The postgraduate program at Escola da Cidade — Geography, City, and Architecture — welcomed David Barragán for a series of lectures. During his visit, we interviewed the partner of Al Borde, an award-winning practice recognized by the 100+ Best Architecture Firms 2019, Panorama Iberoamericano de Obras, XI BIAU Asunción, and Best Feature Documentary at the 5th CINETEKTON, among others. 

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The Eiffel Tower, designed and built for the 1889 Paris Exposition Universelle, celebrated new industrial methods and materials, alongside the innovation of high-rise construction. Although only one platform was completed in time for the exposition, the tower already offered visitors an aerial view of the city. This was particularly compelling at a time when the recent Reforms of Paris (1853–1975) by Baron Haussmann, with his rational, innovative, and controversial urban plan, were being celebrated.

Originally written as a final paper for the elective course Traditional Dwellings (Moradias Tradicionais) at Escola da Cidade in 2017, this essay addresses the little-known presence of large-scale pre-Columbian structures in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest.

Over the last 40 years, hundreds of massive geometric formations carved into the ground—known as geoglyphs—have been discovered in the state of Acre. These structures show that the Amazon was inhabited thousands of years ago and that its vegetation was managed, debunking the notion of the region as an untouched, pristine wilderness.

On June 18, the fifth anniversary of the publication of Laudato Si’ – Pope Francis’s encyclical calling for global unity in combating climate change – the Vatican published new guidelines containing more than 200 recommendations for environmental protection.

The document, titled “Journeying Towards Care for Our Common Home: Five Years After Laudato Si’,” suggests practical measures to curb global warming and issues stark warnings about the dangers of environmental degradation. It calls on the world to decarbonize the energy and economic sectors, making renewable energy accessible to all, and advocates for fossil fuel subsidy reform and CO2 emission taxation. 

Architectural photographer Guilherme Pucci shared with us a series of images of the Ascension of the Lord Church at the Bahia Administrative Center, designed by João Filgueiras Lima, known as Lelé. Completed in 1975, this classic of Brazilian architecture reveals Lelé's design sensitivity, visible in how the building integrates with the site's topography, the quality of the materials used—concrete, glass, wood, and stone—and the tension created by light and shadow within the church.

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In interior design projects, we often encounter certain pieces of furniture that are easily recognized as milestones of a specific era, place, culture, or the career of the designer who created them.

What makes an object or piece of furniture iconic—whether within the design world or beyond—is not determined by a set of rigid rules. Asking what elevates a design to “icon” status leads to deeper questions: Is it its instant recognizability, its ability to break canons, or its timelessness? Furthermore, who are the arbiters who define this iconicity?

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Architecture is a discipline deeply connected to the perception and construction of space, and could be introduced in early childhood education. With this in mind, the architects at Studio dLux proposed the Bird House project, a workshop for elementary school children designed to introduce the design and construction processes of a birdhouse.

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The development of digital interfaces, combined with the daily bombardment of advertising images, increases the demand for clarity—a clarity we tend to take for granted. This is what Baudrillard called the "world of hypervisibility." Art, however, can offer a slowing down of perception, pointing us to deeper dimensions of experience where speed becomes delay.

Guilherme Wisnik talks with Michael Wesely, a German art photographer best known for his photos of cities, buildings, and landscapes taken with a special ultra-long exposure technique. From 1986 to 1988, Michael Wesely attended the Bayerische Staatslehranstalt für Photographie in Munich before studying at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts.

Prete-Indígena is a directory designed to map and promote Black and Indigenous people working in the fields of design, architecture, and web development, created by Fabiano Procópio and Gabriel Biselli. It arises from the question of where Black professionals are active, not only in research but also in the practice of these fields.

Designing residential projects constantly involves finding ways to enhance the daily lives of those who will occupy these spaces every day. The desire to radically subvert the housing program is bounded precisely by the realities of everyday life—domestic activities, practical dynamics, and the long-term presence of the residents. Consequently, innovation and creativity in these cases are usually manifested in details, spatial transitions, points of interest, furniture, and thoughtful approaches to interior design that are both pleasant and tailored to the inhabitants.

One way to create elements of surprise and break the monotony of standard residential layouts is the strategic, selective use of color in interior spaces. Pairing architectural elements such as beams, columns, floors, fireplaces, panels, and cabinetry with contrasting tones offers a fresh take on familiar components, innovatively transforming the perception of interior environments. Below, we have curated a selection of Brazilian projects that explore this approach in their interior designs.

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Unlike various construction systems and materials, the landscape is not something that can be specified, or even drawn, in the architectural design of an apartment. However, landscapes are still shaped by the building's design decisions, both from an internal and external perspective—that is, in relation to their surroundings. Facade orientation and window size, for instance, are among the ways the views from an apartment are defined, while the scale and height of the building directly impact the context in which it is situated.

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Just over four months after the first confirmed case of coronavirus in Brazil, and about three and a half months after the initial quarantine decrees, many cities still maintain restrictive measures to promote social isolation. Despite the recent easing of restrictions adopted by some states and municipalities, disruptions to the daily routines of architects and students persist, and the popularity of remote activities, such as online courses, has grown over the past few months.

While many architecture firms face reduced demand and stalled construction sites, students have seen their classes suspended or moved online. With more free time—whether due to shorter commutes or reduced workloads—students and architects have turned to online courses to sharpen or expand their skills in tools, software, and theoretical concepts.

Videos

The search for more sustainable products must begin at the design stage. In this light, it is essential for designers and everyone involved in this process to possess adequate knowledge; indeed, sustainable practices must be an integral part of the education of architects and urban planners. 

Over the years, many architecture programs have increasingly integrated this discussion into their curricula in a more meaningful and in-depth manner, either through specific elective courses or within mandatory subjects. 

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Videos

One of the most engaging ways to learn about cities is through movies and series. Below, Anthony Ling from the platform Caos Planejado shares six recommendations for online series to learn about Brazilian communities, Soviet cities, and other corners of the world.

As part of their partnership in art-education and cultural mediation exchanges, the Tomie Ohtake Institute and the Astrup Fearnley Museum in Oslo have launched the digital publication Our Home Is Where We Are. The project is supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Brasília.

The appearance and long-term maintenance of a work of architecture or interior design are heavily dictated by its materiality and the products used. If the selection of materials and products is not precise, the project can be compromised both aesthetically and functionally. 

This is why specification is essential to achieving the desired result, and the professionals responsible for this stage must have a broad knowledge of the materials and products available in their region. But is material specification done similarly across all architecture firms? Do the initial and final stages of the project receive the same attention? How close is the relationship between architects and materials, really?

In architecture, Corten steel, or weathering steel, is one of the materials in which the passage of time is most visible and distinct. The patina—the layer that forms on the steel through oxidation—acts as a protective barrier, slowing down corrosion and preserving the material's mechanical properties. Beyond its protective qualities, this layer offers a unique aesthetic appeal that makes Corten steel highly prized in architectural design, from small to large scale.

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In high school math, we learn that average speed is calculated as the ratio of distance traveled to time elapsed. For decades, the thinking behind transportation policies was anchored in this equation: it was believed that the goal was to increase system efficiency, which simply required reducing travel times by increasing average speed. Consequently, the distance variable was deemed less important, since building unimpeded transit systems—such as subway lines, BRT corridors, or expressways—could maintain or reduce travel times over increasingly longer distances.

Born from a mechanical engineer's fascination with and interest in the work of Oscar Niemeyer, the Instagram profile Oscar Niemeyer Works has become a benchmark for the modernist architect's legacy, as well as a masterclass in communicating theoretical architectural content without being tedious. Rolando Figueiredo, now an architecture student, is the mind behind this achievement, successfully bridging two seemingly distant worlds: scientific research and entertainment. It is no coincidence that his account has amassed over 87,000 followers, including researchers, educational institutions, renowned offices, and architecture critics.

Videos

Paulo Mendes da Rocha is interviewed by Paulo Markun in another episode of the series “Conversas na Crise – Depois do Futuro” [Conversations in Crisis – After the Future], organized by the Institute of Advanced Studies (IdEA) at Unicamp in partnership with the UOL news portal. The interview addresses topics such as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on cities, the public health crisis, and the precariousness of urban housing in Brazil.

A carbon footprint can be defined as the quantification, typically in kilograms (kg) or metric tons (t), of the emissions (and removals) of different greenhouse gases (GHGs) throughout the life cycle of a product, process, or service. There are several GHGs, the most significant of which in terms of global warming and climate change contribution are carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O).

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In 1972, the American art historian George Kubler proposed the term “plain architecture” to define Portuguese architecture from the mid-16th century to the early 18th century. While in its original spelling, the translation of the term understood the Portuguese style as simple, the use of the adjective actually designates an uncomplicated geometry, referencing the abandonment of Manueline ornament in the construction of churches and convents. In the Portuguese translation, however, the term “arquitetura chã” (literally “flat” or “ground” architecture) recognized the tectonic vocation of Portuguese architecture within its very vocabulary. By shifting the reference from geometry to the soil, it yielded a clear, monosyllabic characterization of the constant relationship between the built (architecture) and the existing (ground, soil, or territory). Beyond the rigor of Portuguese formal design, the term also describes an architecture anchored to the ground in a metaphorical sense—an architecture always aligned with the understanding of the territory in which it is situated.

For the first time, Escola da Cidade is broadcasting the architecture school's inaugural lecture, delivered by Oscar Niemeyer in 2002. In a lucid and conscious address to young students, Niemeyer emphasizes the social function of architecture and presents, through sketches and images, some of his key works, including the Pampulha architectural complex and Brasília.

Since the beginning of the pandemic in Brazil, there has been much debate regarding its impacts on different territories and social groups. This is crucial for both identifying the best ways to prevent the spread of the disease and protecting those who are most vulnerable. However, the way information and data have been released does not help analyze the territorial impacts and spatial spread of the pandemic, which also hinders efforts to address it.

In the city of São Paulo, the scale of analysis for the pandemic is still the district level, which corresponds to massive portions of the territory with populations larger than many medium-sized cities. This oversimplified view ignores the territorial heterogeneities and inequalities within the city. As we have previously pointed out, the territorial dimension is unfortunately not being properly considered, giving rise to a simplified and even stigmatized reading, such as the claim that “where there are favelas, there is a pandemic.”