The concept of aesthetics goes back to the Greek civilization and refers to perception through the senses. Despite being a philosophical concept, in architecture, aesthetics is used to translate architectural ideologies and concepts from the set of constructive elements, forms and materials, being intrinsically linked to the physical shape of a building and, therefore, bound to a social, economic and political context. In addition to a discussion of tastes, architectural aesthetics is a source of historical reading and analysis.
After a prolonged period known as the Middle-Ages, a growing desire to both study and mimic nature itself began to emerge, with an inclination to discover and explore the world. Between 1400-1600 A.D. Europe was to witness a significant revival of the fine arts, painting, sculpture, and Architecture. The ‘Renaissance’, meaning ‘rebirth’ in French typically refers to this period of European history, although most closely associated with Italy, countries including England and France went through many of the same cultural changes at varying timescales.
Prior to the dawn of the Renaissance, Europe was dominated by ornate and asymmetrical Gothic Architecture. Devoured by the plague, the continent lost approximately a third of its population, vastly changing society in terms of economic, social and religious effect. Contributing to Europe’s emergence into the Renaissance, the period ushered in a new era of architecture after a phase of Gothic art, with the rise of notions of ‘Humanism’. The idea of attaching much importance to the essence of individualism. The effect of Humanism included the emergence of the individual figure, greater realism and attention to detail, especially in depictions in art.
Xi'an Qujiang Art Center by Xiaoxia Wang - gad. Image Courtesy of A'Design Award and Competition
“Good design deserves great recognition”. This statement encapsulates the A'Design Award and Competition, an award for designers, innovators and companies that wish to stand out and attract the attention of the media, editors and buyers. These aspects are especially important in the world of design, where millions of products and projects are launched, and often end up being swallowed up and not receiving due recognition. To address this, every year projects are submitted to the A' Design Award with a focus on innovation, technology, design and creativity. It offers a chance for recognition, with the valuable curatorship of a renowned jury and the possibility of a successful international launch. The A'Design Award contains a series of public relations, advertising and marketing services to celebrate the success of its winners. In addition, and unlike other design awards, it is completely free of charge.
The world's population is aging, and one of the major questions raised by this demographic shift—with more older adults than young children—is whether municipalities are equipped for these citizens to use urban spaces safely and accessibly, and to feel included in the social and civic life of their communities.
A United Nations (UN) report estimates that the number of individuals aged 65 or older is expected to double by 2050, growing from 727 million in 2020 to approximately 1.5 billion—representing 16% of the global population.
https://www.archdaily.com/1132240/how-to-make-a-city-age-friendlySomos Cidade
Summer, carnival, and transit fare hikes: the beginning of the year in Brazil is typically when municipal and state governments announce increases in public transportation fares. While these fares were frozen in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, many cities have faced hikes once again in 2022. Understanding the impact of rising public transportation fares on our society is crucial.
The award-winning firm based in London, England, Jan Kattein Architects, works to realize the civic and spatial opportunities that architecture presents’ with their projects establishing a social and physical legacy, achieved by embracing an open, interactive design process that responds positively to the needs and aspirations of the clients.
Allowing the process to drive each individual project, their method stimulates innovative design, seeking to add benefits through education, economic growth, cultural activity, and greater community coherence.
The Second Studio (formerly The Midnight Charette) is an explicit podcast about design, architecture, and the everyday. Hosted by Architects David Lee and Marina Bourderonnet, it features different creative professionals in unscripted conversations that allow for thoughtful takes and personal discussions.
A variety of subjects are covered with honesty and humor: some episodes are interviews, while others are tips for fellow designers, reviews of buildings and other projects, or casual explorations of everyday life and design. The Second Studio is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.
This week David and Marina are joined by Joe Fletcher, Architectural Photographer to discuss his transition from painting to photography; his experience with a formalized education in photography; how an architectural photographer can influence architects and architecture; his process; the distillation of architecture through photography; why photogenic buildings are not always comfortable to be in; and more.
Architects and designers, as well as psychologists and sociologists, recognize that aesthetics and its underlying philosophy have the power to change how we perceive the world around us. Consequently, a deeper understanding of what is beautiful holds the powerful potential to alter how people respond to their environment.
Exploring the different meanings of aesthetics in architecture, from 'form follows function' to the aesthetics of the metaverse, can help us understand the potential of our physical and virtual environments on the path toward a better world.
Much has been written on the subject, from Alberto Pérez-Gómez's "The Beautiful and the Just in Architecture" to Pablo Caldera's "The Failure of Beauty." Now, however, we want to open up the debate and invite you, our readers, to share your perspectives on what makes a building or a city beautiful.
Share your thoughts in the form below. Selected responses will be published in an upcoming article.
From April 11 to June 30, the Young Architects Festival (YAF), developed by Constructo, is taking place at the Ruinas de Huanchaca Park and Museum in Antofagasta, Chile. Within this space, Siglo 22 Arquitectos has created an immersive architectural installation activated by a series of events, including international lectures and a free public exhibition.
No País dos Arquitectos is a podcast created by Sara Nunes, who also heads 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 fascinating country within this professional field, and its architectural output is disproportionately significant compared to its population or territorial scale.
In this episode, Sara talks with Rui Dinis and Henrique Marques from the studio spaceworkers about the Romanesque Interpretation Center in Lousada. Listen to the full interview and read an excerpt of the transcript below:
Architectural visualizations have reached unthinkable levels, being a great source of inspiration and a fundamental part of the design process in architecture. This is why we are proud to announce the second edition of the ArchDaily Architecture Visualization Awards, where we will award the best of the year.
The National Architecture Award of Chile is presented by the Colegio de Arquitectos (Architects Association) to recognize "a lifetime dedicated to the service of architecture," according to the organization. First awarded in 1969, the inaugural recipient was Juan Martínez, architect of landmark projects such as the Law School at the University of Chile and the Votive Temple of Maipú.
Foster + Partners has revealed the design of the BWDC Residential Tower, a luxury apartment building in Manila, the Philippines. The new tower combines the city’s vernacular architecture and traditional veranda lifestyle with modern high-rise living. The project is the firm's latest in the tropics which responds to the regions’ intense weather systems, mitigating high temperatures and humidity through passive design strategies.
"The details are not the details. They make the design." – Charles Eames. Creating attractive spaces that anticipate the needs of users relies on several factors: scale, circulation, functionality, and comfort. However, the past few decades have proved that the visual appeal of a project is also greatly important, and can make or break the interior space. In this interior focus, we will explore the aesthetic side of interior design, looking at popular styles across the world and how architects and designers use elements such as color, furniture, accessories, and finishes to define their spatial identity.
It was 2019 when, within the workshop of YACademy’s course in Architecture for Landscape, a group of international students developed the project for a bivouac for the Brédy family. Today, thanks to that experience, a magnificent new intervention of contemporary architecture arises in the mountains of Aosta Valley, signed by Chiara Tessarollo, Skye Sturm and Facundo Arboit, alumni of the prestigious international academy.
David Chipperfield Architects and Toronto-based Zeidler Architecture, have won an international competition to transform the Block 2 parliamentary precinct, a 51,000 sqm redevelopment zone in downtown Ottawa, Canada. As a site with significant national importance, the project aims to not only provide facilities for democratic government and urban infrastructure, but also to represent the values of a nation and a vision for its sustainable and inclusive future. The project proposes a new public square alongside the main building and on axis with the Peace Tower, as well as an open space to promote dialogue between Parliamentarians, the community, and the wider public.
The Camden Highline, a London project that plans to turn a disused stretch of railway viaduct into a new elevated park and walking route, was submitted for planning. The 1.2km route, 8 meters above ground, will connect Camden Gardens in the west to York Way in the east. The design was awarded to a team led by James Corner Field Operations, the practice behind the New York High Line, who will work with Kentish town-based vPPR Architects, London artist Hew Locke, community consultation organization Street Space and Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf, among others.
Usually, people look for a beauty salon to leave transformed. In addition to the aesthetic changes, the environment itself can trigger different sensations that change the mood of customers. That being said, some establishments hire architects and interior designers to think of ways to innovate their spaces. Relaxing, having fun, surprising, are just some of the actions that can be passed through a project that thinks about different ways to bring comfort to users.
The hands hold the weight of the entire body, feeling the rough texture of unplastered mortar on its thin membrane. Even with the whole body stretched out against the wall, it still was not possible to see what was behind it. Sweat, in a mixture of adrenaline and heat, ran down his temples, indicating the movement for a final effort, a last impulse before the imminent fall that, for a few seconds, allowed him to overcome the last row. The field of vision was then opened to a fragmented, disconnected and oddly free world. An urban power that allowed itself to be strangled by the breath of tropical vegetation while being consumed by abandonment amidst an active and dynamic city.
The new, online NYC Climate Dashboard confirms that New York City is not doing enough to meet its climate goals. What’s worse, the goals don’t measure up to the challenge citizens face. A growing consensus among scientists says the world has only until the end of this decade to avert catastrophic climate change. Here in New York, the biggest contributions to greenhouse gasses come from our buildings and our driving. As an architect and urban designer, John Massengale shares what he believes the world is missing and some significant changes that the world can make for the sake of future generations.
Two thousand five hundred reais is the average price of a good virtual reality headset. If you opt for the full experience, shell out another four thousand reais to add sensors and controllers. These models must be connected to a high-performance computer to process information and transform spaces into 3D models, costing at least five thousand reais. In addition to the headset, sensors, and computer, software is also required, with annual licenses that likewise run into the thousands. In short, keeping up with technology nowadays is quite a costly endeavor.
Architects and designers, as well as psychologists and sociologists, recognize that aesthetics and its underlying philosophy have the power to change how we perceive the world around us. Consequently, a deeper understanding of what is beautiful has the power to reshape how people respond to their environment.
Exploring the different meanings of aesthetics in architecture—from "form follows function" to the aesthetics of the metaverse—can help us understand the potential of our physical and virtual environments on the path toward a better world.
Much has already been written on the subject, but we now want to open the debate to you, our readers. Share your thoughts on what makes a building or a city beautiful.
Leave your comments in the form below. These will be selected and published in an upcoming article.
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.jpg?1653033936 "Camden Highline aerial view visualisation. Image © Hayes Davidson")
.jpg?1653033928 "Camden Highline ground level view visualisation. Image © Hayes Davidson")
.jpg?1653033934 "Camden Highline axon drawing. Image © Camden Highline")
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