Renovations can often be a major headache. To avoid this, thorough planning and investing time in a comprehensive project are essential to ensure that every stage is executed on time and, most importantly, within budget. With this in mind, here are some tips and key elements to consider before embarking on a basic kitchen renovation.
The latest episode of Arquicast on construction industry trends explores the key themes that dominated architectural debate throughout 2021 and how these issues are shaping market expectations for the year ahead. Sustainability, innovation, technology, and workplace culture are among the core concepts discussed—all of which, in one way or another, seem central to the shifts on the horizon for 2022.
The future of urban planning may lie in Brazil's second-largest city: Rio de Janeiro. But it is not along the glittering waterfront of Ipanema, overlooked because it houses some of the most expensive real estate in Latin America. Nor is it in the city center, renovated for the 2016 Olympics and now the focus of a major urban revitalization plan. To glimpse the future of cities, one must pass by the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon to the Jardim Botânico neighborhood and then look up at the hills, where the immense neighborhood of Rocinha is perilously perched on the slopes.
An architectural project goes far beyond final plans, stunning renderings, or physical models. It progresses through several phases that generate a comprehensive set of documents—including technical drawings, written reports, and various other forms of representation—covering everything from conceptualization to construction. More than just a methodology, these stages are governed by standards, with NBR 13532 (Preparation of Building Projects - Architecture) serving as the foundation for the necessary conditions of architectural design development.
The choice to use private cars is understandable, extending far beyond the so-called "car culture." The convenience of point-to-point transit, flexible scheduling, and a sense of personal security justifies its use, especially where sustainable transportation networks do not adequately serve the entire population. But do drivers actually pay for the impacts they generate?
With a deeply social body of work dedicated to public use, João da Gama Filgueiras Lima, known as Lelé, became one of the key figures in Brazilian architecture. Over his 60-year career, he built hospitals, schools, transit terminals, bus shelters, courthouses, government offices, and other administrative headquarters.
Across all these projects, he combined a meticulous care for materials and the workforce with technical and artistic excellence. He understood, like few others, how to leverage natural light and ventilation to promote energy efficiency and user well-being.
No País dos Arquitectos is a podcast created by Sara Nunes, who also runs the architectural film production company Building Pictures. The podcast aims to introduce the professionals, projects, and stories behind landmark contemporary Portuguese architecture. With just over 10 million inhabitants, Portugal is a highly compelling country in this professional field, with an architectural output that far exceeds what its population or territorial scale might suggest.
In this episode, Sara talks with architect Adalberto Dias about the Guindais Funicular project in Porto. Listen to the full interview and read an excerpt of the transcript below:
Registration is now open for the second edition of the self-paced course “Heritage Education, Diversity, and Environment in the Federal District.” Open to the general public, the course is part of the work plan under a cooperation agreement signed between the National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage (Iphan) in the Federal District (DF) and the State Secretariat of Education of the DF (SEEDF).
Something is deeply wrong when the most beautiful streets in Brazil would be forbidden from being built today. Indeed, the vast majority of Brazilian master plans prohibit any of us from building houses and buildings with the very characteristics that led these streets to be voted the most beautiful in the country.
Seeking a more noble purpose for its Municipal Market, the municipality of Ponta Grossa, Paraná, launched a national design competition in September 2021. The site, previously filled with debris and hoarding, will be redeveloped to accommodate 180 commercial stalls, a food court, and parking. Last December, the jury announced Austral Studio, a Curitiba-based office led by architect Henrique Wosiack Zulian, as the competition winner.
Achieving greater independence in energy generation is one way to offset rising electricity bills. Consequently, small-scale renewable energy systems are becoming increasingly common. In Sorocaba, in the state of São Paulo, the startup Vida Maker has developed a micro-power plant that can be powered by solar panels, wind energy, and hydroelectric generators.
Operating as a generator, the system can serve as a power source for electronics, household appliances, and lighting.
In its most widely accepted definition, sustainable development is understood as meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own. While often associated with environmental and natural resource issues, sustainable development goes further, encompassing social and economic aspects such as justice, inclusion, and poverty eradication.
Marcelino Melo, also known as Nenê, is a multimedia artist who works with audiovisual productions and has recently gained recognition for his work with miniature house sculptures that depict life in the peripheries. Born in Alagoas, Nenê arrived in São Paulo in his early teens and discovered Hip Hop, a moment he considers fundamental to the development of his work. The sculpture project, known as Quebradinha, is featured in the Carolina Maria de Jesus exhibition at the Instituto Moreira Salles in São Paulo, while also amassing over 190,000 followers on Instagram, with videos and posts exceeding millions of views.
The Covid-19 pandemic hit public transit hard. Initially, global ridership dropped by up to 80%, and by the end of 2020, public transit was still operating with only about 20% of its pre-pandemic passenger volume. The concern is that, if public transit does not recover, people will increasingly opt for private vehicles.
Over the last few decades, discussions on addressing climate challenges have unfolded even as we experience their effects. Although cars and motorcycles are the primary emitters of pollutants, buses also play a significant role in greenhouse gas emissions and the rise of illnesses related to air pollution. In this regard, adopting new technologies, such as electric buses and alternative fuels, is essential to reducing their impact on public health and the environment.
In 2020, US-based startup Zoox revealed the prototype of its autonomous electric vehicle. Now, the robotaxi is entering an advanced testing phase in California.
Resembling a minivan, the vehicle is tall, boxy, and features sliding glass doors. Its large wheels and rounded corners stand out, giving it a cartoonish appearance.
No País dos Arquitectos is a podcast created by Sara Nunes, who is also responsible for the architectural film production company Building Pictures. The podcast aims to profile the professionals, projects, and stories behind leading contemporary Portuguese architecture. With just over 10 million inhabitants, Portugal is a highly fascinating country in this professional field, and its architectural output far exceeds what its small population or territorial scale would suggest.
In this episode, Sara talks with architect Eduardo Souto de Moura about the Braga Municipal Stadium. Listen to the full interview and read a partial transcript of the conversation below:
For the first time in history, the global urban population has surpassed the rural population. Today, 55% of people live in urban areas, and projections indicate this figure will reach nearly 70% by 2050—an increase of 2.5 billion urban dwellers. This prompts us to ask: what model of urbanization do we want for the coming decades? The answer depends on understanding rising urbanization rates as a challenge not only for cities but also for rural and peri-urban territories, whether productive or natural.
For the sixth 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 2022 Building of the Year Award. By voting, you become part of an unbiased network of jurors recognizing the most outstanding projects of the past year.
Over the next three 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 2021, selecting the best works built in Portuguese-speaking territories.
From hundreds of projects published in 2021, readers will choose their favorites, and the 15 projects with the most votes will move on to the second stage of the award.
The 2022 Building of the Year Award is presented by Dornbracht, an internationally renowned manufacturer of kitchen and bathroom fixtures.
São Paulo's downtown area clearly displays the contradictions of our cities. On one hand, vacant properties sit idle in areas well-served by urban infrastructure; on the other, the number of people experiencing homelessness is growing, sheltered in tents and precarious, makeshift structures.
When we think of healthcare, we think of doctors, nurses, surgeons, radiologists, and anesthesiologists – the people who treat illnesses and save lives.
Yet we often overlook a large group of people who make saving lives possible – medical coding specialists, healthcare service managers, hospital architects and engineers, and others working behind the scenes to deliver positive health outcomes.
UX Design, or user experience-centered design, is not, as is commonly thought, a field focused exclusively on the digital world, screens, and visual interfaces. Rather, it deals with the "complex networks of relationships that users have with one another and within the system itself," whether virtual, graphic, architectural, or urban. This is according to Cuca Righini, an architect who graduated from FAUUSP and a specialist in UX design, design thinking, and the pedagogy of cooperation.
No País dos Arquitectos is a podcast created by Sara Nunes, who also runs the architectural film production company Building Pictures. The podcast aims to profile the professionals, projects, and stories behind benchmark contemporary Portuguese architecture. With just over 10 million inhabitants, Portugal is a highly compelling country within this professional field, and its architectural output far outstrips what its population or territorial scale might suggest.
Students at Tunghai University in Taiwan have designed a type of artificial coral reef. The proposed structure is made of 3D-printed eco-friendly ceramic to help revitalize urban rivers.
While natural corals are irreplaceable and essential to ocean health, this 3D-printed structure has a specific mission: to provide shelter for aquatic organisms. This alone can help sustain various species.
