligence company Integrated Projects and questions the function of architecture in Real Estate and the Metaverse.
Architecture is not simply building. Over 2,000 years ago, Roman architect Marcus Vitruvius Pollio defined two base realities in building: “Firmness” (Safety) and “Commodity” (Use) and then offered what turns building into architecture: “Delight” (Beauty).
“Firmness” has been recoined in this century as “Resilience”. After being unscathed in five hurricanes over thirty years, does this building have “Delight” beyond its “Firmness”? The property of “Commodity” is found in any design’s usefulness and fit: is this archive, in constant use, have “Delight” beyond its “Commodity”?
Sanctuary House / Tai Ikegami. Image Cortesia de Western Window Systems
Interior courtyards can be found in various types of traditional architectures around the world, especially in warmer climates. They can be classified as introverted, safe, and even sacred spaces in some cultures. They can also be gathering places and, above all, provide greater contact with nature while providing light and ventilation to home interiors. To properly design these spaces and create a functional relationship between the inside of a house and its courtyard, it is important to use appropriate doors and openings. In this article we highlight 5 projects that use sliding glass doors for the seamless integration of both spaces.
You may have heard about the use of bamboo in the temporary shelters created in humanitarian aid efforts after an earthquake, but bamboo can actually be very valuable in the construction of buildings that can withstand earthquakes. Why should we look towards bamboo as a temporary solution after a disaster when we could save lives by building with it in the first place? Bamboo is a great option for building homes and shelters in earthquake-prone regions, given that the structures are well designed, constructed, and maintained. From old traditional structures to modern builds, several examples from across the globe have proven themselves against the very forces of nature that have brought down concrete and brick buildings.
https://www.archdaily.com/988992/is-bamboo-a-safe-construction-material-in-natural-disasters-like-earthquakesLayane Al Madani
The Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB) has announced the art collective Floating Museum as the leading artistic team of CAB’s fifth edition, opening in September 2023. For this edition, titled “This is a Rehearsal”, the Biennial explores environmental, political, and economic issues present in today’s society, yet addressed differently around the world through art, architecture, infrastructure, and civic participation. The Floating Museum, a collective of artists, designers, poets, and educators, aims to push the CAB 5 exhibition and program model to prioritize presenting innovative ideas that could shape the future of architecture and design.
Today’s cities have been substantially reshaped to correspond with environmental and social needs or to reconstruct themselves after natural disasters or war. Whereas master plans and regulations take years, millions of people remain trapped in the crossfire and urgently need aid in their cities. With this pressing issue in mind, WZMH Architects developed a prefabricated- modular system for salvaging thousands of structures across Ukraine that have been partially or fully destroyed during the war. This system aims to integrate building technology into new buildings to create more sustainable communities.
Future planning methods for sidewalks and public transit space. Image via Global Designing Cities Initiative
Whether you live in an urban, suburban, or rural area, there’s a good chance that using a sidewalk, in some capacity, is part of your everyday routine. Whether crossing over a sidewalk to get to your car in a parking lot or walking several blocks on your commute to your office downtown, sidewalks are critical for creating safe places for pedestrians away from the streets. But what happens when cities don’t take ownership over sidewalk maintenance, and they’re left to be protected by the people who just use them?
Organized by the Intendencia de Paysandú and sponsored by the Sociedad de Arquitectos del Uruguay, a preliminary design competition was launched for the renovation and general building refurbishment of the June 8 Indoor Stadium in the city of Paysandú, Uruguay.
Exterior perspective from Saint-Laurent Boulevard. Image Courtesy of KPMB Architects + Daoust Lestage Lizotte Stecker Architecture
Following an international competition, the Montreal Holocaust Museum (MHM) has selected architecture offices KPMB Architects and Daoust Lestage Lizotte Stecker Architecture to design the new downtown museum building. Located on Blvd. St-Laurent, the museum is scheduled for opening in 2025. The MHM chose to move from its current location in response to the growing demand for its educational programs, which tackle important subjects such as the Holocaust, genocide, and human rights. The new building will contain multiple exhibition spaces, classrooms, an auditorium, a memorial garden, and a dedicated survivor testimony room.
Winner project: Riqualificazione architettonica e funzionale del Capannone 18 nell’area Ex “Officine Reggiane”. Image Courtesy of Dedalo Minosse
The International Award for the Commission of Architecture “Dedalo Minosse” promoted the Italian association for professional Architects returns after three years on hold, to tribute worldwide architects. Firms like ODDO architects, Ryuichi Ashizawa, and The Kresge Foundation - Detroit are some of the winners for their promotion and contribution to the discipline. The Anniversary is also de 12th edition of the Dedalo Prize, which will be held From September 16 to October 2, 2022, in Vicenza, Italy. The event will host forums and workshops about and around the city, opening with the spectacular award ceremony at the iconic Teatro Olimpico, and continuing with a Multimedia exhibition at the Basilica Palladiana.
“We should admit nature as an immense multitude of forms, including each part of us, who are part of everything”, says Ailton Krenak, renowned indigenous leader, in his book Ideas to Postpone the End of the World. The culture of native peoples does not understand humanity and the environment as things that are separate or superior to each other, but rather as parts of a whole. Through this particular understanding of the universe, these peoples are led to a sensitive appropriation of the territory, with structuring beliefs that are also reflected in their architecture, raising the very concept of sustainability to another level, since nature is not seen as a resource to be used, it is thought of as part of the community.
Have you ever thought that practically all the cities in the world, since the dawn of humanity, were and continue to be created and designed by men? From urban design to building projects, from public transport to chairs – women have not been part of the process of creating everything around us.
Hearing – one of the human body’s five senses – enables our interaction with sound, a crucial factor for daily communication and much more. One commonly hears people say a place is noisy, but what exactly is the definition of noisy? Known as situations with unwanted sounds that interfere with daily activities, noisy places also have the potential to negatively interfere in society’s development.
Sound is measured in decibels (dB), and humans are able to resist a maximum average noise level of 85 dB without risking hearing damage. While a conversation usually ranges between 60 and 70 dB, according to the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, workers at a construction site are exposed to an average of 90 dB during eight-hour periods.
Acoustical Surfaces, a company specializing in noise control, has developed a product guide for minimizing the transmission of sound, thus promoting healthier lifestyles.
Rio de Janeiro will host the world's largest urban garden, according to the organizers of the Hortas Cariocas program. The municipal government-funded initiative aims to promote "food sovereignty, generating self-sufficiency through organic products, and creating gardens in municipal schools and communities across Rio."
"Domingos Libro" is hosted by Carmelo from Enorme Studio, delving into forgotten architectural publications, books, and architecture magazines from the 1960s, 70s, and 80s that hide the most fascinating stories behind them.
After a hiatus in 2022, the series returned with episode 19, titled “Always Young,” which tells the story of Ettore Sottsass Jr. Now, it presents "No One Is a Prophet in Their Own Land," a tribute to the recently deceased master of architecture Ricardo Bofill.
Minhocão, São Paulo. Photo by D A V I D S O N L U N A via Unsplash
The use of bicycles has grown in recent years, altering the landscape of Brazil's major cities. Among the factors that may have contributed to this shift, one of the most prominent is investment in cycling infrastructure. Data from a Brazilian study reinforces this perspective, demonstrating that bike lanes are a determining factor for those who do not yet ride to take up cycling.
https://www.archdaily.com/1132030/3-actions-to-promote-cycling-and-equity-in-access-to-the-city-in-brazilPaula Manoela dos Santos, Ariadne Samios, Larissa Oliveira e Fernando Corrêa
As a response to global challenges such as climate change, discrimination, and physical vulnerability, designers and engineers from across the world have developed innovative construction materials that put the human wellbeing first in urban, architecture, and interior projects.
Architectural lighting design is a broad subject, as it encompasses discussions on the physical and perceptual aspects of light, its applications in lighting projects, luminous effects, and the variables of comfort and performance. Furthermore, it is within the lighting design itself that the integration of natural and artificial lighting systems takes place. Arquicast invited two professionals from the field—one from the manufacturing industry and the other from design services—to outline the current state of this specialty in Brazil.
