The winners of the Vila dos Mellos Competition, promoted by Escola da Cidade, have been announced. Aiming to select five model single-family residential designs featuring rationalized construction for the Vila dos Mellos Condominium—a development that plans for the construction of 101 homes—the competition specified that each lot would receive one of the five winning designs, chosen at the discretion of the new owner.
UPDATE: This article has generated a much larger response than expected, and we feel it is our duty to clarify the situation. At no point does the article suggest that the project in Artur Nogueira is a plagiarism of the French project. Plagiarism, by definition, is presenting someone else's intellectual work as one's own, and this article makes no such claim. What it does state is that the project in Brazil is a copy of the French one, without accusing anyone of plagiarism or clarifying whether or not permission was granted to copy the design. We were contacted by the owner of Colégio Futura Plus, who informed us that during the design process, French architect Raphaelle Hondelatte was contacted and authorized the use of the elements mentioned in the text—specifically, the yellow giraffe and the cantilevered white volume. As soon as we receive new information, we will update the article again.
To what extent can architecture draw inspiration from references without being considered a copy of another building? This discussion raises diverse and controversial opinions that prompt us to reflect on the issue of architectural copyright and recall the infamous architectural replicas produced in recent years in China, which mimic everything from iconic buildings to the French capital itself.
Media and social networks are abuzz. This time, the controversy centers on a proposal by architect Rafael Viñoly to build a three-building complex—including a skyscraper rising well over 250 meters tall—on the site of the former San Rafael Hotel in Punta del Este, Uruguay.
The Chilean firm Biourban Arquitectos has been awarded the design of the new bus terminal in Castro, located in the far south of Chile. The project will be situated in the historic center of the main city on Chiloé Island and will feature parking, a supermarket, a shopping mall, and an urban viewpoint.
"Part of the challenge of the new concession is to leverage the social and urban benefits of being in the heart of the city, with excellent accessibility to all basic services," the authors state.
Walking through the streets, we encounter various shapes, colors, textures, sounds, and smells. Our senses are activated, and these stimuli connect us to the place we are in. Cities are often synonymous with exhaust fumes, engine noises and honking, and shades of gray. The scarcity of natural or built elements that convey a sense of safety, comfort, and aesthetic pleasure contributes to our ongoing discontent and frustration in the urban environment. These feelings fuel a lack of connection between people and places, a lack of empathy for others, and a detachment from the public realm.
As Europe's second most visited built heritage site, behind only the Colosseum in Rome, St. Mark's Basilica in Venice receives over 5 million visitors annually. Yet, under the strain of this massive influx, the 11th-century Byzantine mosaic floors seem to be succumbing to the effects of the floating city's tides.
The undulations in the basilica's floor are visible to the naked eye—feet have not touched them for a decade, as visitors are only allowed to walk on synthetic carpet runners—and they have even cracked at the most critical points, especially in the center of the building. Currently, only 20% of the geometric marble and stone patterns are original; the rest has been restored over the last ten centuries by the artisans of the St. Mark's Workshop.
Moisés Hernández (Mexico City, 1983) is a Mexican designer who graduated with honors in Industrial Design from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education in 2007. Hernández has always been drawn to the simplicity and refinement of objects; his inspiration stems from Mexican objects, traditions, textures, contrasts, and the chromatic diversity of his surroundings, as well as the experience of living in a chaotic, overpopulated city.
With the aim of "reducing response times and streamlining the processing of certificates, permits, and final approvals," Chile will launch a digital platform called DOM en Línea, as reported by the newspaper La Tercera.
Currently, every municipality, regardless of size, has a Municipal Works Department (DOM). This department is responsible for ensuring compliance with local urban planning and construction regulations. Consequently, the DOM is tasked with authorizing new construction projects through an in-person, paper-based process; therefore, the DOM en Línea platform will allow these procedures to be completed online.
The Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture has announced the four finalists for the MCHAP.emerge, the emerging practice award of the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize - MCHAP, which recognizes the most outstanding architectural works in North and South America. Every two years, the prize is awarded at an event held at IIT's S. R. Crown Hall, Mies van der Rohe's masterpiece in Chicago.
Among the finalists for this edition is a Brazilian project: the Children's Village in Formoso do Araguaia, Tocantins, designed by Rosenbaum and Aleph Zero. Of the other three finalists, two are from Mexico and one is from the United States.
The online portal of Exame magazine published a list of professions and roles that "are on the decline in Brazil," based on hiring numbers for the first quarter of 2018. The article points to cost reductions and the introduction of new technologies as the main factors driving the decline in demand for certain professionals.
For the third edition of Casa FOA, architects Giulia Carboni and Macarena Canales collaborated to create "Genderless Bathroom," a space that champions the shared, unisex nature of public restrooms. Guided by this concept and inspiration, the design focuses on gender-neutral restrooms constructed from planes of color and light.
Furthermore, the layout guides visitors along a path highlighting a mural by Santiago Ascui, where human figures facing mirrors fragment both the artwork itself and the reflections of those passing by.
A place of reference for the memory and identity of the Guarani people, the Tava, located in the area of the São Miguel Arcanjo Historical Site in São Miguel das Missões (RS), was built and inhabited by their ancestors at the request of their deity, Nhanderu. This sacred site has been recognized as MERCOSUR Cultural Heritage. The decision was made and announced at the XVII Meeting of the MERCOSUR Cultural Heritage Commission, held on October 30 and 31 in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Nine of the architect's unbuilt projects, which have never been exhibited in Brazil and were only previously shown at the Venice Biennale in 2000, are featured in the exhibition, which opens in his honor a month and a half before his 90th birthday. In total, the show brings together 11 of his most radical and experimental works, which share common themes of water, nature, landscape, and territory beyond the architectural scale.
About three billion people, or 40% of the global population, will need new housing by 2030. This will require building approximately 21 million new homes per year worldwide.
Several of the fastest-growing countries have ambitious targets to meet this need. The Indian government aims to build 20 million low-cost homes by 2022. Nigeria targets one million homes built per year over the next decade. Indonesia's president has launched the One Million Houses program to serve low-income citizens.
As part of Semana UTEM 2018 in Chile, the **Infraestructuras en Obsolescencia** (Obsolete Infrastructures - WIO) workshop brought together 21 teams from the Faculty of Architecture at the Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana (UTEM). These teams developed design proposals to intervene in seven obsolete structures in Santiago, ranging from a currently closed pedestrian bridge to a dilapidated train station.
Featuring international guests Luis Tombé (Colectivo720, Colombia) and Walter Leone (Leone Arquitectura, Venezuela) —who also participated in the CONTRAPOSICIONES lecture series and delivered keynote addresses at the Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile—, each team comprised seven students from different years of the architecture program, guided by two faculty advisors.
Three months ago, the 20th Chilean Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism opened in Valparaíso. Titled "Diálogos Impostergables" (Urgent Dialogues), the 2017 edition was an invitation to understand the design and construction of our cities through a broad lens—one that incorporates aspirations and knowledge from outside the discipline.
As the most important event in Chilean architecture, this year's biennial served as a platform for projects reflecting on what we consider urgent in architecture and urbanism. Simultaneously, it examined how the profession can engage with those living on the margins, whose needs and aspirations have long been neglected in urban development.
Originally published in the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio de Valparaíso, this column written by Alberto Texido, President of the Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile, addresses the current urban landscape of Valparaíso after the Chilean Supreme Court's ruling declared the building permit for a mega-mall —Mall Plaza Barón— on the waterfront of the Chilean port city illegal.
With the judicial outcome of the Puerto Barón project decided, there is little room for celebration. Instead, there is concern over the more than 15 years lost by Valparaíso, its authorities, the business community, and its citizens, who have failed to reach a consensus to move past neglect and lack of investment. Yet, beyond this regrettable litigation—which has exposed a collective inability to bring projects to fruition—it is this very status quo that has been overcome, at least by an active citizenship ready to build a new local representation. From its outset, and unlike its predecessors, this movement has successfully offered a counterpoint, demanding maximum quality, better public participation, and regulatory compliance for major urban projects.
Concluding the activities of "Urban October," celebrated annually, the UN designated October 31 as "World Cities Day" to promote a greater exchange of experiences among countries on how to address the challenges of growing global urbanization and contribute to sustainable development.
Six outstanding projects across four categories were recognized in Chile with the 2018 Urban Contribution Award (PAU), an initiative promoted by the Chilean Chamber of Construction (CChC), the Ministry of Housing and Urbanism (Minvu), the Architects' Association, the Association of Architectural Offices (AOA), and the Association of Real Estate Developers (ADI).
The award was open to any company with projects in Chile. As the project owners, these companies represent the rest of the professional team and firms involved in the work, including architects, construction companies, structural engineers, and landscape architects, among others.
The progressive de-urbanization of Detroit—occurring, paradoxically, during what is supposedly “the era of cities” as a consequence of the collapse of economic structures and social organization—has transformed what was once one of the most economically vigorous US cities of the mid-20th century into a vast footprint of vacant plots, creating isolated islands and solitary objects on the plain.
KPF has released the latest construction progress photos of The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences. Located on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah—the emirate’s premier resort destination—the 45-story building comprises 806 guest rooms and 256 apartments. The main structure stretches along the coast, forming an “open-air screen” against the sea.
The overall design deconstructs the traditional hotel and residential “resort block” into individual volumes. These separated masses are stacked to create fourteen “sky courts” and twenty sky terraces, offering fully open, private outdoor spaces accessible directly from the guest suites and apartments—a layout that seamlessly integrates indoor and outdoor living. Each residential apartment features a private plunge pool and garden designed to maximize shade and harness year-round breezes blowing across the water and vegetation, ensuring these private oases remain cool and comfortable throughout most of the day. While current construction photos reveal the primary massing of the main building, the sky courts are still taking shape.
Our partner Vidrio Andino has shared valuable insights into the world of glass with us, helping us better understand how the material behaves and guiding us in choosing the right glass for our architectural projects.
From A to Z, read on to discover why thermal shock should be avoided, what solar factor actually means, and exactly what tempered glass is.
Prompted by significant inefficiencies and silos in their workflow—where design, modeling, and documentation were treated as separate tasks—David Miller Architects (DMA) decided to transition the firm to the world of BIM (Building Information Modeling) in 2008. While their transition proved highly successful, the trial-and-error process yielded key lessons that are crucial for any firm looking to rethink its architectural design processes.
During a June 2018 conference in Santiago, Chile, we spoke with British architects, including representatives from Planbim, during a workshop titled “Why Implement BIM in 2020.” The session outlined seven key takeaways to help architecture practices adopt this paradigm shift.
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Ultimately, the construction concluded with a celebration. With the completion of "Not Only a Playhouse" ("Uma Casa de Brincar e Não Só..."), Casa da Arquitectura – Portuguese Centre for Architecture handed over the facility last Friday, August 10, to the residents of the Guarda Housing Complex in Perafita, Matosinhos, Portugal. Music and performances brought a lively close to two weeks of intense work during the second edition of "O Lugar de Partilha" (The Sharing Place).
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