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The interior design of a coffee shop can make-or-break an establishment. With an inviting design, you can transform drinking a simple cup of coffee into a wonderful experience. However, when you only have a few square meters and various machines and properties to distribute, finding an efficient configuration is not easy.

Pipes, wiring and ducts of different materials in walls, ceilings and roofs make up all the spaces we walk through and inhabit. They represent the set of networks and equipment necessary for the development of life in our buildings, providing services such as water, electricity or gas, among many others. According to the regulations in each country and the use defined in each space, the installations can be left visible, giving a certain character and aesthetic to interior spaces.

The Association of Architects of Uruguay has announced the selected works from the 129 projects that participated in the 2021 Completed Work Competition. To ensure maximum territorial equity, the competition considered projects built between 2014 and 2020 across different regions of Uruguay. Divided into seven diverse categories—ranging from housing, cultural, and social infrastructure to interventions in built heritage or public spaces—one award and two honorable mentions were granted for each category.

The jury comprised Alma Varela, Humberto Eliash, Bernardo Martín, Héctor Berio, María Samaniego, Fernando Giordano, Alejandro Baptista, Nivaldo Andrade, and Angela Perdomo, who evaluated their respective categories. They were advised by Juan A. Articardi, Cristina Bausero, and Salvador Schelotto. Below are the winners in each category.

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Architectural photography has developed into its own art form, and it might be as important as the built work itself. We consume architecture not only physically and spatially in a building but also through photographs. A good image reportage work can give the viewer a feeling of the atmosphere, senses, and design intentions the project may spark, without actually being in the place. Photography is also a way of documenting the project's process, the use of materials, lighting, and architectural elements, and as a result, tell a complete story behind a building.

To celebrate World Photography Day, we've gathered a list of 25 architectural photographers from around the world who are worth knowing - and following on Instagram. These emerging photographers have been selected for their ability to capture architecture each in their own unique ways. Get to know them!

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Academic architectural production in Uruguay is vast and valuable; therefore, we believe it is necessary to launch an open call to showcase the best final degree projects that have emerged from it.

Academic proposals can be true intellectual and critical works. The goal of this open call is to ensure they do not remain stored away, gathering dust on shelves, losing their opportunity to generate real change in our cities and in the way we inhabit and think.

If you believe your 2019 final degree project is compelling enough to be published on our site and that your hard work deserves recognition from the wider community, do not hesitate to submit it using the form at the end of this article.

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While brick is one of the preferred construction methods within the architectural culture of several Latin American countries, Uruguay's unique history with this material has been deeply shaped by the contributions of the renowned engineer Eladio Dieste. His work pushed brick to its ultimate lightness, creating curved surfaces through a pioneering technology he termed reinforced ceramics. In doing so, Dieste offered the country—and the world—a new perspective on the structural possibilities of brick, strengthening its role in local identity and inspiring further exploration and design with the material.

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The use of concrete as a construction material offers distinct advantages in terms of structural strength and construction timelines. These benefits, combined with its plasticity, versatility, and aesthetic value, have led many architects to choose this system to bring their projects to life. The resurgence of trends surrounding exposed concrete applications—that is, without additional coatings—has simultaneously sparked numerous explorations of its expressive qualities, giving rise to new projects that experiment with the material's finishes in interior spaces.

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From prefabricated modules that sit lightly on the landscape to projects built on-site and integrated into their surroundings, in Uruguayan projects, wood emerges as a highly capable resource for addressing the wide array of requirements associated with residential construction. Whether used as structure, cladding, or furniture, and paired with concrete, stone, brick, or metal, wood offers endless applications. These possibilities enable the materialization of diverse approaches to the projects' exterior language and expression, while also elevating spatial quality and generating distinct interior atmospheres.

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Countries that are part of the so-called “global south” have undergone many transformations in their cities and urban contexts in recent years due to the economic and social challenges they face. Urban growth, sustainable development, quality of life and health in emerging cities, and the development of their own cultural identity have been some of the issues that local architecture had to incorporate.

Young architects have understood the importance of making an architecture that is deeply rooted in their own territory while giving this architecture a clear local identity. By generating new typologies and using their own resources and materials, they have presented innovative, site-specific, and, above all, solutions with a new fresh focus towards what represents them as creators of this architecture.

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