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.

+ 40

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.

“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.

+ 1

If your goal is to create an indoor forest, you have likely run into the challenge of not knowing where to put the plant you just bought. 

The following tips offer creative ways to organize your planters so that lack of space is no longer an obstacle.

+ 6

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 City with 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).

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).

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. 

+ 6

Planning urban mobility goes beyond isolated projects like bike lanes or street restructuring (which, though extremely important, are not enough). A city with high-quality mobility must enable its population to make the necessary trips to carry out their activities efficiently, safely, and pleasantly. However, mobility planning must address the needs of the city's diverse user base.

Expanding pedestrian and bicycle travel is highly desirable for several reasons: health (an active population is healthier); individual financial benefits (active travel is cheaper); and, most importantly, environmental concerns and spatial efficiency. Active modes of transportation contribute to the quality of public space (an area with pedestrians and cyclists is livelier and more pleasant).

During an extraordinary session on August 17, lawmakers of the Legislative Assembly of the State of São Paulo (Alesp) approved Bill 356/2015, which mandates the inclusion of rainwater harvesting systems in architectural projects across the state of São Paulo.

Proposed by Representative Marcos Damasio (PL), Bill 356 mandates rainwater harvesting systems to promote sustainability and environmental preservation. The system would be installed during renovations of existing buildings and would be mandatory for new constructions, ensuring that new projects incorporate rainwater harvesting from the design phase.

Citymakers is working with ArchDaily to publish a series of articles, conversations, and interviews with key figures in city co-production behind the Citymakers Barcelona Lab 2021, a program returning to Barcelona from November 8 to 12, 2021.

CityMakers is a global platform of experts in urban co-production best practices, aiming to connect city co-producers and influential leaders from around the world to inspire one another and drive transformation in their cities.

For this installment, Salvador Rueda presents his article "Participatory Processes and Resistance to Change: Implementing 'Superblocks' in Barcelona."

In its 8th edition, the Saint-Gobain AsBEA Architecture Award announced the winners of its 2021 cycle, and the Sesc Parque Dom Pedro II project, developed by UNA Arquitetos under the coordination of Fernanda Barbara and Fabio Valentim—currently partners at UNA Barbara e Valentim—won in three categories. It secured first place in the Professional Category – Institutional Project, the Sustainability Highlight award, and the "Roberto Claudio dos Santos Aflalo" Highlight of the Year award.

Architecture is realized through design. Professionals who face a blank canvas and fill it with lines that express desire, technique, and beauty know the many challenges inherent in this task. The act of designing involves a complex web of references, knowledge, and culture. Therefore, when we share a project, we know that more than simply showcasing a building, we are telling a story and inspiring the public. In its eleven years of existence, ArchDaily Brasil has published more than 23,000 projects, recognizing the importance of each one and how they help transform visions through what they propose—influencing not only local architecture but also bringing this discussion and inventiveness to the entire world.

+ 36

The intentions of the 15-Minute City are laudable. I have long believed that walking is the best of all modes of transportation. I also believe that cities should be free from commercial regulations that hinder the emergence of small shops and cozy cafes in residential neighborhoods. A lively and dynamic mixed-use neighborhood can be one of the greatest gifts of urban entrepreneurship.

In the United States, we regulate the entrepreneurship of the poor much more than that of the rich. The rich innovate in cyberspace, a zone largely free of regulation. Conversely, the poor innovate in practice, in real things, under local government rules that micromanage physical space.

As architects, we understand the importance of knowledge sharing for our industry, and with the internet, we saw an opportunity to guide the traditional format of architectural publishing toward its natural evolution. It was a passionate and instinctive effort that ultimately converged with the forces shaping our new global context as we entered the era of megacities and the global urban population grew exponentially. Understanding this scenario shaped our mission: to provide inspiration, knowledge, and tools for architects—and everyone involved in the process—to face the challenges of our built environment.

Last week, we announced the 15 finalists for the 2025 ArchDaily Brasil Building of the Year Award, which celebrates the best of Lusophone architecture by inviting our readers to vote for their favorite projects built in Portuguese-speaking countries. Now, the time has come to reveal the three grand winners!

This year, first place went to the Seedling Nursery - Ocupação Fazendinha, a simple and sensitive small-scale project developed by the Projects Department of the School of Architecture at the Federal University of Minas Gerais. Second place was awarded to Casa da Carnaúba Várzea Queimada in the state of Piauí, designed by the firm Rosenbaum, while third place went to the Requalification of the Municipal Square of Ribeira de Pena in Portugal, designed by the studio AXR - Arquitetura e Design.

The Lisbon Architecture Triennale has announced the 20 studios selected for the 2025 Début Award, an initiative that recognizes emerging practices on the international stage. This edition received 75 valid applications from 28 countries — reflecting the award's diversity and global reach.

Aimed at professionals up to 40 years old, Début receives proposals through both direct application and nomination: dozens of experts in architectural criticism, curation, and practice are invited to nominate up to three names. The selection process involves three stages: a shortlist of 20, five finalists, and, ultimately, the selection of the winning practice.