“Waking up early, waking the kids, making and serving breakfast, showering, bathing them, heading to the bus stop. The bag drops, the child throws a tantrum, the bus is late. Arms, backpack, child... you lose track of the order. First task of the day: the first bus and the kids arrive at school; then, rushing to another stop and another wait until the second bus arrives. Boarding, standing, dodging fatigue and harassment on the way to work. At lunchtime, a quick run to the pharmacy, and maybe the nearby open-air market. Or is today the day to stop by the butcher? Heading home from work: bags, purse, and exhaustion. A stop along the way to pick up the kids, and an inconvenient reminder of what's missing at home drives a detour to the grocery store before finally arriving back home as the day ends—though not before making dinner. Phew!”

This excerpt recounts a fictional day. However, this routine is the daily reality in many households, especially low-income ones, in peripheral areas, and in single-parent homes headed by women, where the drama of constant back-and-forth travel can be intensified by intersectional factors such as gender, race, social class, generation, territory, physical ability, and sexual orientation.

Today, Paulo Mendes da Rocha would have received the highest honor from the International Union of Architects at the World Congress of Architects (UIA 2021 RIO). To mark the occasion, the IAB São Paulo sent a letter to the city's mayor and councilors proposing a tribute to the architect.

Book Launch: What is Architecture?

The World Stage at UIA2021RIO, the 27th World Congress of Architects, hosted three award-winning architects from its keynote speaker lineup this week: Elizabeth de Portzamparc, a Brazilian-born architect based in France; Anna Heringer of Germany; and Tatiana Bilbao of Mexico.

Elizabeth de Portzamparc discussed the concept of “Nexus Architecture,” which advocates for connecting various elements when thinking about and creating architecture. Meanwhile, Anna Heringer advocated for a working method focused on social justice and community inclusion in projects that can transform lives. Finally, Tatiana Bilbao gave a poetic presentation on the home as a social act, housing rituals that architecture must always consider.

Videos

Designed by Atelier Marko Brajovic, the project ROOTS - mangrove ecosystem is part of the exhibition Future Assembly, curated by Studio Other Spaces, by artist Olafur Eliasson and architect Sebastian Behmann, which responds to the theme How will we live together? proposed by Hashim Sarkis, curator of the 17th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale. The project features a 3D-printed model, hand drawings, and videos, which remain open to visitors until November 21, 2021, at the Giardini.

Future Assembly aims to introduce the United Nations' alternative multilateral value system to the Venice Architecture Biennale, reflecting on the past 75 years of UN multilateralism and imagining new futures of how we can collaboratively come together. The Atelier believes that a future multilateralism must expand beyond a human-centered worldview to a more-than-human gathering.

The Romano Guerra Editora and the Instituto Tomie Ohtake are launching a new book on the work of Ruy Ohtake, exploring aspects of the architect's career that have received little attention in previous publications. According to editors Abilio Guerra and Silvana Romano Santos, “the nine previous monograph publications lacked consistent technical drawings. Unrestricted access to the architect's archives, however, made it possible to analyze and present the complexity of the designs.”

+ 9

The debate on crime and public safety in Brazil has been shaped by polarization between proponents of hardline measures—ranging from stricter sentencing and streamlined legal procedures to legal immunity for police violence—and critics of the public safety and criminal justice systems, who point to systemic abuses and the ineffectiveness of incarceration in curbing crime.

Beyond this often counterproductive dichotomy—which does little to address a problem affecting a vast portion of the Brazilian population whose physical safety and property are threatened daily—crime prevention has been rarely discussed and even less prioritized. Yet, successful initiatives do exist, and they all involve local governments taking a leading role in implementing programs and coordinating police action with other social actors.

A small shelter for people experiencing homelessness has been designed in Ecuador. Combining a sleeping space and a kiosk, the structure features four wheels, allowing it to be moved as needed. 

The project, named “El Ambulantito,” was designed by the firm Natura Futura Arquitectura. The emergency shelter model consists of foldable components. “El Ambulantito was born from a reality we witness every day. A temporary shelter and production device for people who are homeless or in transit from one city to another, it prompts reflection and awareness while public policies address the issue,” the architecture firm explains. 

+ 2

+ 10

+ 31

+ 23

+ 17

+ 16

+ 36

+ 14

Brazil has just gained another World Heritage site. The legacy of one of the 20th century's greatest landscape architects, the Roberto Burle Marx Site (SRBM) was recognized on Monday, July 26, during the 44th Session of the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 

The Site was recognized under the Cultural Landscape category, which includes properties that represent the interaction between the natural environment and human activities, resulting in a modified natural landscape. Brazil now has 23 properties inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, a registry of sites considered to possess outstanding universal value for human culture. 

The winner of the top awards at the 2021 Oscars is the subject of the latest episode on architecture and cinema from Arquicast. Nomadland, directed by Chinese-born, US-based filmmaker Chloé Zhao, portrays the life of a woman who, after losing her husband and her financial stability, moves into a van, traversing the American West and adopting a lifestyle described as nomadic. The film depicts the reality of people who, for various reasons, find themselves in this situation, prompting us to reflect on what it means to belong to a place, the definition of dwelling today, and the emotional connections we forge with the cities and landscapes we experience. Joining us to discuss these issues is Romullo Baratto, who holds a master's degree in architecture and cinema from FAU-USP and serves as the Editorial Manager of ArchDaily.