Inaugurated in 1960, Brasília is perhaps the city in the world that most closely followed the principles and guidelines of modern architecture and urban planning in its design and construction. A synthesis of the vision of some of the most respected figures in the history of Brazilian architecture, its layout and buildings drew the world's attention to the nation's economic growth and Brazil's expansion into its own interior.

"Brasília is the dream come true of architects and urban planners. It is the only city in the world built where there was nothing but the cerrado, in central Brazil, and where the builders had complete freedom to apply the principles of the most modern urban planning without restrictions." 

Especially when it comes to public buildings, it is essential that spaces are designed to allow everyone to access them autonomously, regardless of mobility challenges. However, during the design process, aligning a project with accessibility codes can often become a major headache—especially when every single inch counts toward accommodating the required programmatic needs.

To standardize these requirements, NBR 9050 (2015) establishes technical criteria and parameters to be observed in the design, construction, installation, and adaptation of buildings, furniture, spaces, and urban equipment to meet accessibility standards.

Walls of Air is the theme guiding Brazil's participation at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice. Jointly curated by Laura González Fierro, Sol Camacho, Gabriel Kozlowski, and Marcelo Maia Rosa, the Brazilian Pavilion features 17 projects from different regions of the country, selected through an open call, as well as a series of large-scale cartographic drawings addressing various aspects of the country's urbanization through the lens of architecture.

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The proposal is part of a Master Plan that includes 32 experimental rural housing prototypes designed by different architecture firms invited to reflect on rural housing production across the country, as well as a welcome center designed by MOS Architects.

The project by Dellekamp Arquitectos, located in Apan, Hidalgo, Mexico, spans a total area of 1,465 square meters across two levels. It aims to enhance the duality between the welcome center and the central prototype area—which is framed by the two linear volumes—thereby strengthening the overall urban complex.

Closed for more than two years for renovations, the Altino Arantes Building, affectionately nicknamed Banespão by locals, will reopen to the public tomorrow in celebration of São Paulo's 464th anniversary. Built in 1947 to house the headquarters of the State Bank of São Paulo (Banespa), the 161-meter-tall skyscraper offered visitors access to its observation deck with panoramic views of the city.

Now, the downtown icon will feature a series of attractions including a museum on the building's history, art exhibitions, a skate park, and a loft available for rent on Airbnb.

It is a frequent observation that Brazilian cities have grown haphazardly, without proper planning. Likewise, it is often said that Brazil's urban legislation is modern, yet translating these best practices into reality remains a challenge. However, few people actually understand how the gears of urban planning work and how these mechanisms can help guide urban centers toward a better, more sustainable future.

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The 'Vivienda para Rosario' (Housing for Rosario) project by Rojkind Arquitectos + Dosa Studio arose in response to the events of 19S, when an earthquake with its epicenter in Morelos shook different areas of the country. In response, various organizations such as Reconstruir México, Pienza Sostenible, and Échale a tu Casa stepped in to support affected families by proposing long-term sustainable solutions. Guided by the premise that demolishing to rebuild from scratch was not the solution, efforts focused on promoting the reuse of existing materials and structures to facilitate diagnostic assessments and prevent future disasters.

Overlooking the Río de la Plata, in the quiet of Laguna del Diario, amidst trees and a vast sky, lies Casa Poseidón, an example of modern Uruguayan architecture designed by Samuel Flores Flores in 1978. Unsurprisingly—as private interests and a lack of awareness have made demolition a recurring theme—its quiet existence is being disrupted to make way for yet another casualty of the real estate market.

The announcement of its demolition, justified by the construction of a building complex, has sparked well-founded criticism from the community seeking to protect the country's tangible architectural heritage. What are your thoughts on this?

Declared an Asset of Cultural Interest at the district level by Resolution 626 of December 2017, the García Márquez Cultural Center in Bogotá is the last project by Rogelio Salmona, who passed away in 2007, a year before its inauguration. Below, the Rogelio Salmona Foundation shares the words written by the Colombian architect himself about his project in the heart of Bogotá.

Being invited to design the building for the headquarters of Mexico's Fondo de Cultura Económica in the heart of Bogotá was, for me, not only a privilege but also an enormous intellectual, professional, and urban responsibility.

How can we foster data-driven discussions during elections and ensure urban mobility indicators are integrated into planning agendas to be implemented once elected officials take office? With this question in mind, the team at the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP Brasil), in partnership with Purpose Climate Lab, has been working to influence campaigns in the cities of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Recife.

The strategy is to foster collaboration among local organizations and social movements active in mobility and sustainability agendas. Equipped with indicators compiled and made available on the MobiliDADOS platform, these organizations gain critical resources to influence the electoral debate. The tool presents illustrated, contextualized data on transportation realities across various cities and metropolitan areas, offering the necessary insights to challenge proposals from executive and legislative candidates.

Croquiseros Urbanos is a group of primarily Argentine architects who meet periodically to explore the city and document it using sketching as a tool. Launched in late 2010, this initiative aims to promote analog work while reflecting on space and its construction.

The collective establishes a meeting time and location, from which attendees freely and spontaneously explore the surroundings, capturing the situations or details that stand out to each of them. Afterward, participants gather at a prearranged spot to share their experiences and work.

Over the years, the group has expanded its reach to various cities across the continent through "special visits," arriving in Santiago this past April.

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As the end of the year approaches, we would like to thank our readers and contributors once again for making 2018 such a rich year for architecture. With your continued support, we are reaching more architects, students, and those outside the architectural community worldwide, inspiring them to build a better environment for everyone.

For the second time, we are giving our readers the responsibility of recognizing and rewarding the projects that have made the greatest impact on the profession through the ArchDaily Brasil Obra do Ano 2018 Award. By voting, you become part of an impartial network of jurors recognizing the most relevant projects of the past year.

Over the next two weeks, the collective intelligence of our readers will filter through hundreds of projects from Portuguese-speaking countries—Brazil, Portugal, Mozambique, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Macau, Cape Verde, and São Tomé and Príncipe—published in 2017, selecting the best built works in the Portuguese-speaking world.

From a pool of hundreds of works published in 2017, readers will choose their favorites, and the 15 most voted will move on to the second stage of the Award voting.

Choose and vote for your favorite projects!

The definition of a dream home has been updated—at least for those passionate about minimalism and sustainability who discover the home of Martin Freney and Zoe. Located in Adelaide, Australia, the residence was built by the couple inspired by Earthship, a sustainable architecture movement based on reusing materials to minimize environmental impact.

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Tatiana Bilbao is an internationally recognized Mexican architect who has helped position Mexico on the global architecture scene. One of the core principles of her practice is "creating dignified spaces to elevate people's lives" and building communities through spatial design.

On Saturday, May 12, at 12:00 p.m., the exhibition Perspectivas. Tatiana Bilbao Estudio opened at the Museo Amparo in Puebla, Mexico. The exhibition was first presented at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey (MARCO) in 2017.

Located in the eastern sector of the city, the former Parque Intercomunal de La Reina is Santiago's second-largest urban park—after the Metropolitan Park—covering a total area of approximately 500,000 square meters.

The project originated from a joint effort to create green spaces by the Mayors' Board of Providencia, Las Condes, and La Reina (established in 1967), who purchased part of the Santa Rosa de lo Coo estate to develop the park. Today, it is considered a vital green lung for Santiago, offering a diverse range of activities that bring residents together.

The renowned Spanish architect Sáenz de Oiza [1918 - 2000] was a devoted cyclist. As he himself confessed, his life changed completely after moving from Navarre to Madrid with his family to begin his studies at the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid [E.T.S.A.M.]—a move set against the backdrop of a Spain in political and social turmoil following the outbreak of the Civil War in 1936. In 1938, his father passed away, leaving him to take on, to some extent, the responsibility of supporting his family. These memories of emotional and financial hardship during his early years meant that, following his subsequent success as an architect, he spent a portion of his accumulated wealth on material indulgences he had been deprived of in his youth: high-end cars and bicycles, which he loved to collect.

Another memorable anecdote of his dates back to a spontaneous race against a stranger on the ride back from La Granja to Madrid. Near Puerta de Hierro, the stranger turned to him and asked, “Hey... what team do you ride for?” It turned out his unknown opponent was none other than Federico Ezquerra, a legendary Basque cyclist. That moment must have brought him great joy.

Based on pageview data, we have compiled a list of the 20 most popular architectural projects published on ArchDaily this year, both locally and internationally.

In an interview with El País, Bjarke Ingels discusses with architecture journalist Anatxu Zabalbeascoa the motivations behind his work and the factors that have made him one of the most prominent figures in global architecture.

Moving between the formal concepts that give his buildings their names—such as "snowflake" or "labyrinth"—and the competitive nature of the architecture world (his proposal replaced Norman Foster's for Two World Trade Center in New York), Zabalbeascoa questions Ingels more sharply than might be expected, at one point asking if "architecture can turn into a joke." 

"To create strong, modern pieces influenced by one's own heritage" is how industrial designer Emiliana Gonzalez and conceptual artist Jessie Young introduce their multidisciplinary studio, Persona.

Originally from Montevideo, Uruguay—though currently based in Los Angeles, CA—their focus centers on furniture design, with a material production distinguished by its austerity and continuity.

Have you ever wondered how an exhibition design is conceived? Or how it coordinates the staging of the displayed content?

Historically, what we know today as a museum began as a place to gather pieces and objects organized by typology. This is evident when looking at images of the so-called cabinets of curiosities or wonder rooms, which organized a vast array of rare objects and species (animal, plant, and mineral) brought back from the great explorations of the 16th and 17th centuries.

Centuries later, these collections began to gain traction, and former palaces transformed their hallways into long, continuous galleries, to which only their guests and residents had access. Later, in the 19th century, the emergence of pavilions dedicated primarily to the display of artifacts brought us closer to the modern concept of museums. We regularly publish various museum projects. But beyond their architecture, have you ever noticed the crucial role that exhibition design plays? Below, we outline some of the key concepts of exhibition design.

The Faculty of Architecture and Art at Universidad del Desarrollo held activities as part of the Detonating Experience II 'Contact with Matter,' which takes place three times during the program and aims to introduce future architects to each curricular cycle. Each exercise brought students closer to the construction and design of full-scale objects. The "Table" Workshop was led by the prominent firm Grupo Talca, featuring architects Rodrigo Sheward and Martín del Solar, while the EDII "Mast" was directed by professors Yanko Bugueño and Diego Martínez along with teaching assistant Magdalena Gallegos.

As part of the official program of World Design Capital CDMX 2018, thirteen renowned architects, designers, urban planners, writers, and artists will analyze the challenges, policies, and opportunities facing our cities. In a century marked by the city as a key driver of social interaction, discussing how urban areas function is essential to making them more sustainable and efficient, while improving the quality of life for their residents. The speakers will present their vision, share best practices, and contribute to the dialogue on new strategies for change that foster the well-being of our cities and their populations through design.

Videos

If you are taking your first steps in Revit, or would like to understand its practical integration with BIM, the following tutorial will be of great help. The course was developed by Mexican architect Alan Rodríguez Carrillo, who published a step-by-step tutorial on his YouTube channel to model the famous Farnsworth House, designed by Mies van der Rohe in the 1940s, in Revit .

Divided into six videos, the tutorial explains in detail how to model columns, walls, floors, doors, furniture, facades, ceilings, lighting, and even the visualization options for one of the Modern Movement's most iconic projects in Revit.