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Torre Helea is a residential building designed by Bulnes Arquitectos currently under construction in Puebla, Mexico's second fastest-growing city. This project is an architectural response to the significant challenge of catering to the most demanding segment of the local real estate market. The qualities that define Torre Helea recently led it to be nominated for the 2018 World Architecture Festival in the residential category.

Featuring a geometry that stands out in its context, this 33-story tower with a stepped rise will include 93 residences and over 41,000 square meters of built area. Each floor features three rectangular apartments arranged radially like a propeller, which in turn rotates 15 degrees counterclockwise at each level as it ascends to a total height of 142.5 meters.

In a city like Lima, where cars continue to gain ground over pedestrians, a competition that attempts to reverse this dual inertia by prioritizing the pedestrian use of urban spaces is highly welcome—allowing people to not just cross a vehicular roundabout, but to linger in a plaza, for example. One only has to look at the finalist proposals to understand these aspirations, all of which present plazas of high architectural and artistic quality. If we can imagine it, we can make it happen. Beyond the results, each project inspires and paves the way for new ways of rethinking and cohabiting the city through public space.

The Paz Soldán roundabout, an iconic, central location and one of the busiest points in the San Isidro district, will be given a new lease on life thanks to a comprehensive transformation that will convert it into a public plaza. The Plaza Paz Soldán National Competition, sponsored by the Municipality of San Isidro and Grupo Centenario, and directed by architect Gary Leggett, invited architects and artists to collaborate on proposing a public space to serve as a gateway to El Olivar forest. The call for entries received a massive response, with 160 teams registering and 60 architectural projects submitted.

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An island is, by definition, a piece of land entirely surrounded by water; in this sense, the element of water serves as a limit, a boundary, and, at the same time, a place.

Hotel Punta Caliza, designed by Estudio Macías Peredo Arquitectos, employs these very concepts so that this naturally salty, aquamarine liquid itself becomes an island—acting as both center and surface, bounded by the built structure to form a cohesive whole that surrounds, contains, and shapes the water.

Launched in 2013, the initiative to establish an Architecture Prize presented a wealth of challenges for the Instituto Tomie Ohtake and its partner AkzoNobel. Its primary objective was to map contemporary Brazilian architecture, focusing specifically on the work of emerging professionals. This ambitious and unprecedented goal set it apart from traditional architectural competitions, not only by encompassing a broader spectrum of categories but also by championing a niche distinct from the output of already established, award-winning firms.

The text below presents a brief summary of the past editions of the International Architecture Biennale of São Paulo, coinciding with the announcement of the curatorial team for the 12th edition. If you are looking for a research source on the first ten editions of the event, we suggest the book Arquitetura em Retrospectiva: 10 Bienais de São Paulo, by Elisabete França, which offers an excellent overview of the paths taken by the exhibitions and shows how the architecture biennials became the preferred venue for promoting Brazilian production, ultimately joining the official calendar of events for the city of São Paulo.

“Progress” is certainly a word that symbols what the 1940s represented for the city of São Paulo. As developments flourished in the fields of art and architecture, new landmarks materialized from the fusion of these two disciplines, such as the Museum of Modern Art of São Paulo (MAM)—an institution inaugurated in 1948 that showcased the height of what was then considered modern.

As part of the celebrations for the 76th anniversary of the Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile, the 2018 CA Awards ceremony will take place next Friday, August 3, at the Club de la Unión. The awards are presented by the Chilean association to the country's outstanding practitioners and role models in the discipline.

This year, for the first time, the Dora Riedel, Eliana Caraball, and Regional Architecture Awards will be presented, expanding the scope of the Chilean honors.

Below are the nominees in the twelve categories of the 2018 CA Awards:

Architecture does not illustrate or imitate ideas born from philosophy, literature, painting, or any other form of artistic representation; rather, it constitutes a mode of thought in its own right: architectural thought. This way of thinking and making requires its own tools as the only means of translating these ideas into something concrete, something real, capable of communicating on its own. One of these tools—perhaps the most indispensable—is drawing.

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The IHA is considered the world's most important architectural prize for high-rises. It is aimed at architects and developers whose buildings are at least 100 meters tall and were completed in the last two years. The jury consists of architects, structural engineers, real estate experts, and architecture critics. They evaluate the nominated projects based on the following criteria: future-oriented design, functionality, innovative construction technology, integration into the urban context, development schemes, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness. This year, the five finalists chosen from 36 nominees across 15 countries have finally been announced; among them is Torre Reforma, designed by Benjamín Romano.

Designing spaces intended for the exhibition of furniture pieces with high structural, ergonomic, artistic, and historical complexity requires a distinct design approach, as the goal is to showcase the product while persuading the viewer-client to purchase it. In Brazil, prime examples such as the Forma store (1987), Micasa (2004), Casa Matriz (2004), Micasa Volume B (2007), Ouvidor (2013), Dpot (2016), Líder (2016), and Micasa Volume C (2017) stand out for masterfully combining these principles. Generally speaking, they provide the “white box” required as a backdrop—akin to works of art within the neutrality of exhibition spaces—while arranging the pieces to evoke the desire to buy.

The Belo Horizonte Municipal Secretariat of Culture has reopened the Pampulha Art Museum following a suspension of its projects, exhibitions, and the Bolsa Pampulha program. Since the 16th of this month, visitors can participate in the *Museu por Dentro* (Museum from Within) project, which offers a closer look at the museum's history, architecture, and collection, as well as its surrounding landscape.

The new initiative offers various activities, such as a guided tour of the building's interior and telescope viewing of the Pampulha Modern Ensemble, which includes the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Casa do Baile, the Yacht Tennis Club, the Kubitschek House, and the Art Museum itself.

On Wednesday, December 5, the winning project of the Paulista Para Todos Ideas Festival was announced. An initiative of Esquina.net.br, the competition featured four teams of São Paulo-based architecture firms (FGMF + Erê Lab, Königsberger Vannucchi Arquitetos Associados + Mauricio Alito, Nitsche Arquitetos + Petro Fontes, and Paulo Mendes da Rocha + Nadezhda Rocha). They were evaluated by a jury comprising Carlos Leite (urban planner, PhD, professor at FAU Mackenzie, director of Stuchi & Leite Projetos e Consultoria, and former director of São Paulo Urbanismo), Sol Camacho (curator of the Brazilian Pavilion at this year's Venice Architecture Biennale and director of the Lina Bo Bardi/Casa de Vidro Institute, a graduate of the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico with a Master in Urban Design from Harvard University), and Renato Schermann Ximenes de Melo (partner at Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr e Quiroga Advogados).

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São Paulo, like so many other Brazilian cities, has a standardized, monotonous, and gray architecture, with its aesthetic defined by real estate developers and builders, offering very little architectural value.

To be sure, there are highly significant buildings—including historical downtown classics like the Martinelli Building, modernist examples by Rino Levi and Artacho Jurado in Higienópolis, and contemporary experiments in Vila Madalena designed by Isay Weinfeld and Triptyque. Unfortunately, these examples are few, dwindling to almost zero as we move toward the outskirts.

I am obsessed with the idea that we can change this reality by hacking existing buildings, fostering a new urban identity, boosting civic pride, improving quality of life, and promoting innovation and sustainability at viable costs.

From the desk of Rogelio Salmona, with a wonderful view of Torres del Parque in Bogotá, we present our selection of the best Colombian architecture photography, captured by the followers of ArchDaily Colombia on Instagram.

Remember to tag your Colombian architecture photos on Instagram with the hashtag #ArchDailyCo for a chance to be featured in our upcoming roundups.

It was in Granada, specifically at the Alhambra Palace, where on October 14 and 15, 1952, a group of Spanish architects including Miguel Fisac, Secundino Zuazo, and Fernando Chueca met to reflect on and establish a new direction and foundation for modern Spanish architecture. The outcomes of that meeting were summarized in a document whose tenets remain remarkably relevant today, known as the Alhambra Manifesto [pdf].

Sixty-five years later, under vastly different historical, social, and cultural circumstances, architects from across Spain are gathering once again in Granada for the III National Congress on the Future of the Architect. Running from yesterday, Thursday, April 11, to tomorrow, Saturday, April 13, the event serves as a platform to share experiences, analyze the current state of the profession, and debate the future possibilities of this exciting field.

Fábrica Puigneró is a project by Santi Julià Xercavins and Bernat Pedro Planas, focusing on the adaptation of abandoned industrial infrastructure in towns that were once heavily dependent on industrial production.

For their final thesis project at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, the authors designed a comprehensive intervention for the former Hilados y Tejidos Puigneró textile mill in the town of Sant Bartomeu, Spain. "This transformation and retrofitting of the factory aims to generate a new livable framework, utilizing selective demolition and the integration of public space as its primary strategies," the authors explain.

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A project developed for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games has been awarded Gold in architecture at the 2018 iF Design Award. The Dancing Pavilion, designed by architect and designer Guto Requena for the Olympics in Brazil, has just received the Gold Award, the highest architectural category of the iF Design Award. The trophy was presented to the designer during a ceremony in Munich, Germany, in March. According to the jury:

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The 60th visit of the open course Arquitetura Paulistana, taught by architect Marco Artigas, took participants to the bar Pitico, a project designed in collaboration by Marina Portolano, Julia Masagão, Joana Barossi, Marcelo Dionísio, and Anna Ferrari.

A wealth of culture and exceptional natural beauty make Paraty and Ilha Grande in Angra dos Reis a unique destination. This is the premise supporting the nomination of Brazil's first mixed site for World Heritage status. Experts from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), advisory bodies to UNESCO, visited Brazil from September 10 to 16 to evaluate the site for global recognition. 

This article was originally published on September 20, 2019.

At first glance, the outlook—both global and national—is not very encouraging; indeed, it seems as though the world is spinning out of control¹… simply turning on the news or checking social media brings us face-to-face daily with complex issues such as corruption, war, and violence. The truth is that the evidence is clear: among global afflictions, the consequences of natural disasters top the list. In this context, how society behaves as a whole in response to emergencies is well worth analyzing²…  this raises the question: how does the collective human consciousness respond when its survival is put to the test? Is it possible to find qualities like solidarity in this day and age? Let us examine two perspectives on this issue from globally renowned authors.

In the 57th meeting of the open course Arquitetura Paulistana, taught by architect Marco Artigas, students visited the Teatro Brasileiro de Comédia, designed by the firm Urdi Arquitetura. Begun in 2013, the project covers over 3,000 square meters of built area and involved collaboration with lighting, audiovisual, acoustic, and structural engineering professionals.

Estudio Lamela has unveiled the design for the Torre del Río project in Málaga, Spain. The residential complex comprises three 21-story towers featuring apartments where the living rooms and master bedrooms enjoy direct views of the Mediterranean Sea.

“The project pays meticulous attention to the layout of public open spaces surrounding the towers, connecting them to the buildings' communal areas through different volumes,” the firm explains.

When developing an architectural project, regardless of scale or program, architects face a series of decisions regarding the construction method to adopt, considering various aspects—structural, economic, available labor, aesthetics, among others—in pursuit of the best solution.

To address the many questions that arise during design development regarding the choice of structural systems, we have prepared a practical guide to the main types of cast-in-place and precast concrete slabs that designers should know, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Learn more below:

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The news spread quickly that Wednesday afternoon. Chilean architect Eduardo Castillo, a partner of Smiljan Radic, was in critical condition following a car accident earlier that day in Santiago. The local architectural community barely had time to react before his unexpected passing at the age of 45 was confirmed the following morning, Thursday, October 5, 2017.

During the recent XIX Architecture Biennial of Chile, we spoke with Spanish architect José Luis Vallejo, co-founder of Ecosistema Urbano. The Columbia GSAPP academic reflected on addressing the problems of the contemporary city through new horizontal citizen participation tools that can offer solutions tailored to the dynamic, constantly changing reality of our urban environments.

Vallejo is critical of the education and current role of architecture schools in addressing the real-world problems of cities and society. "Our academic training was highly disciplinary; interestingly, 20 years later, in a society that has changed radically, it remains exactly the same environment in which architects are still being educated," he comments.