Transforming cities built for cars into environments that prioritize the well-being and mobility of all people can make urban centers more resilient and inclusive. Changing ideas and practices so deeply ingrained in city planning is no trivial task. However, a new report by WRI Brasil, "Complete Streets in Brazil – Promoting a Paradigm Shift", shows that the seeds of change have been sown and are already bearing fruit.
The publication documents the results of four years of work by the National Network for Low-Carbon Mobility, an initiative by WRI Brasil and the National Mayors Front (FNP) that brought together 21 Brazilian cities committed to shifting the paradigm of street and city design.
Image: javarman. Shibam, Hadhramaut Governorate, Yemen. The buildings are constructed using rammed earth. Image via Shutterstock
The construction industry's role in the current climate crisis is deeply concerning: spanning material production, construction, and building operations, the sector is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases. At the same time, urban populations are growing at historic rates, and when looking at the development of large cities—which are major energy consumers—it seems that reducing the discipline's impact relies on small-scale community and individual initiatives rather than broad political and professional actions.
History shows us various local techniques and materials that have proven sustainable over time through the efficient use of resources that require no heavy industrial processing and eliminate the need for long-distance transportation. In some cases, at the end of their life cycle, materials like adobe and timber can even be returned directly to the environment.
The remarkable research paper “A Long History of a Short Block,” by Bill Easterly, Laura Freschi, and Steven Pennings, analyzed the development of a block on Greene Street in New York's SoHo neighborhood over four centuries. Throughout this period, the city remained in a constant state of development, demonstrating that the question “What is the ‘original character’ of a neighborhood?” is far more difficult to answer than it seems.
To begin with, the skyscraper-filled Manhattan we know today is a relatively recent development in its history. Before the Dutch arrived in what they would call “New Amsterdam” in 1625, the region was dominated by forests and wetlands—a rich ecosystem that even included bears and wolves.
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Casa Piedra Blanca / Pablo Lobos Pedrals, Angelo Petrucelli. Image Cortesia de Pablo Lobos Pedrals, Angelo Petrucelli
Steel frame is a system composed of galvanized steel profiles, with a thickness between 0.80 mm and 3 mm, cold bent, and assembled as structural frames, with vertical and horizontal studs. To wrap the structural profiles, OSB, cementitious or plasterboard sheets are used, which can be finished and painted internally and externally. Inside the walls, insulating materials can be included, such as mineral, glass wool, or others, to increase the thermal acoustic insulation. In the steel frame system, all the electrical and hydraulic parts are installed before closing the panels, making the process more efficient and without breakage and material waste. Cleanliness of the work, efficiency and speed are key points in this constructive system that is widely spread around the world.
The Brazilian Center for Steel Construction (CBCA) has announced the winners of the 14th CBCA Competition for Architecture Students. The nationwide competition was open to students from architecture schools and colleges across the country, focusing on the theme "Health and Well-being."
The area of the Kalunga community extends across Cavalcante, Monte Alegre, and Teresina de Goiás, in the Chapada dos Veadeiros region. Credit: Paulo de Araújo/Ministry of the Environment
In honor of Cultural Heritage Day, celebrated on August 17, CAU/GO has launched the National Design Competition for Quilombola Housing. The objective is to select the best design for home construction in historical quilombola communities located in Goiás, as part of the housing programs of Agehab (Goiás Housing Agency), a partner in organizing the competition.
Amazonian Welcoming Module. Model Illustration - House based on the proposed modules. Credit: Project authors
The 4th Tomie Ohtake Institute Leroy Merlin Design Award, dedicated to university students and recent graduates, announces the 10 selected projects. The jury, composed of Cláudia Zacar (Curitiba - PR), Diego Mauro (Salvador - BA), Érico Gondim (Fortaleza - CE), Iran Pontes (Recife - PE), and Sâmia Batista (Belém - PA), evaluated 233 proposals submitted by 412 authors from 19 states and the Federal District.
Arquicast has shared with us a recent interview with one of the most important Brazilian architects of her generation, whose work perfectly exemplifies the diverse responsibilities that architects can assume in their contribution to society. Maria Josefina de Vasconcellos, better known as Jô Vasconcellos, shares a bit of her history and her plans for the future.
Before stamps and digital printing, wallpaper was a luxury item and a status symbol, as every design had to be hand-painted by artisans. As a symbol of wealth, it emerged to replace tapestries and paintings in 16th-century European homes. In Brazil, for instance, wallpaper only became economically viable in the 1930s, and its widespread popularization was only realized in the 1960s.
Statue of Bandeirante Borba Gato on fire, São Paulo. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter
On August 17, Brazil celebrated National Heritage Day, 21 days after a protest set fire to the statue of Bandeirante Borba Gato in the southern zone of São Paulo. This contradiction opens up an important discussion: how are we constructing memory in our cities? What are we valuing as our country's heritage?
The term historical and cultural heritage refers to the tangible and intangible creations of a given culture within society. What defines a cultural asset as heritage is its historical and social relevance, which can be linked to collective and individual memory, as it is through these memories that we understand the past. From an architectural perspective, the term heritage is constantly associated with historic buildings that typically embody Catholic religious values or the bourgeois lifestyle of the elite.
Well-designed environments are essential to reduce the risk of accidents and response times in the event of a fall. For architects, designing safe cities and homes is crucial, especially in light of global demographic trends. Developing an architectural project through thoughtful design and correct product specification is, first and foremost, an act of care and concern for our older relatives and fellow citizens. It is essential to ask, "For whom?" and "What are their needs?" so that, from there, we can think about how to improve their quality of life.
This is a conscious invitation for architecture to play an active role in today's society—a positive shift that delivers both design and quality of life.
Spending more time at home made many people realize that designing interior spaces goes beyond mere personal "taste"; rather, their environments directly influence our comfort, mood, and quality of life. This perspective has altered how we view the bathroom itself, prompting a search for solutions that liven up this space and rescue it from the standard monotony in which it is typically designed. To that end, we have searched our archives for several examples that break this mold, showcasing spaces that bring more personality to the home and enhance the well-being of their users.
Disability and the diversity of bodies and people should be an engaging subject for architects: it is about lived experience, problem-solving, and designing a better built environment.
While the topic involves critical theory and aspirations for collective life, it is often viewed merely as a compliance-driven field—or worse, a sensitive subject fraught with outdated terminology and archaic habits of thought. Typical design routines do not always account for the variety of human bodies.
Saudi Arabia reveals plans to build a 100-mile-long linear city. Courtesy of NEOM.
“From the problem of locomotion derive all other problems of urbanization.” It was in 1882 that the Spanish urbanist Arturo Soria y Mata made this assertion, and in response to it, created and implemented the concept of the linear city. Based on a functionalist doctrine, this city model abandons traditional structures such as squares and blocks, subordinating the design to circulation paths in its most rational spatial configuration: the straight line.
Abandoned Packard Automotive Plant in Detroit. Image: Albert Duce
Ruins of once-elegant buildings eloquently illustrate the worst that can happen to a city after the end of an economic cycle. Wealthy families no longer have the resources to maintain their estates, and even middle-class buildings are partially abandoned when their owners, unemployed or struggling, relocate in search of opportunities elsewhere.
Left vacant and unused, physical heritage slowly degrades. Urban history is filled with examples across all eras and continents: Rome at the end of classical antiquity, Venice at the dawn of the modern era, Paraty after the shift in the Gold Route, and Detroit today.
Brazilian student Luan Fontes, from the University of Porto in Portugal, has won the national competition Healthy Home, Healthy Citywith a modular project made of shipping containers. Organized by the Council of Architecture and Urbanism of Rio Grande do Sul (CAU/RS) in partnership with UN-Habitat and Minimum, the competition sought the best architectural and urban solutions for innovations or improvements across different scales and living spaces in urban areas, aiming to foster quality of life in cities following the new reality imposed on society by the pandemic.
The Galeria da Cidade is hosting the exhibition Artacho Jurado no Desenho da Cidade, which highlights the self-taught architect who designed and built landmarks of modern São Paulo, such as the Bretagne, Cinderela, and Louvre buildings, among others. The public opening is on Saturday, September 4, marking the 114th anniversary of his birth.
Rejecting the rigid tenets of mid-century modernism, Jurado developed a unique style characterized by refined details, vibrant colors, and generous spaces and programs, almost always opening the ground floors of his buildings to the city. His expressive design language led critic Décio Pignatari to compare him to the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí.
We invite you to participate in the ArchDaily en Español Building of the Year Award. In its sixteenth edition, we give our readers the responsibility of recognizing and rewarding the projects that have had the greatest impact on the discipline. By voting, you become part of an unbiased jury network recognizing the most relevant works built in Latin America and Spain over the past year. There are only a few days left before voting closes, where the 3 winners of the ArchDaily en Español 2025 Building of the Year Award will be selected from among the 15 finalists.
Registered users can vote for their favorite project once a day. The nomination stage ends on April 9 at 11:59 PM (GMT-3).
https://www.archdaily.com/1080008/last-days-to-vote-for-archdaily-en-espanols-2025-building-of-the-yearArchDaily Team
We invite you to participate in the ArchDaily Brasil 2025 Building of the Year Award. Now in its ninth edition, we task our readers with the responsibility of recognizing and rewarding the projects that have made the greatest impact on the profession. By voting, you become part of an impartial network of jurors recognizing the most relevant projects built in Portuguese-speaking countries over the past year. Only a few days remain in the voting stage, which will select the three winners of the ArchDaily Brasil 2025 Building of the Year Award from the 15 finalists.
Registered users can vote for their favorite project once a day. The voting stage closes on April 9 at 11:59 PM (GMT-3).
https://www.archdaily.com/1080003/last-days-to-vote-for-the-finalists-of-the-2025-archdaily-brasil-building-of-the-year-awardArchDaily Team
The Saint-Gobain Group and the Brazilian Association of Architecture Offices (AsBEA) have announced the winners of the 8th edition of the Saint-Gobain AsBEA Architecture Award. The accolade celebrates projects that offer comfort and innovative solutions while simultaneously preserving the environment and promoting sustainability within the Brazilian construction industry.
Divided into two categories, professional and academic, the award recognized more than twenty projects across subcategories that included commercial, residential, and institutional architecture, thermal comfort, sustainability, and innovation, among others. See the winners below.
This September, the 4th edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial opens under the title The Available City—a perfect opportunity to spark discussion on the role of architecture in urban equity.
Miguel Lawner, winner of the 2019 National Architecture Prize, was Executive Director of CORMU during the Popular Unity government and has spent his career fighting for the right to adequate housing in Chile. Alejandro Aravena, the 2016 Pritzker Prize laureate, is a partner at ELEMENTAL. His work in social housing has made him a global icon since breaking onto the architectural scene with the Quinta Monroy project in Iquique.
Against this backdrop, it was highly compelling to hear the perspectives of two different generations. They met not only to discuss and analyze the past, present, and future of their lives and careers, but also to address the challenges surrounding access to housing in Chile.
Mosaic tiles, ceramics, porcelain, wall tiles: when it comes to finishes, there are countless possibilities to choose from to add character and identity to our projects. However, faced with the sheer variety available on the market, choosing among them can be challenging. In this article, we will explore the differences between these cold tiles and offer tips on how to choose the option that best fits your project.
