Marked by refinement and purity of design, Portuguese architecture historically maintains a sharp relationship between the built object and the territory in which it is situated.

Names like Álvaro Siza Vieira, Eduardo Souto de Moura, and Fernando Távora remain the primary references when considering Portuguese architectural production. However, beyond these great masters, a group of young firms established over the last ten years has demonstrated strength and relevance in shaping this new output. In this landscape, new attributes are emphasized: an aesthetic and constructive sensibility rooted in modern minimalism—yet questioned and renewed in accordance with contemporary social and philosophical parameters; the merging of hybrid fields, from art and product design to architecture and urbanism; and an increasingly collaborative process based on collective ideas.

The Agisa Todeschini Ideas Competition brought together architects and students of architecture and urbanism to select and award the three best free-design concepts utilizing one or more habitable modules as an interactive space for the beneficiary institution. In addition to a cash prize, the competition winner will design a furnished habitable module to be built and donated to Lar Infantil Sol Amigo—an organization supporting vulnerable children in Curitiba—to serve as an educational and interactive space.

The Van der Driesche House, designed by Spanish architects José Antonio Martínez Lapeña and Elías Torres Tur—winners of the 2016 National Architecture Award—has narrowly escaped demolition, avoiding yet another loss of contemporary Spanish architectural heritage to cultural insensitivity.

On Tuesday, September 18, the Island Council of Ibiza approved a decree suspending the demolition of the Van der Driesche House for up to three months. Because the building is currently neither listed nor declared of cultural interest, the next step is to take the necessary measures to preserve its cultural value, preventing any work or intervention that could alter the complex's original features.

On the occasion of the recent edition of the Latin American Social Workshop in Chucuito, Peru —XV TSL Puno—, ArchDaily en Español and the Latin American Coordinator of Architecture Students (CLEA) invited all participating students to reflect on their personal experience in a recent call for articles. The text, originally titled "Construyendo Lazos" (Building Bonds) by Indira Fernández and Diana Hernández—members of the Puma Workshop led by Lucio Torres and students at the Universidad Veracruzana in Mexico—was selected as the winner of this open call.

Indira and Diana focus on the challenge that the TSL has faced in recent years: it is no longer merely a construction workshop, but also a platform for future architects to practice different methodologies of citizen participation and integration during the design process, while simultaneously discussing the challenges and threats facing so-called social architecture.

Being part of a team dedicated to understanding emotions, traditions, and cultures is deeply rewarding, but it also prompts you to question the ultimate purpose of practicing architecture. What could we expect from a social workshop in a country other than our own, Mexico? What can be learned from a community located 3,870 meters above sea level? What can we, as students, contribute?

The construction of a four-tower housing complex just steps from the historic center threatens Cartagena (Colombia)’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The community is currently awaiting a judicial ruling on the Aquarela case, the name of the multi-family social housing (VIS) project.

According to statements by the Bolívar Business Council (Consejo Gremial de Bolívar)—the organization tasked with promoting competitive development in the city and department—the situation is delicate, as the advanced stage of construction complicates potential decisions. Given that the city is one of Latin America's primary tourist destinations, the lack of oversight from national and local authorities—who failed to act in accordance with the planning principles outlined in Article 2 of the Colombian Constitution—is difficult to explain.

Few neighborhoods possess a collection of modern residential architecture of such high caliber as Higienópolis. Works by Vilanova Artigas, Artacho Jurado, and Rino Levi, among many other prominent architects, coexist with historic mansions along its tree-lined streets. The planned subdivision was the first in São Paulo to feature gas lighting, street trees, streetcar lines, and water and sewage networks. Furthermore, because it is located mostly on higher ground, it did not suffer from flooding and was less prone to diseases such as yellow fever, typhus, and malaria. Originally settled by São Paulo's aristocracy, the neighborhood remains highly valued and sought-after today. Particularly between the 1940s and 1950s, numerous plots were developed with modern buildings characterized by outstanding design, construction quality, and generous spaces.

The illustrations were developed by Fabrizio Lenci, architect, illustrator, and partner at Vapor 324, for the newspaper *A quadra*, based on a selection curated by André Scarpa. Below, discover a brief history of each of the illustrated buildings:

Whether you are collaborating on a project with peers, entering a design competition, starting a new firm with a friend, or simply entering the workforce: regardless of your current academic or professional stage, sooner or later you will have to face the collaborative reality inherent to our discipline.

Teamwork offers many positive facets and learning opportunities that working alone simply cannot match. However, if not managed properly, it can lead to awkward moments, heated arguments, fractured friendships, and other risks, both major and minor. Therefore, whether you are working with your best friend, your partner, a studio classmate, or an office colleague, there are certain guidelines you should always keep in mind.

Closed for renovations since 2010, the Sesc branch on Avenida Paulista now has an official opening date: April 29. Designed by the firm Königsberger Vannucchi Arquitetos Associados, the renovation project transformed the former Sesc Paulista space, creating three auditoriums, workshop rooms, exhibition areas, rehearsal and fitness rooms, as well as the traditional services offered by all Sesc branches, such as a café, restaurant, and shops.

Focused on performing arts and body movement, the program of Sesc Paulista is spread over 17 floors, featuring a rooftop café and an observation deck overlooking the avenue. 

The Sebrae Sustainability Center (CSS), designed by architect and urban planner José Portocarrero, won the BREEAM Awards 2018 for best sustainable building in the Americas, as well as the popular vote category. Inspired by indigenous dwellings, which are benchmarks in bioclimatic design, the building in Cuiabá (MT) stands out for its thermal comfort and maximum use of natural light. Its double-shell roof enables internal cooling and rainwater harvesting, which is filtered and stored for garden irrigation and floor washing.

Just as architectural elements—floors, walls, and ceilings—shape and define built space, plant elements are also capable of shaping open spaces across large, medium, and small scales, from parks to residential gardens, acting as spatial structure. According to Benedito Abbud, "Landscape design is the only artistic expression that engages all five human senses. While architecture, painting, sculpture, and other visual arts rely heavily on sight alone, landscape design also engages smell, hearing, taste, and touch, providing a rich sensory experience by combining the most diverse and comprehensive perceptual experiences. The more a garden can stimulate all the senses, the better it fulfills its role."

To offer practical insights for landscape design projects, we have published a series of articles on the topic. In the first post, we discussed planes, clearings, and tree layouts, while the second covered trees, shrubs, grass, and groundcovers in open spaces. In this article, we will focus on shrubs, grasses, groundcovers, and paving.

As ride-hailing services like Uber continue to gain popularity and draw attention for their impact on traffic congestion and other urban ills, cities around the world, from Washington, D.C., to São Paulo, are moving toward the inevitable next step: targeted fees.

This comes as no surprise. Recent research shows that these services are contributing to declining public transit ridership and an increase in private vehicles on the streets. However, new taxes and fees should do more than just raise revenue. They have the potential to make cities more livable and transport more sustainable. If ride-hailing services are taxed, this revenue must be allocated carefully, in ways that improve urban mobility as a whole.

The exhibition "Women Architects XIX-XX" on the role of women in the history of the profession, installed at the University of Beira Interior (UBI) in Portugal, was vandalized between last Friday night and Saturday morning. Held by the Integrated Master's in Architecture of the university's Department of Civil Engineering, the exhibition occupied the building's lobby and was destroyed, likely by punches and kicks, according to an article published by the Portuguese newspaper Expresso.

Aiming to reflect on how "the visibility of women architects in the context of established architectural history is minimal and does not do justice to their actual and real presence in building cities and architecture," the exhibition, organized by Patrícia Santos Pedrosa, showcased the results of research on the production and presence of female architects over the past two centuries who contributed to expanding "the way we make, think, and question architecture."

Earlier this year, the full list of nominees for the 2018 Oscars—selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences—was announced, and anticipation is building to see which films will take home the top honors in this edition.

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0-VOID is an inflatable pavilion developed as part of the third-year Architectural Design studio taught by BASE studio (Bárbara Barreda + Felipe Sepúlveda) at the School of Architecture and Art of the Universidad del Desarrollo in Santiago, Chile. The pavilion synthesizes and embodies the themes explored throughout the semester, centered on the potential inherent in pneumatic systems for formulating unconventional geometric, material, and spatial responses.

Its design was developed through an iterative process between 1:1 material exploration and digital tools, informed by a series of preceding exercises conducted by the students during the semester.

National Architect and Urban Planner Day, celebrated on December 15, has officially become law. Law 13,627/2018, which adds the date to the official Brazilian calendar, was signed into law by the Presidency of the Republic on January 16. This marks an important step in the process of professional recognition initiated by CAU/BR and regional CAUs since their creation in 2011. The Council began operating precisely on December 15 so that its establishment would coincide with the birth date of Oscar Niemeyer.

With one month to go before its opening, the details of the official program for the 21st Pan-American Architecture Biennial of Quito (BAQ2018) have been announced. Marking its 40th anniversary, the event will focus its dialogue and debate on architecture itself.

To be held from November 19 to 23 in the Ecuadorian capital, the event offers a prime opportunity to discuss and debate a discipline that, in recent years, has seen a decline in the spaces dedicated to fostering such encounters and dialogue.

Josep Lluis Sert, un sueño nómada

The strong influence of Le Corbusier's work and philosophy on Spanish architect Josep Lluís Sert established him as a key figure in local architectural history, sparking one of Spain's first rationalist movements. In 2013, thirty years after Sert's passing, filmmaker Pablo Bujosa Rodríguez released the documentary Josep Lluís Sert: un sueño nómada, which Radio Televisión Española is now making available to the public on its program Imprescindibles.

This documentary traces the life and career of one of the leading figures and benchmarks of 20th-century Spanish architecture—a tireless champion of the Modern Movement who advocated for a functional architecture integrated with other visual arts, such as painting and sculpture.

Designed by Ángel Arroyo Aguilar, the Muelle del Cochayuyo project was selected as one of the 10 winners in the Thesis Projects category of the 2018 Concurso Arquitectura Caliente (CAC 2018), a Chilean competition organized by Grupo Arquitectura Caliente and funded by the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage.

My intention was never to reinvent the wheel, but rather to bring it to this remote place.

It has been 453 days since I arrived on these shores, where I was initially not welcome, seeking to immerse myself in the traditions and ways of inhabiting unfamiliar territories. I discovered incredible people and landscapes steeped in craft, and I set out to change the constraints under which the local inhabitants lived.

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For the first time in its history, the São Paulo International Architecture Biennale opened a call for proposals to select the curators for its next edition. Consequently, on August 31, the Instituto de Arquitetos do Brasil - Departamento São Paulo (IABsp) announced the curatorial team that will lead the XII São Paulo International Architecture Biennale.

With the proposal Todo Dia, the winning team is composed of Brazilian architects Ciro Miguel and Vanessa Grossman, alongside French architect Charlotte Malterre-Barthes.

Below is an excerpt from the winning proposal's statement:

It is inevitable that heavy, static structures come to mind when we think of architecture. However, columns, beams, and slabs are by no means the only elements that define it.

Pneumatic architecture is characterized by lightweight, flexible materials supported on fixed bases. Due to their lightweight nature, these structures cannot support themselves on their own; instead, they span openings through the injection of air. In other words, they are structures shaped by pneumatic membranes inflated by air systems that operate much like a hot-air balloon or historic zeppelins filled with a gas less dense than air. These systems fall into two main categories: those supported by internal air pressure and those stiffened by it.

Bogotá is well-known for its diverse public markets, which not only host the sale of meat, grains, fruits, and vegetables, but also serve as spatial representations of Colombian culture.

These traditional establishments have grown alongside the city's population, undergoing significant spatial transformations over time. For locals, they remain the essential place for grocery shopping, while for tourists, they are major attractions offering a sensory exploration of Colombia's diverse flavors, aromas, and textures.

Opened last Saturday (16) at the Museu da Casa Brasileira in São Paulo, the exhibition “Experimenting Le Corbusier – Contemporary interpretations of modernism”—curated by Pierre Colnet and Hadrien Lelong of design publisher Cremme, with exhibition design by the São Paulo-based office MNMA Studio—seeks to foster a reflection on the implications of the Franco-Swiss architect's work for the architectural, urban, ideological, and social development of Brazilian modernism.

Featuring 20 guest artists—architects, designers, and visual artists—who developed various works and research based on the canons of the architect's work, the exhibition seeks to operate through the “transdisciplinarity of art,” as noted by Mariana Schmidt, the partner-architect responsible for the exhibition design.

The impact of the Santiago Metro's new lines, recognition for a new metropolitan park in the capital, and the final design for the Barón Pier in Valparaíso. Indeed, a week dedicated to major metropolitan projects is the focus of this edition of La ciudad chilena en la prensa, the ArchDaily column where we cover what is happening in Chile's major cities.

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The Catalan architecture firm Flores & Prats Architects presents the launch of the documentary series ESCALA 1:5, which explores the design process of the international drama center at the new Sala Beckett in Barcelona. Produced by the independent production company 15-L, the documentary consists of five 10-minute episodes directed by Patricia Tamayo and Albert Badia.

Following its premiere on December 14, 2017, at the Girona Cinema in Barcelona before an enthusiastic crowd of about 200 spectators, the episodes are now available on demand on The Architecture Player channel on Vimeo.