The circular economy has also been adopted as a model in the architecture and construction sector, aiming to create more efficient, functional, and sustainable building projects. The 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) used as circular economy strategies are already widely recognized, with the first R, "Reduce," being the primary goal in any project. From this perspective, one of the most effective ways to reduce material consumption, natural resources, and costs in building projects is to decrease the size of occupied spaces and built-up area (while maintaining appropriate levels of spatial quality, such as accessibility, ventilation, natural light, layout compatibility, etc.).

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Elisabete França, a public administrator dedicated to implementing urban development, housing, and urban mobility programs, is the eighth guest on Studio Casa, an interview series produced by Casa da Arquitectura - Portuguese Center for Architecture.

Elisabete França has distinguished herself over the last few decades through her work promoting and disseminating architecture, curating several national and international exhibitions, and coordinating conferences and specialized publications. She holds a PhD from FAU Mackenzie and is a professor in the Architecture program at the Armando Alvares Penteado Foundation (FAAP). 

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"Smart buildings" is a term that has gained prominence in recent years, both as a way to design more efficient buildings that offer greater benefits to their users and as a vehicle for the real estate industry to find a new market niche. 

In many cases, the term "smart" is overused, often serving merely as a marketing pitch for so-called innovative technologies. In this light, because any technology can become obsolete over time, many building projects considered modern, advanced, or smart at the time of their construction are no longer deemed so today. 

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Each issue is a new experiment born from its cover image, which serves as a common thread. From there, the articles branch out, interweave, or simply juxtapose, forming a tapestry that everyone is invited to read, discuss, and contribute to.

The graduate program of Escola da Cidade — Geography, City, and Architecture — hosted architects Solano Benítez and Gloria Cabral for a series of lectures. On this occasion, an interview was conducted with the partners of Gabinete de Arquitetura, a firm that has won awards such as the SI Swiss Architectural Award 2007-2008 (Switzerland), the AIA Honorary Fellowship 2012 (USA), and the Golden Lion at the 2016 Venice Biennale.

With the goal of blurring the boundaries traditionally imposed by walls, so-called integrated kitchens can be incorporated into adjacent spaces—most commonly living and dining rooms—using counters, tables, split levels, or even contrasting flooring and finishes.

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Bike lanes created overnight, streets converted into slow zones, hastily extended sidewalks—all to accommodate the need for urban mobility in a pandemic scenario. COVID-19 has driven major urban interventions, often without the possibility of extensive planning or investment. Cities are turning into living laboratories for experiments that can bring benefits during the crisis and leave behind a more sustainable world once the worst has passed.

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Developed by the Semeia Institute and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), Parques para Todas e Todos is a tool to inspire the creation of more diverse spaces by incorporating a gender perspective into the planning and management of urban parks. It offers guidelines, suggestions, and ideas to begin designing parks that address everyone's needs.

On one hand, the exorbitant speed represented by rapid, minute-by-minute propagation, the crossing of borders, the spread across all continents, and unrestrained multiplication. On the other, the untouched, the immobile, the domestic cloister, isolation, and confinement in an attempt to avoid any sudden movement, suppress impulse, and control the environment. On one side, the virus; on the other, humanity.

In this pandemic scenario, where a deadly virus is nurtured by the uninterrupted speed of our movements—making us, ourselves, its driving force—immobility is seen as a key part of the antidote. This is an immobility that costs us dearly, confining us to our homes and forcing us to rethink how we experience the world.

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Staircases made of wood can offer a unique character to each project, thanks not only to the different configurations they can occupy in a space, but also to the variations in color and texture provided by different wood species and cuts, as well as the various ways of arranging the treads.

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Partner and founder of the firm Metro Arquitetos Associados, Martin Corullon is the ninth guest of Studio Casa, an interview series produced by Casa da Arquitectura - Portuguese Center for Architecture. Since 1994, Corullon has frequently collaborated with architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha, with whom he has completed several projects on a wide range of scales.

Between 2008 and 2009, he worked at Foster+Partners in London. He has been a professor at Escola da Cidade since 2014 and was elected a member of CAU/SP for the 2018–2020 term. The interview is conducted by architect and curator Francesco Perrotta-Bosch.

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Today, building humanized cities is predicated on full public participation, as outlined by national public policies institutionalized in Brazil's City Statute. However, it is clear that these mechanisms are largely geared toward adults, leaving children and youth on the margins of the participation and decision-making process.

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The landscape of Brazilian cities shifts between two striking realities. On one hand lies the formal city, where the rule of law prevails, the right to the city is exercised, and high-quality infrastructure and public and private investments are concentrated. This is also the reality used as the baseline for formulating laws and urban planning guidelines, and where the presence of the state is most visible.

On the other hand, there is the informal city—occupying the peripheries and favelas, with an identity marked by exposed clay bricks and excessive density. Here, self-built housing dominates, regardless of land ownership, alongside informal occupation and a chronic absence of public policies and basic infrastructure. Leisure spaces, cultural venues, and green areas are deeply lacking.

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