The 35th Bienal de São Paulo – choreographies of the impossible, organized by the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo and curated by Diane Lima, Grada Kilomba, Hélio Menezes, and Manuel Borja-Villel, presents the complete list of participating artists and collectives. The exhibition design for this edition is by the São Paulo-based office Vão.

The announced list consolidates the extensive research carried out by the curators into urgent issues of the contemporary world, revealing a diversity of forms, movements, and interpretations under the theme "choreographies of the impossible." Featuring 120 confirmed names, the list embraces voices from the diasporas and indigenous peoples, fostering a broader local and international dialogue.

Although there are records of latrines dating back to 3100 BCE, the first flush toilet was invented in 1596 by Englishman John Harington. He produced two units: one for himself and another for Queen Elizabeth I.

The idea did not catch on at the time, and it was only in 1775 that Scotsman Alexander Cumming patented the modern toilet, designed to connect to a sewage system. In 1885, another Englishman, Thomas Twyford, created the first porcelain toilet, replacing the wooden models that preceded it.

+ 1

As part of the collateral events of the 18th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, Creative Europe and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe have announced the winners of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture / Mies van der Rohe Awards 2023 in the Young Talent category. Alongside a series of debates, the awards ceremony took place at Palazzo Michiel in Venice.

According to recent research, the global fashion industry generates around $2.4 trillion annually. This staggering figure, unfortunately, is matched by its waste statistics. It is estimated that every second, the equivalent of a garbage truck full of textile scraps is burned or sent to landfills. Considering that fabrics like polyester, which is widely used in garment manufacturing, take an average of 200 years to decompose, the catastrophic future of this model is easily foreseeable. Alarming news consistently highlights this issue, such as the images of the immense secondhand clothing graveyard in the Atacama Desert released a few years ago, or reports that famous British luxury brand Burberry incinerated £28.6 million worth of unsold clothing, accessories, and perfume last year to protect its brand, claiming the carbon emissions were offset, making the action "environmentally sustainable."

Present-moment awareness, also known as mindfulness, is the practice of focusing entirely on the present. In this meditative practice, worries about the past and future give way to a heightened awareness of the *here and now*, which includes awakening a space-mediated self-awareness through the perception of feelings, sensations, and the surrounding environment.

In this context of awakening to self-awareness, the power of the built environment to serve as a refuge cannot be overlooked. While social interaction is vital for maintaining human health, privacy and spaces of retreat are equally essential.

+ 1

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released a new edition of its Global Liveability Index, announcing the world's most liveable cities in 2023. Vienna has topped the ranking in four of the last five years, thanks to its stability, cultural richness, entertainment options, and reliable infrastructure. Copenhagen, Denmark, held onto second place, while Melbourne and Sydney took third and fourth, respectively. These cities were regular fixtures at the top of the list prior to the pandemic.

What is the situation in Latin America? Buenos Aires once again emerged as the top Latin American city to live in. Santiago, Chile, reclaimed the second-place spot it held before the social unrest, while Montevideo, Uruguay, ranked third. San Juan, Puerto Rico, followed closely with a very strong score. Conversely, Caracas in Venezuela, Aguascalientes in Mexico, and Guatemala City were among the lowest-rated in the region.

The Escuela Guaraní Mbya, designed by the Brazilian firm Studio Guimarães Rosa, was selected as a finalist in the 5th edition of the Prêmio Félix Candela, one of Mexico's premier design competitions. The contest centered on the concept of the "man of maize"—the human returning to the land. The firm proposed a rural school that equips people to return to the countryside. The guiding question for the designers was: how to return without destroying? Their answer was to learn from Indigenous peoples.

+ 7

As critical as I am of the impact of shopping malls on urban life in São Paulo, I still cannot avoid them completely. Whether it is because I am short on time but need to stop by the supermarket and buy a birthday present; or because the movie I want to see is only playing at that specific time in that particular mall; or because my children love the play area on the rooftop of Shopping Pátio Higienópolis and, since I really need to buy new sneakers, we end up going there.

An experimental barrier to collect floating trash at Prainha on Ilha do Fundão, located on the coast of Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro, was installed in early June by the Orla Sem Lixo (Trash-Free Shoreline) Project. The initiative aims to find a sustainable alternative for managing floating waste in coastal and adjacent marine areas, fostering a knowledge exchange between the local fishing community and researchers.

Although the architecture and construction industry has been making strides in new fields like artificial intelligence (AI), parametric modeling, virtual reality (VR), and other cutting-edge tools for years, their implementation and integration into daily design workflows remain slow. In an increasingly connected and constantly evolving world, digital tools and emerging technologies are revolutionizing how architects design and build—changing the rules of the game and expanding creative horizons. Consequently, there is an ongoing need to discuss how these technologies are being incorporated and how their use within the discipline can be further enhanced.

ArchDaily featured the topic of Design Process in July, and we didn't want to miss the opportunity to open the discussion with an invitation. We believe in the power of dialogue and the exchange of ideas. We want to hear about your experiences, learn from your successes, challenges, and mistakes—and explore together how these new tools are transforming the way you practice architecture.

A close look at the building facades in many Brazilian cities, such as São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, and Rio de Janeiro, reveals that the use of aluminum frames is highly common and popular in Brazil. Adopted across a wide range of building typologies, including residential and commercial projects, and in various formats such as doors, windows, and railings, these versatile structures are widely used in construction, representing about 80% of the total volume of aluminum consumed by the sector in the country. But why, after all, have aluminum frames become so widely used in Brazilian cities?

In Mexico City, the federal government has launched its final major cultural project of this administration, after allocating most of the sector's investment funds to improvements in Chapultepec Forest. On June 15, the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL) issued the first call for bids for the "La Mariscala" project, which aims to develop seven vacant lots totaling 5,043 square meters in the Historic Center, located between the Palacio de Bellas Artes and Garibaldi.

In its infancy, architecture relied exclusively on orientation, sunlight, and the natural elements influencing it. At the time, manipulating physical phenomena like electricity was not even considered. Over time, scientific advancements—such as the discovery of electrical energy and its future applications in buildings—became integrated into our way of life and the way we inhabit and experience space. Today, it is impossible to conceive of architecture without systems for ventilation, heating, or simply power. However, with the rapid growth of cities in recent years, rising demand for electricity, and the increasing sophistication of electrical systems, power surges (sudden increases in voltage) have emerged as a modern challenge we must address.

Many of these surges are transient, representing one of the primary threats to the integrity of electrical/electronic devices and overall electrical continuity in buildings. As electronic equipment becomes increasingly sensitive, the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors rely more heavily on control and communication systems, making them more susceptible to transient surges. In response to these events, ABB has developed a wide range of surge protective devices (SPDs).

The Royal Academy has honored Shane de Blacam at the 2023 Royal Academy Architecture Awards, alongside announcing the finalists for the Royal Academy Dorfman Award—an accolade that celebrates global architecture, looking toward the future of the discipline and architectural practice. The finalists are COMUNAL (Mexico), Taller Gabriela Carrillo (Mexico), H Arquitectes (Spain), and Tropical Space (Vietnam).

Navarre-based architecture firm Vaillo + Irigaray Architects has won the design competition for the Navarre Security and Emergency Coordination Center (CCSE) to be located in Mutilva, in the municipality of Valle de Aranguren. Led by Antonio Vaillo, Juan Luis Irigaray, and Yago Vaillo, the firm has developed projects both nationally and internationally. They currently have several projects under construction, including the Faculty of Tourism in Malaga, the Basque Ethnographic Museum in Bilbao, the Cultural Center of Letters for the Barcelona City Council in Barcelona, and the World Car Center in Vigo.

The era when Le Corbusier's Modulor—the perfect man—was the only one “allowed” to occupy our cities and architecture is long gone. Decades ago, it became clear that environments were being designed as ideological representations that failed to reflect actual demand and its rich diversity of social class, gender, race, age group, and sexual orientation, among other factors. Planning and design were often disguised as “neutral” concepts, while in reality they reproduced the perspective of a middle-class white man. Ultimately, the time has come for the city to move past this flawed assumption of universal appropriation and instead materialize in its spaces the specific needs of every citizen.

+ 4

A popular saying goes, "Mexico is many Mexicos," a reality that manifests in various ways. The country's multiculturalism is highly pronounced; since pre-Columbian times, it has been clear that while there were commonalities linked to general human traits, material availability, and regional influence, architectural discourse and needs varied distinctly according to the geographical conditions of where it was built.

Pigmented concrete is created by adding pigments that provide a specific color to traditional concrete. From subtle touches to more intense hues, this approach allows architecture to play with surfaces and structures across a wide range of shades and finishes. Unlike surface coatings, pigmented concrete is integrated directly into the mix composition, preventing it from fading or wearing over time. Through its diverse aesthetic possibilities, pigmented concrete is a versatile and attractive alternative for adding color to architecture and design. 

How can this material be applied in architecture? To achieve optimal and long-lasting results with pigmented concrete from Melón Hormigones, it is essential to correctly follow its application process, whether on walls, interior floors, exterior pavements, sculptures, or urban furniture. Below, we share a series of key recommendations for the proper use of pigmented concrete, from product selection to post-application care.

The Municipality of Miramar de Ansenuza, along with the Association of Architects of the Province of Córdoba, launched a National Ideas Competition for the creation of the Coastal Urban Park of Barrio 105 in Miramar de Ansenuza, Córdoba, Argentina. The objective was to gather ideas and proposals to integrate the park into the local public space network, creating high-quality environments that facilitate socializing, recreation, leisure, and outdoor activities.

From July 11 to 16, the La Fuente Pavilion is open to the public in Balmaceda Park in Santiago, Chile. This new public space installation, designed by architect Camilo Palma (Abarca+Palma), invites visitors to engage in "contemplation and tranquility around the stimuli and sensations of water." The structure, composed of mass-produced, prefabricated building elements, sits atop the original 1931 fountain designed by Oscar Prager, Sergio Larraín, and Jorge Arteaga.

To experience the public space firsthand, ArchDaily visited the installation on a rainy day. 

From July 7 to September 2, 2023, the exhibition “Nicolás Campodonico: Muros” is on display at the Bisman Ediciones Architecture Gallery and Residence, located on the Buenos Aires corner that houses the “Casa de Estudios para Artistas”, a 20th-century housing masterpiece in Argentina designed by Antonio Bonet, Abel López Chas, and Horacio Vera Barros.

The José A. Balseiro Foundation, along with the Association of Architects of the Province of Río Negro District III (CARN District III) and the Argentine Federation of Associations of Architects (FADEA), launched the National Ideas and Preliminary Project Competition for the "Las Golondrinas" Academic Meeting Complex of the José A. Balseiro Foundation in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. Aiming to strengthen the dialogue among the sciences, culture, education, and the business world, the complex seeks to establish itself as a reference center that positions science as a key driver in generating content and shaping societal decisions.

Tactical urbanism is a type of urban intervention that has gained prominence and sparked widespread discussion in recent years. It is based on the premise that low-cost, small-scale civic actions can have a significant impact on the urban environment, improving its dynamics and people's daily lives. Yet, starting as localized, temporary, or small-scale interventions, once accepted and recognized, many of these initiatives have transcended their initial ambitions. They have become catalysts for broader urban processes, triggering new actions that involve other stakeholders, spheres, and even the public administration itself.

+ 3

Seeking more accessible school routes and initiatives that integrate children into urban mobility, the Cidade Ativa collective, in partnership with IDOM, has developed an action plan based on the assessment of two case studies in the city of São Paulo. Available online for free, this material serves as inspiration for other cities aiming to make their urban spaces safer and more accessible.