What began as a project to promote Paraguayan art has turned into a compelling showcase for local architecture. This is how The Society Paraguay was born in 2014, a collective currently made up of Mauricio Paiva, Salma Abraham, Leonardo Méndez, and Verónica Díaz de Vivar.
"Our beginnings stemmed from the desire to produce, document, and disseminate information on the architectural, artistic, and design worlds in Paraguay," the founders explain in a conversation with ArchDaily en Español. Although it is currently a purely digital project, they explain that their goal is to complement it "with printed material that can achieve a broader reach."
The exhibition Vkhutemas: The Future in Construction 1918-2018, currently on view at Sesc Pompeia and curated by Neide Jallageas and Celso Lima, introduces the public to the Soviet pedagogical experience of Vkhutemas — the Moscow School of Arts and Techniques, founded in 1920. Despite its brief existence, closing in 1930, the school's teaching and production methodologies exerted a profound influence on the 20th-century global art scene.
As a major driver of natural resource consumption, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions, the construction industry has a significant impact on the environment, consuming 32% of global energy and contributing to 34% of global CO₂ emissions. Building materials play a crucial role in shaping the built environment. Through principles of circular economy, renewable and self-sufficient solutions, and technological innovations, analyzing the environmental performance of each material highlights the opportunity to review and assess the different stages of its life cycle.
By establishing a common framework for measuring and managing the environmental impact of building materials, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) emerges as a key approach. This methodology provides a comprehensive evaluation of the environmental impacts associated with products, processes, or activities throughout their entire life cycle. From raw material extraction, manufacturing, and transportation to construction, use, and end-of-life treatment, the analysis considers the environmental burdens linked to each stage. In the context of building materials, LCA offers a holistic and systematic approach to assessing environmental performance and identifying opportunities for design optimization, among other improvements. In this way, it quantifies impacts such as carbon emissions, energy consumption, water use, air pollution, waste generation, and ecosystem depletion.
From the field of architecture and construction, the concept of material reuse is closely tied to circular economy and the reduction of carbon footprints, paving the way toward a more sustainable and responsible future. By incorporating recycling practices, recovery, restoration, and/or the reuse of demolition materials, resource efficiency along with the reduction of energy consumption makes it feasible to experiment with techniques, applications, and new materials that honor the memory of spaces while also bringing new life to both interiors and exteriors.
This International Women's Day, we celebrate the contributions of women in architecture, a field traditionally dominated by men. While dominant narratives may overlook their significant impact, as the history of architecture is replete with examples of women subtly but powerfully shaping the profession. When limited to a draftsman position, Ester McCoy took a step back not to disengage but to better observe. She became the first architectural critic and historian to notice the unique flavor of Modernism developing along the West Coast during the 1950s, bringing names such as Richard Neutra, or Luis Barragan to the forefront of architectural discussions. Similarly, the name Aline Louchheim may not be a widely recognized one among architects, but, because of her, the name Eero Saarinen surely is. The profession of architectural publicist also emerged through this collaboration. These stories remind us that recognizing women's achievements in architecture is not about celebrating gender, but about acknowledging a historical bias that has hindered the entire field's progress.
On the first Monday of October, World Architecture Day offers an opportunity to reflect on the role that architecture plays in shaping our world and our communities. Established by the International Union of Architects (UIA) in 1986, this day was designated as a basis for the ongoing discussions on innovations in architectural practice, new approaches to the ever-changing role of architects and designers, and the varied responses to emerging concerns.
As in previous editions, UIA sets a central yearly theme to guide these conversations. This year, the theme of World Architecture Day 2024, "Empowering the Next Generation to Participate in Urban Design," opens up multiple interpretations, contemplating the impact of urban design on the next generation, as well as highlighting the impact and contributions of young architects in shaping the cities of tomorrow. This year's event aims to address crucial challenges faced by the urban environments and their impact on the next generations. The focus is on creating cities that are not only greener and more environmentally friendly but also inclusive, catering to the diverse needs of various groups in society.
In Paraguay, brick can be many things. Walls, dividers, facades, sieves, vaults, floors, and pavement are just some of the many example that demonstrate, not only the variety of uses for brick, but the ingenuity of the architects who choose to utilize it in their projects.
An apparent fragility shapes the design of the set built for the exhibition Taib: A History of the Theater, about the Brazilian Yiddish Art Theater (Teatro de Arte Israelita Brasileiro), founded in 1960 and built in the basement of Casa do Povo, a cultural center in Bom Retiro, São Paulo. With exhibition design by the collective Goma Oficina — a transdisciplinary design, architecture, and art association — the theater is staged on the first floor, presenting the powerful history of survival and re-existence of Jewish poetry despite the persecution and violence of the Nazi regime until the end of World War II.
The determination of focal points in the environments offers dynamism, personality and activates internal and external environments from the enhancement of decorative objects or construction elements. Here are some examples for you to understand what it is and how to use it in the design and decoration of your home.
The end of the 19th century in the Americas is marked by a wave of historical disputes and political transformations that have as a backdrop the search for a national identity. The period records a series of conflicts and disputes for the independence of what we now know as sovereign countries and republics. In this context, the Pan-American or Spanish-American movements emerged, which, despite having different political influences, aimed at the unification of all the territories of the American continent.
The choice of finishes is crucial to a project's overall quality, both for its aesthetic impact and its budget implications. Often, designers opt for modular flooring—materials installed in individual pieces—which requires a clear layout logic. This article explores different flooring patterns and how they can be applied to various materials.
Paraguay’s architecture radically transformed in the last century. For much of the country’s history, indigenous Guarani culture was the primary influence on the built environment. Later, colonialism would shape its cities and settlements. Today, the landlocked country has begun finding new ways to build upon its past, showcasing how residential design can break from tradition.
The casa chorizo is a residential typology historically used in Argentina, primarily in the city of Buenos Aires. It consists of a succession of similarly sized rooms connected along a longitudinal axis that open onto a gallery or courtyard, from which they receive light and ventilation. Typically built on plots between party walls, their service areas are grouped at the back. Today, numerous projects address the rehabilitation of this type of housing. These can be understood as research initiatives exploring how a city's characteristic construction matrix can be reviewed and updated to adapt to contemporary ways of living.
The city of Asunción hosted the XI Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism (XI BIAU). To mark the occasion, ArchDaily spoke with Paraguayan architect and coordinator of this edition of the international event, José Cubilla.
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