A study by the Journal of Transport and Land Use (JTLU), published in early 2022, revealed that 37% of single-family homeowners in Sacramento, California, did not park their cars in their garages. Instead, these spaces turned into storage units or large closets, as researcher Catie Gould notes in an article for the Sightline Institute. While this represents just one city, the data aligns with findings from a series of global studies highlighting the underutilization of residential parking spaces. In San Francisco, also in California, a survey found that 49% of the 97 garages analyzed in the Mission District were not used to store vehicles, Gould points out.

Ahead of the ninth edition of Open House Madrid, the dates for this international architecture and city festival have recently been announced. Year after year, the event renews itself, inviting visitors to discover a city in constant change through its architecture. From September 21 to 24, 2023, Open House Madrid will take place throughout the capital, as well as in nearby urban areas, with the goal of promoting and showcasing the city's architectural heritage.

As part of the exhibition program of the Museo Experimental El Eco, the call for entries for the 2023 Eco Pavilion was launched, inviting professionals involved in architectural practice in Mexico to dialogue with the museum's space. This edition marks 13 years of the Eco Pavilion, a competition launched in partnership with Buró-Buró with the mission of offering a platform for architectural production focusing on experimentation and spatial reflection. The winning project belongs to the team composed of OCIO taller + Bianchi Majer + Nicolás Guzmán + Angélica M. Pena + Andrés Lira.

In August 2022, the Puebla City Council, through the Historic Center and Cultural Heritage Authority (GCHPC)—in collaboration with the World Heritage Director's Office of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), the Puebla Association of Architects (CAPAC), and the Amparo Museum—invited professionals and undergraduate students in design, architecture, urban planning, and related fields to participate in the competition “Rehabilitate and Inhabit: First Ideas Competition. New Perspectives for the Historic Center of Puebla,” which focused on rethinking architectural practices, ways of dwelling in the Historic Center, reclaiming public space, and conserving cultural heritage through active civic engagement.

Architecture is a complex and diverse discipline with multiple approaches and perspectives. Throughout history, numerous studies, theories, and treatises have emerged focusing on different architectural expressions. Vitruvius's treatise *De Architectura* is one of the oldest and most influential in the field, proposing that architecture is based on three fundamental principles: beauty, firmness, and utility. For a work to be considered truly architectural, there must be a balance between these three components. Moreover, other approaches, such as the five points of modern architecture, and more recent research, like Supra Order, enrich contemporary architectural theory.

Designing a new apartment or renovating an existing one is always a major challenge. To simplify what is typically a long and complex project, the VOXBOX software, developed by experts from the VOX brand, helps visualize the design of a future home quickly and efficiently. Unlike other interior design programs, VOXBOX does not require specialized knowledge in architecture or design, as it utilizes an intuitive and user-friendly interface.

Available to everyone on the web, this digital tool allows users to quickly design a bedroom, living room, apartment, or an entire house. In addition, users can visit VOX showrooms, where their team of interior designers offers guidance for designing specific spaces. As an architect, you can also meet with your clients at VOX showrooms to show them their future interiors in virtual reality and present material and furniture board samples.

Revealing the river flows of our habitats, “Los Caminos del Agua” (The Water Paths) is a water-focused exhibition that opens a debate on human impact on the territories we inhabit. Originating in Quito, Ecuador, the work by La Cabina de la Curiosidad (led by Marie Combette and Daniel Moreno Flores) was developed in collaboration with the Tomorrow’s Cities project, the El Tejar community, the Wayku Project, and the Yaku Water Museum.

César Portela, an architect born in Pontevedra in 1937, has been awarded the Gold Medal of Architecture, one of the most prestigious distinctions in Spain's architectural profession. Established by the Superior Council of Colleges of Architects of Spain (CSCAE) in 1981, this award recognizes individuals and institutions whose work enriches architectural practice.

This is the year of Paulo Mendes da Rocha at Casa da Arquitectura. On May 26, two exhibitions dedicated to the Brazilian Pritzker laureate will open to the public. Constructed Geographies: Paulo Mendes da Rocha is curated by Jean-Louis Cohen and Vanessa Grossman, with exhibition design by Eduardo Souto de Moura and Nuno Graça Moura, while Paulo: Beyond Drawing is curated by Rui Furtado and Marta Moreira, with exhibition design by Ricardo Bak Gordon.

Paradise beaches can quickly lose their appeal for tourists when invaded by sargassum, a brown algae of the genus *Sargassum C. Agardh* distributed across tropical and subtropical oceans. In Mexico's Riviera Maya, this seaweed was once considered a major problem. However, Omar de Jesús Vazquez Sánchez saw it as a raw material for homebuilding—transforming sargassum into sustainable bricks.

The Instituto Tomie Ohtake and AkzoNobel announced today the winning projects of the 9th Tomie Ohtake AkzoNobel Architecture Prize. Three of the ten finalist works were awarded in the Professional category, while in the University category, one project was named the winner and another received an honorable mention. All winning and finalist projects are on display in a free exhibition at the Institute until July 2.

Floresta Cidade is an extension program, research, and teaching initiative at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of UFRJ. Initiated in 2020 and coordinated by Professor Iazana Guizzo, the program addresses urban life in Rio de Janeiro through the lens of the Anthropocene and the displacement of the anthropocentric perspective, aiming to foster the exchange of knowledge around dwelling in the metropolis. Transdisciplinarity across various fields of knowledge, along with sensibilities connected to the forest that have been historically silenced, pave the way to shift conventional ways of thinking.

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The Tren Maya is an infrastructure project currently being developed by the Mexican government in the country's southeast, involving the construction of approximately 1,525 km of railway lines that will span the states of Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatán, and Quintana Roo. It will offer three types of services: passenger, tourist, and freight trains. The route comprises seven sections: Section 1 runs from Palenque to Escárcega (228 km); Section 2 from Escárcega to Calkiní (235 km); Section 3 from Calkiní to Izamal (172 km); Section 4 from Izamal to Cancún (239 km); Section 5 from Cancún to Tulum (121 km); Section 6 from Tulum to Chetumal (254 km); and Section 7 from Chetumal to Escárcega (287 km).

As part of the second Model: Barcelona Architectures Festival, local architecture firm H3o Architects—led by Adrià Orriols, Joan Gener, and Miquel Ruiz—presented the temporary installation “Nomad Assembly". As one of the five installations featured in this festival curated by Eva Franch i Gilabert and co-organized by the Barcelona City Council and the Mies van der Rohe Foundation, the project was developed to its full materialization in the public space beneath the canopy of the Mercat dels Encants, serving as the main stage for the event.

Climate-related events could push between 800,000 and 3 million Brazilians into extreme poverty by 2030. The data comes from the Country Climate and Development Report for Brazil (CCDR), released in early May by the World Bank. According to the study, which assesses policies and options for the country to meet its climate and development goals, droughts, floods, and urban flooding cause losses of R$ 13 billion (0.1% of the 2022 GDP) per year.

“It feels like boys matter more,” says ten-year-old Molly during an interview for the podcast Visible Women, in which Caroline Criado Perez explains how the lack of data and design around how women and girls use public spaces results in public environments designed solely for the default gender: the male.

On Tuesday evening, May 16, during the opening of the exhibition showcasing the five selected projects, the two winners of the 5th Tomie Ohtake Design Award were announced, receiving trophies and publications from the Tomie Ohtake Institute. Discover the projects below:

Discover the best architecture from the fourth week of November according to our readers and editors, featuring a selection of the most-viewed articles, standout projects, and popular products on ArchDaily en Español. 

The Public Urban and Landscape Preliminary Design Competition for the recovery and transformation of downtown Santiago de Cali along the historic Calle 5 axis – El Paseo de Jovita al Río was organized by the Administrative Department of Planning of the Santiago de Cali district, with the advisory support of the Colombian Society of Architects - Valle del Cauca chapter. In partnership with the Mayor's Office of Santiago de Cali, they invited submissions for this competition, which aimed to select the best preliminary urban, landscape, multimodal integration, street furniture, and lighting design, as well as a foundational framework for the relationship between public and private space.

Cities worldwide can save thousands of lives every year through fairly simple measures: traffic calming and speed management. Readjusting vehicle speed limits on urban roads is one of the key initiatives highlighted by the UN and the WHO to help countries meet the target of halving traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030.

As part of a competition organized by Fundación Casa Wabi, in 2021, the design for the "Orchid Pavilion" by the Mexico City-based firm led by Bernardo Quinzaños, CCA Centro de Colaboración Arquitectónica, was announced as the winner. Designed for Casa Wabi, the project is a permanent, sustainable, and lightweight wooden structure dedicated to the conservation of orchids in the Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca region. This proposal establishes a strong relationship between the biological and cultural diversity of the landscape between the sea and the mountains, integrating local artisanal knowledge in ceramics, clay, palm, and wood with the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi 侘寂, which seeks wisdom through simplicity.

From May 20 to 21, 2023, the Open House architecture and urbanism festival will take place in the city of Rosario, opening the doors of 98 architectural works alongside 8 urban tours to discover and rediscover the city's architecture and urban design. For its sixth edition, this year's festival aims to venture deep into the heart of the city—the home—applying an urban approach committed to the individual and collective memory of the city and its residents, merging tangible built heritage with the traces of time.

With a capacity of 42,500 spectators, the first images of the new La Romareda Stadium, home of the Spanish soccer club Real Zaragoza, have been released. Spanish architecture firm IDOM is in charge of the preliminary design of the future stadium, addressing a series of factors considered key in modern sports venues today. These include creating a vibrant soccer atmosphere to enhance the spectator experience, hosting major international competitions, becoming a benchmark in sustainability, utilizing advanced safety and broadcasting technologies, and establishing a landmark for the city, consolidating a stadium for the club, Zaragoza, and the wider Aragon region.

As part of Model: Barcelona Architectures Festival—an event that promotes experimental architecture to reflect on the future of collective life within new metropolitan models and imaginaries, organized by the Barcelona City Council and the Association of Architects of Catalonia (COAC) through the Mies van der Rohe Foundation—various activities took place from April 20 to 30, 2023. This edition featured the participation of Mexican architect Lesly Noguerón Maldonado and architects Diego González Albarrán, Omar Uziel Granados Alejandre, and Zabdiel Ramos Banda, who were internationally selected and awarded in the +Model category for their project “Arca Sonora: entrelazando el paisaje.”