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Photography has historically been used to document architecture. Indeed, in the very first photograph, the subject captured was the estate of its inventor, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. While commonly viewed as a mere recording of the actual work of art (the captured building), architectural photography is more than just a tool at the service of these structures; it is an art form in its own right, possessing its own language and aesthetic concerns.

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Portuguese architecture firm Sastudio, in partnership with Icelandic studio Hjark and the firm Landmotun, has won the international design competition for a community center in Hornafjörður, Iceland. This marks the second competition won by the two offices; the first, for a kindergarten in Garðabær, is scheduled to begin construction in May of this year and is expected to be completed by mid-2023.

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«Bande à part» is the title of a 1964 feature film directed by Jean-Luc Godard, with a narrative centered on a relational triangle. In one of the film's most memorable scenes, the three characters run through the Louvre Museum in Paris at high speed, setting an ironic record for the visit. In this spirit, the «Bande à Part» series, published by Circo de Ideias, is a three-volume theoretical project by Nuno Brandão Costa focusing on triptychs of architectural works in Europe designed by European architects. For distinct reasons and contexts, these works became relevant to the author, serving as objects of fascination and influencing his path as an architect and professor from his training to the present day.

«In Conflict Vol. 1», published by Circo de Ideias and edited by depA architects, Carlos Azevedo, João Crisóstomo, Luís Sobral, and Miguel Santos, presents the research conducted for the Portuguese representation at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale. The book responds to the question posed by Hashim Sarkis, general curator of the 2021 Biennale Architettura: ‘How will we live together?’, by revisiting a selection of Portuguese architectural processes in democracy, shaped by broad public debate between political power, the press, and civil society.

The 29 de Março community, in the Cidade Industrial de Curitiba (CIC), was one of two Brazilian regions selected by the Action Fund Brazil to receive investments to combat climate inequality. Ambiens Sociedade Cooperativa, a local cooperative, was responsible for the project — a 15-month initiative in one of the city's most vulnerable neighborhoods. The other project was implemented in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul.

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No País dos Arquitectos is a podcast created by Sara Nunes, who also runs the architectural film production company Building Pictures. The podcast aims to introduce the professionals, projects, and stories behind contemporary Portuguese architecture. With just over 10 million inhabitants, Portugal is a fascinating country when it comes to this professional field, and its architectural output far exceeds what its population or territorial scale might suggest.

In this episode, Sara talks with Nuno Grande, from the office Pedra Líquida, about Casa do Conto and the Hotel Tipografia do Conto. Listen to the full interview and read an excerpt of the conversation below:

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Cities play a fundamental role in the search for solutions and policies to mitigate the problems driving global climate change. Today, urban areas account for more than 70% of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions—one of the main causes of the greenhouse effect and its consequences for the environment and human life.

This percentage is striking, considering that municipalities occupy a mere 0.4% to 0.9% of the Earth's surface, as pointed out by the study "Effects of population or density change on urban carbon dioxide emissions," published in Nature Communications—a journal specializing in natural sciences.

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In his most recent book, Survival of the City, economist Edward Glaeser diagnoses the conflicts of interest that permeate the urban debate. According to him, there is a fundamental opposition between insiders—longtime residents interested in maintaining the status quo and increasing their property values—and outsiders—new residents looking for affordable housing and new opportunities for work, consumption, and urban space.

At the end of 2021, the port city of Genoa, Italy, introduced free public transit. Following the success of the initiative, the experiment, originally scheduled to end on March 31, 2022, was extended for another four months.

Vertical transit systems (such as elevators and funiculars) will remain free seven days a week with no time restrictions, while free subway access is available during two specific windows: daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. This free access will be valid until July 31.

Just like much of popular culture, for most of the twentieth century, architectural media relied on magazines sold at newsstands and supermarkets. Through them, readers discovered what was being built, tracked technological innovations, and, to some extent, popularized architectural discourse, taking it beyond the academic and elitist confines of universities and conferences. With the rise of the internet, the format of this information shifted, finding new ways to reach the public. Social media and specialized websites became crucial channels for sharing information and services, expanding public access to architectural issues. Today, every major social network hosts profiles dedicated exclusively to architecture, tailoring their content to each specific platform.

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Videos

There is no shortage of filmmakers trained in architecture, nor of architects passionate about cinema. On the Betoneira Podcast, architect and filmmaker Marcio Kogan joined hosts Marcelo Barbosa and André Scarpa, both architects and cinephiles, to discuss the films that have shaped their lives and influenced their architecture.

On May 3 at 11 a.m., Portobello will host the UNLTD Dreams Exhibition, an event that promotes discussions on art, architecture, and sustainability, while showcasing the diverse possibilities of space design through the eyes of leading professionals. 

African architect Diébédo Francis Kéré, known worldwide for work guided by a social vision of architecture and design practice as a tool for inclusion and transformation, was this year's Pritzker Prize laureate. To discuss the award, the jury's selection, and its implications for architectural culture as a whole, Arquicast invited Caio Dias and Bruno Sarmento.