When selected by the Biennale di Venezia to direct the 17th International Architecture Exhibition, Hashim Sarkis challenged national curators to answer an urgent and far from easy question: how will we live together? Neither he, nor the curators, nor indeed anyone, expected what was to come. After a year and a half of a global pandemic, the question takes on new meanings, opening up further implications that far exceed anything the organizers could have previously envisioned.

Against this backdrop of global uncertainty, and informed by a country deeply marked by social inequality, Utopias of Common Life – the title of the Brazilian contribution developed by Arquitetos Associados in collaboration with visual designer Henrique Penha – seeks to establish a dialogue between the modern past and a possible (and better) future for Brazilian cities. We had the opportunity to speak with architect Carlos Alberto Maciel about the exhibition that will occupy the Brazilian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. Read the interview below:

Marcos Parga, director of the Madrid-based studio MAPAa, presents a speculative essay titled "Everyday Rebellions." This is a series of reflections on new domesticities and some considerations regarding the challenges we face in architecture following the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing primarily on how to reimagine and update domestic groupings in our cities.

One of the key questions of Parga's research: What if we were provided with a new type of "retroactive" tools to recalibrate and unlock our domestic life and community interactions, exploring the hackable potential of today's housing blocks?

Organized by the Association of Architects of the Province of Buenos Aires – District I – and promoted by the Municipality of La Plata, the Provincial Ideas Competition “La Plata Technology District Convention Center” aims to stimulate the urban transformation of a highly potential area of the city, creating a space for creativity, technological innovation, and connection between government, academia, businesses, and institutions. Sponsored by the Argentine Federation of Architecture Organizations (FADEA), it seeks to improve citizens' quality of life, foster the competitiveness of small and medium-sized businesses, and enhance the efficiency of public administration.

The jury awarded first prize to architects Valentín Ayala, Rodrigo Ballina Benites, Luciano Del Valle, and Agustina Ronconi, members of the firm Paralelo Colectivo. Read more about the project below.

This article by Ana López Ortego (Colectivo Arquitectura Expandida) is a collaboration with Colectivo RE and was originally published on August 2, 2020, in the second edition of Huevo de pato, a publication that aims to share thoughts and experiences as a strategy toward democratizing knowledge and action.

What is a render? Is it merely an image to win competitions and clients? Or is it an effective tool for a building's development?

We asked our readers, "What are the limits of rendering in architectural design?" and the volume of responses was immense. After reviewing and compiling all the feedback received from construction professionals, students, and architecture enthusiasts alike, there is a clear consensus: rendering should be viewed not just as a sales tool, but as a key element for design verification.

The results of the National Preliminary Project Competition "New Provincial Administrative Center in the City of Rawson" have been announced. Organized by the Association of Architects of the Province of Chubut (CACH), promoted by the provincial Ministry of Infrastructure, Energy, and Planning, and sponsored by the Argentine Federation of Architects' Organizations (FADEA), the call invited architects nationwide to design urban and architectural proposals for the development of public office infrastructure (institutional buildings for the various provincial government agencies) to revitalize the former Zoo site, an urban vacancy in Rawson with high development potential.

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While the work of Mexican architect Luis Barragán is globally recognized and studied for its invaluable commitment to the architecture of his time and context—and, above all, built upon deeply harmonious and poetic foundations that connect with a deeply personal quest in "cosmic solitude, with Mexico as the temporary home he lovingly accepts," as the Pritzker Prize Jury described it when honoring him in 1980—until recently (and even before the launch of the Barragan Foundation website), understanding the full spectrum of Barragán's place in architectural history was somewhat difficult, as several of his works have remained private (or difficult to access) for years.

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The Mexican Association of Urbanists, through its Tlaxcala chapter, called for entries for the Conceptual Preliminary Design Competition for the "Parque Integral Zahuapan 10." The competition was aimed at multidisciplinary teams in the fields of architecture and urban planning, with the goal of presenting proposals and conceptual ideas to develop a park along the banks of the Zahuapan River and revitalize its surrounding areas.

Not everyone is aware of the existence and operation of the Cerro Dominador solar power plant in the Antofagasta region of northern Chile.

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To mark the opening of its third restaurant location in the city of Valencia, Spain, the Voltereta group commissioned creative studio Vitamin to design and produce an immersive and interactive video mapping installation to offer diners a unique experience. Vitamin is a Valencia-based creative studio with eight years of experience in art and technology, developing innovative strategies and ideas to bring unique interactive experiences to life. Their focus on emerging technologies allows and encourages users to become active participants and protagonists, engaging with spaces and artworks in a personalized and dynamic way.

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Construction recently commenced on a prominent internet company's industrial park in Hangzhou. Serving as a central hub in the enterprise’s digital ecosystem, the project will offer a one-stop office and commercial park experience for its network partners. Guided by a deep understanding of the client's vision, the design team took the corporate spirit of "shared connectivity" as their starting point, reflecting seamless partnership and brand identity through a unique master plan and architectural form.

His mother’s deep interest in architecture, a childhood in São Paulo, classes at FAU-USP, his closeness to Ernest Mange, his first projects, his teaching experience, and the development of his own repertoire. In this episode of the Betoneira Podcast, architect Marcos Acayaba recalls pivotal moments of his training and career, such as the Milan House (1972-1975).

Benches with dividers and uncomfortable shapes, sharp stones under overpasses, fences surrounding plazas and gardens, walls with metal spikes, buildings without awnings or with timed water drippers, electric fences, and barbed wire. The elements and materials used to deter people from public spaces are numerous, ultimately shaping how individuals experience cities and interact with one another. Hostile architecture—a term encompassing all barriers and urban designs that seem to say “don’t make yourself at home,” as reporter Winnie Hu of The New York Times defines it—is part of the reality in most cities worldwide, sparking growing debate over the impact of these measures, particularly on social media.

The FAD Awards, one of the most prestigious architectural accolades in the Iberian Peninsula, have announced the winners of their 2021 edition.

Since ArchDaily launched its recruitment services, we have received job submissions from architecture practices of all scales—ranging from private design institutes and independent studios to international design teams—spanning the north and south of China, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. Below is a curated selection of openings from four firms. Active across diverse architectural fields with their unique design languages, they are looking for talented architects to join their teams.

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The team at ruta 4 taller and architect Gregorio Ballén present the following research resulting from their undergraduate thesis at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, with the goal of addressing the current environmental, social, economic, and political crisis. It is an investigation into new ways of co-creating architecture by including actors external to the discipline, and proposes experimentation in the co-design of spatial artifacts created in collaboration with animal species such as the silkworm.

Peripheria Films has shared the first episode of its documentary series "Se vende" (For Sale), a production that examines the impact of tourism and real estate development on the Costa del Sol (Málaga).

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In 1792, sitting United States President George Washington organized a competition to design the presidential residence. The winning proposal, submitted by architect James Hoban, shaped the neoclassical mansion we know today as the White House, cementing its place in the American collective imagination.

The Banco Nación National Ideas Competition for the Functional and Technological Organization, Conservation, and Refurbishment of the Ground Floor of its Headquarters was organized by the Central Society of Architects (SCA) and sponsored by the Argentine Federation of Architectural Entities (FADEA). Promoted by the Banco de la Nación Argentina, its objectives focused on combining preservation interventions with operational improvements, conserving and restoring the historic building by adapting the various workspaces and increasing service quality, and redistributing the ground floor areas while respecting the design of its original architect, Alejandro Bustillo.

In April 2021, the A8 Design Center at Luxe Lakes in Chengdu presented the exhibition "2 Kilometers of Lakeshore: Southwest Independent Architects 2021 Luxe Lakes Cross-Disciplinary Joint Exhibition." **Thirty-one independent architects** were invited to create installations along the Luxe Lakes waterfront. Working within a **budget of 30,000 RMB**, and drawing on self-reflection and their understanding of public space, they built **experimental, interactive, and experiential micro-spaces, presenting 31 unique perspectives on the world.** Through dialogue among the architects and with the public, the exhibition sought to further stimulate public engagement in design.

Following the exhibition visit, the A8 Design Center organized a hotpot gathering under a bridge with Chengdu's independent architects, sparking this dialogue. **We wanted to delve deeper into what this new generation of independent firms in non-first-tier cities is doing, how they are growing, and what they are thinking.**

Interviewer: Shuangyu Han
Part 1 Interviewees: Yun Lu (MUDA Architects), Youcai Pan (Wray Architecture), Hongduo Jin (Xd-Architects)
Part 2 Interviewees: Kefei Cai (Menkou Architects), Xiang Wang (TeKtonn Architecture), Yuejiu Li (a9a rchitects), Tang Zhang (YI JIE Atelier)

Encouraging households to adopt solar power generation is essential for a cleaner future, but investing in large-scale solar applications is what will truly shift the needle toward net-zero emissions. This is revealed by a new study from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University) in Australia.

Geospatial researchers used the city of Bendigo, in the state of Victoria, to conduct the case study. They estimated the solar electricity generated over a year in the city, which has 17,000 residential solar panels. In comparison, the study evaluates the solar potential of 21 government-owned airports across Australia.

The technical, legal, and financial structuring of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model for the Bronx Creative District (BDC) project will be carried out by a consortium of three leading project structuring firms: Currie & Brown Mexico, Durán & Osorio Abogados, and Ernst & Young for the financial component. The Bronx Creative District aims to boost the economic and social revitalization of downtown Bogotá through art, culture, creativity, innovation, heritage, and memory.

After five years of construction, the Yaying Fashion and Art Center is now complete. Yaying Group, a domestic Chinese fashion brand that has dedicated over 30 years to designing apparel embodying contemporary Chinese elegance, sought to build a diverse platform for fashion, culture, and art exchange. They invited Atelier FCJZ to design a multifunctional fashion and art center at their headquarters in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, integrating brand history, creative offices, and art exhibition and dialogue spaces. Reflecting the brand's aesthetic, the building interfaces with the site as a courtyard capped by a sweeping, curved roof. Double-tiered eaves wrap around the inner courtyard, creating layered transitional spaces between interior and exterior, inviting visitors to experience the architecture in a new way and establishing a "ceremonial space."

Faced with numerous challenges—including pre-existing foundations on the site, a subsequent 15.4-meter cantilever, 30-centimeter-wide concrete columns and walls, and a diverse material palette of bamboo, wood, and concrete—Atelier FCJZ delivered a design that successfully harmonizes site, space, structure, and materials. ArchDaily interviewed Yung Ho Chang, principal architect of Atelier FCJZ, to discuss the relationship between the courtyard form and traditional atmosphere, exposed structures and active spaces, and materials and tectonics.

On June 28, during the official opening of the Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism BEAU 2021 at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona, the winners of the 'Panorama of Architecture and Urbanism Works' call were announced. Out of 581 proposals submitted, 100 projects were shortlisted, 70 became finalists, and ultimately 20 were awarded as the most outstanding examples of Spanish architecture and urbanism from the last three years.