"The world is highly polarized." This is a phrase we have all heard recently. While this is an undeniable fact, there have been times when the planet was just as, if not more, polarized than it is today. In particular, the period between the end of World War II and the early 1990s was marked by intense tension between the capitalist and socialist blocs, leaving deep marks on many countries and societies. The dismantling of the latter, symbolically represented by the fall of the Berlin Wall, dissipated the tension but did not eradicate communism, which remains the political system in several countries today.
There are currently six countries under a communist regime: China, North Korea, Cuba, Laos, Vietnam, and Transnistria. Despite differences in their economic systems—China, for example, has an economy considered mixed by some experts, with regions regulated by a capitalist market system—these countries also clearly present social, cultural, and geographical particularities that are reflected in their cities and architecture.
Geared toward Latin American architecture students, the Acero Prize aims to promote and encourage initiatives that complement pedagogical models, fostering innovative architectural ideas that use steel as a raw material. This year's edition, themed "Sustainable Cities and Communities," awarded first place to a team of two Brazilian students from FAUUSP.
“Architecture that does not touch the ground” is the name of the proposal developed by Augusto Longarine and Luiz Sakata, advised by Professor Luciano Margotto. With the same project, they won the 13th CBCA Competition (Brazilian Center for Steel Construction), the national stage preceding the Alacero competition. See the project below, accompanied by the project description written by the students.
An impressive building has risen in Rudrapur, a village in northern Bangladesh. Local techniques and materials were used to shape a space designed to meet a critical need. Named the Anandaloy Center, its first floor functions as a care center for people with disabilities.
The project won the 2020 OBEL Award, an international prize that honors outstanding architectural contributions to human development worldwide.
Casa 239, designed by the São Paulo-based office UNA Arquitetos, has been selected as a finalist for the Pan-American Prize of the 2020 Quito Architecture Biennial. The only Brazilian project on the extensive shortlist, it was led by architects Fernanda Barbara and Fabio Valentim, now partners at UNA barbara e valentim, and is competing for the final award in the Single-Family Housing category.
The use of shipping containers as a design solution has emerged as a strong trend in contemporary architectural practice. Adapting this utilitarian object, originally designed for cargo transport, into habitable spaces capitalizes on features like its modular capacity, standardized dimensions, and an inherent industrial aesthetic, appealing to many market segments.
There are countless possibilities when designing the transition between public and private spaces. In residential architecture, the landscaping of the main facade plays a key role in this regard. By integrating different elements such as vegetation, paving, steps, and even artwork, it is possible to create a composition that not only highlights the architecture but is also generous to the public space.
Álvaro Siza, Portugal's first Pritzker Laureate, is undeniably a figure of major importance in the history of contemporary architecture, with projects that have reshaped the urban landscapes of numerous cities around the world. While his name and work are widely known, Siza is a highly private and introspective person who prefers to keep his personal life out of the spotlight.
Directed by producer and director Augusto Custódio, the documentary SIZA offers a more intimate and personal look at the renowned Portuguese architect. The film covers his childhood, his relationship with his wife, his passion for sculpture, and his admiration for classical music, exploring his influences and professional journey.
Far beyond the technical knowledge of his engineering background, Eladio Dieste (1917-2000) developed a rare architectural sensibility. He was a pioneer and master of reinforced masonry—essentially a relatively thin "shell" system in which ceramic blocks are compressed, steel bars are tensioned, and concrete binds the assembly together. Structural strength is enhanced through the design of complex spatial geometries that respond precisely to applied loads, thereby minimizing material use. This allows large spans and cantilevers to be achieved, while elegantly transferring loads to the ground.
Mexican firm Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos has announced the opening of its new office in the heart of London. This strategic move for its global practice will establish an international presence in a global capital, bringing the firm closer to its clients worldwide.
Situation in Rio Branco, capital of Acre. Photo: Pedro Devani | Secom
When heavy rains are forecast for their areas, 64% of Brazilians feel afraid. For 76% of those surveyed, cities are unprepared to face heavy rains, storms, or flooding. The data comes from a first-of-its-kind survey conducted by the Boticário Group Foundation for Nature Protection, in cooperation with UNESCO in Brazil, and with support from the National Association of Municipalities and the Environment (ANAMMA) and the Urban Bioconnection Alliance. The full results of the study will be presented on December 2 during the 28th UN Climate Change Conference, COP28, taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The Tomie Ohtake Institute, with support from AkzoNobel, announced today the three winning projects of the seventh edition of the Tomie Ohtake Institute AkzoNobel Architecture Award. A total of 246 submissions were received from 14 Brazilian states and the Federal District. The selected projects, which will also be featured in a catalog, include works located in Amazonas, Bahia, Ceará, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, São Paulo, and King George Island in Antarctica.
The selection was made by a jury composed of architects Diego Mauro, Elisabete França, Fernando Túlio, Juliana Braga, and Pedro Varella. The announcement, made via video on the Institute's social media channels, also marks the opening of the exhibition featuring the 13 selected projects in this seventh edition.
Former Vila Mariana Slaughterhouse. Arte/Cidade 1: The City Without Windows. Photographer: Nelson Kon
The urban structure of São Paulo was shaped by its topography. With its predominantly rugged terrain, railways were laid along the flat floodplains and river terraces, where they could be developed along routes better suited to their physical limitations.
The train—a machine slicing through cities and overcoming natural landscape obstacles at speeds of sixty kilometers per hour—was the invention that collapsed geographic distances. This connection-making tool, born of the Industrial Revolution, enabled a productive chain across its various stops by transporting manufactured goods and tons of moving machinery.
The month of November is marked by various awareness-raising initiatives surrounding the struggle of Black people in a deeply racist society, and is, above all, an essential moment for white people to play an increasingly active role in anti-racist practices.
APRDELESP is a Mexico City-based practice founded in 2012 whose main partners are Guillermo González, Rodrigo Escandón, Ricardo Roxo, and Manuel Bueno. It emerged as a research practice on space and its processes of appropriation, seeking to question traditional architectural processes. As an architectural practice, APRDELESP maintains an equal commitment to public and private infrastructure, as well as to the physical and digital infrastructure of the office itself.
Not necessarily small-scale, but rather targeted and strategic, urban acupuncture interventions are quick to execute, reversible, and often low-cost. The practice has established itself as a viable alternative to urban transformations that require lengthy, bureaucratic processes—both in decision-making and execution—which often exclude residents from the various stages of project development.
In an effort to bolster public care and personal hygiene services for the unhoused population, the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship (MDHC) has established the Street Support Points Program (PAR). The initiative aims to provide public spaces and facilities managed in partnership with civil society organizations.
https://www.archdaily.com/1136316/street-support-points-program-promoting-care-and-hygiene-for-the-homeless-populationArchDaily Team
The Fundación ICA presents the initiative to establish the ICA Center for Education, Research, and Training (CENFICA), which will consolidate ICA's historical mission and vision for the professional development of new generations of professionals and the continuous training of its employees. Drawing on academic program experiences and the creation of innovation laboratories for construction and prefabrication processes, ICA promotes CENFICA through Fundación ICA—a non-profit civil association founded in 1986—aiming to expand its institutional outreach across three core areas: Education, Research, and Training.
Mohammed Abdulkhaliq Gargash Mosque, Dubai, 2021. Image: Gerry O´Leary
There are and have always been inspiring women architects, urban planners, and policymakers. However, worldwide, the built environment professions—and their upper echelons in particular—remain heavily male-dominated, more so than other fields like education or healthcare.
Today, 64% of architecture graduates in Brazil are women. In engineering, there has been a 42% increase in women registered with CREA since 2016. Yet, how is this reflected in Brazilian society? Globally, progress is even slower: only 40% of architects are women, with very few in leadership roles.
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One of the floating wind turbines installed in Portuguese waters. Photo: EDP
Between October 31 and November 6, 2023, Portugal produced more than enough renewable energy to meet the entire country's demand. While fossil fuel plants were still operational, the clean energy generated was more than sufficient to supply the grid. Consequently, consumer electricity rates dropped drastically.
Through January 2024, the exhibition “Sommet: Structure, Precision, and Detail” will be on display at the Bisman Ediciones Architecture Gallery and Residence, located in the “Casa de Estudios para artistas” by Antonio Bonet, Horacio Vera Barros, and Abel López Chas in the heart of downtown Buenos Aires. Through plans and models, Sommet architecture studio showcases work defined by simplicity, understatement, and high construction quality.
Avenida Paulista bike lane. Image: Prefeitura de São Paulo
The study titled Prioritize Active Transportation by Bicycle!, published by the Center for Metropolitan Studies (CEM)—a research center at the Faculty of Philosophy, Languages and Literature, and Human Sciences (FFLCH) of the University of São Paulo—presents an analytical planning tool for São Paulo's cycling network, comparing the current scenario with future planning through the lens of inequality.
Journalist Flávio Soares, a master's student at USP's Polytechnic School (Poli), a member of the CEM research team, and one of the paper's authors, explains the key factors analyzed for the construction of bike lanes and cycle tracks in cities.
On the 6th, Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes requested CET-Rio, the municipal traffic management agency in the capital, to adjust the speed limits along the waterfront roads. This measure is of paramount importance given that, according to City Hall, more than 600 people lost their lives in traffic crashes in Rio last year, with over 60% resulting from pedestrians being struck by vehicles.
https://www.archdaily.com/1136075/understand-why-rio-de-janeiro-needs-safer-streetsITDP Brasil
The history of collective housing has been the focus of the research group PC3 - Pensamento Crítico e Cidade Contemporânea (Critical Thinking and the Contemporary City), at FAUUSP, coordinated by professors Leandro Medrano and Luiz Recamán. Through the Cadernos de Habitação Coletiva (Collective Housing Notebooks) — developed under a cooperation agreement between researchers from FAUUSP and ETSAM-UPM in Madrid — the group explores the most significant examples of this housing typology in Brazil.
According to the group's platform, "the main objective of the Cadernos de Habitação Coletiva has been to build a comprehensive database, organized by decade, that includes the most relevant Brazilian collective housing buildings, both designed and built." Below, we highlight eight collective housing experiments built in São Paulo between the 1930s and 1960s, studied in detail by CHC and featured in individual articles here on ArchDaily.
What would happen if we abandoned the modern epistemology that separates “us” from “others”? What would art history look like without this restrictive separation? Many other, non-disenchanted worlds coexist with ours. Other cosmopolitics can offer us less exclusionary views of life and relationships, unearthing previously unsuspected futures.
Guilherme Wisnik talks with Renata Marquez, a professor at the UFMG School of Architecture and Design and co-editor of Piseagrama magazine. Holding a PhD in Geography and a postdoc in Anthropology, she researches curatorial practices, theory, and criticism at the intersection of art, architecture, geography, and anthropology.
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