Architectural Photography: The Latest Architecture and News

In many parts of the world, more women have architectural degrees than men. However, this fact hasn’t translated past university into the working world as women continue to be underrepresented across nearly all levels of practice.

The conversation regarding women in architecture gained tremendous traction back in 2013 with the petition for Denise Scott Brown to be recognized as the 1991 Pritzker Prize winner, alongside her husband and the consequent rejection of that request by Pritzker. The Architectural Review and Architect's Journal have, since 2015, jointly presented awards to the exceptional female practitioners as part of their Women in Architecture Awards program. The swelling of these movements have helped to promote not only the role but also the recognition of women in architecture.

Architect Liz Diller and architectural photographer Hélène Binet have been awarded the 2019 Jane Drew and Ada Louise Huxtable Prizes, respectively, for their exceptional contributions to the field of architecture. The prizes are part of the eighth edition of the Women in Architecture Awards founded jointly by The Architect's Journal and The Architectural Review.

Last week, we covered the work of Moscow-based visual artist Danila Tkachenko, whose “Monuments” project appropriated abandoned Russian Orthodox churches with abstract modernist shapes. Tkachenko’s further work, “Restricted Areas” is equally as impressive, focusing on the human impulse towards utopia through technological progress.

The “Restricted Areas” photography set distills humanity’s strive to perfection through recording abandoned Soviet infrastructure. Traveling to now-deserted landscapes which once held great importance as centers of technological progress, Tkachenko captured images of “forgotten scientific triumphs, abandoned buildings of almost inhuman complexity” and a “technocratic future that never came.”

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Moscow-based visual artist Danila Tkachenko has developed a project researching the boundaries of historical memories in Russian Orthodox churches. “Monuments” involved the sensitive appropriation of the abandoned rural churches, erecting lightweight structures in abstract modernist shapes.

The project sought to explore the area between fact and fiction, reflecting on “humanity’s inclination to exploit images of the past for the sake of our current needs, and future goals.” The structures, all abandoned in 1917 following the Russian Revolution, were adorned with striking modernist elements which, although visually powerful, can be dismantled following the project’s completion with no effect on the landmarks.

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To honor renowned Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer’s birthday (December 15, 1907), Slovenian photographer Danica Kus published a series of black and white photographs highlighting Niemeyer’s surviving architecture. The architect, who passed in 2012 at the age of 104, is considered one of the greatest modernist architects of the 20th century.

Kus’ photographs accentuate the hyperbolic curves characteristic of Niemeyer’s design, while also highlighting the geometric harmony of rectilinear elements. In an exclusive interview with ArchDaily before his death, Mr. Niemeyer described his personal definition of architecture: “In my opinion, architecture is invention. And under this prism is how I do my projects, always searching for beautiful, expressive, different and surprising solutions.” This photo series encompasses the subtleties of Niemeyer’s premier works and spans his career.

The architectural and engineering feats of Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava can be admired around the world, but his City of Arts and Sciences, designed alongside Felix Candela, has remained a modern architectural marvel. Like many international visitors, Lebanese photographer Anthony Saroufim found himself inherently attracted to the highly publicized building complex with a specific, tailored angle - unraveling the relationship between the built reality and the people interacting with it.

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Alvaro Siza orchestrates, like no other, the experience of the visitor in his works. By means of compressions and decompression, openings and closings, volumes, voids and light, the Portuguese architect marks the paths, points of view, and perspective of the passage of time. In this photo essay, Ronaldo Azambuja photographed the Iberê Camargo Foundation ten years after its inauguration.

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Architect and photographer Romullo Fontenelle of FLAGRANTE studio shared with ArchDaily a series of photographs from the recently inaugurated Japan House Sao Paulo, a project by Kengo Kuma in partnership with the local office FGMF Arquitetos.

The global initiative by the Japanese Government aims to "create a vision of contemporary Japan." Opened May 2018, Japan House combines art, technology, and business to offer an escape to present day Japan. 

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Andres Gallardo’s photo series “Urban Geometries” continues, this time the self-taught photographer chose to capture the architecture of Milan. The series focuses on the architectural contours of contemporary structures, varying in both age and function while highlighting the materiality of the façades, architectural, industrial details of each building.

Gallardo’s Milan series features the work of Zaha Hadid Architects and Grafton Architects. Other images in the series include elements of the city that often go unnoticed, such as a series of colorful recycling receptacles.

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The winning entries of the Siena International Photo Awards 2018 have been unveiled. The “Architecture and Urban Spaces” category winners offer a wide range of subjects, locations, and perspectives, from the relationship between the Moon and the Leaning Tower of Pisa to snow-capped “Toy houses.”

The Siena International Photo Awards saw 48,000 images submitted from 148 countries. The announcement of the winners coincides with the launch of the “Beyond the Lens” exhibition of the winners, running until 2nd December 2018 in Siena.

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Tijuana is one of the most populated cities in Mexico. In 2000, the construction of collective housing boomed. This phenomenon completely transformed the limits of the city; the periphery exhibited a new appearance: a modernized future, new urban schemes, and a new lifestyle.

Bogota's modernization between 1940 and 1970 is featured in a wide array of books, magazines, and photo albums, as well as in the city's own public and private archives. Every one of these sources reveals a deliberate, as well as critical, approximation of how modern architecture reconfigured the city's center and brought together the new buildings and urban space with the already existing cityscape.

When analyzing the impact of photography from the street, it's impossible not to talk about Leo Matiz, Armando Matiz, and Hernán Díaz. These three photographers have captured the personalities, events, and urban life of Bogotá. Here, we've compiled some of their most noted works featuring the streets, plazas, crosswalks, and landmarks of Bogotá. Through their photography, modern heritage finds a place on the stage of collective memory, where architecture and urban spaces are the stars. 

In this edition of Bogotá in 10 photographs, we will come to know the legacy of Leo Matiz:

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Andres Gallardo, the self-taught Spanish photographer, recently traveled to Paris to capture the city’s urban architecture, documenting the spirit of the buildings, the city’s rich architectural history, and international design influence.

Gallardo describes the city as “magical,” which he chooses to document in both monochrome and color photographs, incorporating overall perspectives and small structural details that often obscure the structures’ overall identity.

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In the next chapter of his ongoing Urban Geometry project, self-taught Spanish photographer Andres Gallardo captures the elements of color, form, and materiality of post-war architecture in Berlin. This photo series, with installments featuring the modern marvels of Beijing, Seoul, Copenhagen, and Tallinn, among other cities, has become representative of Gallardo's personal growth from his humble start in his career as a professional photographer.

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The shortlist for the 2018 Architectural Photography Awards have been revealed, bringing together 20 atmospheric images of the built environment. Categories this year ranged from a “portfolio of an individual building to a single abstract: with a professional camera or on a mobile phone.”

The 2018 edition saw a record number of entries, with photographs from 47 countries, including the UK (28%), USA (20%), Germany (6%), and China (5%). The 20 photographs were selected from four categories: exteriors, interiors, sense of place, and buildings in use.

Matthias Jung's "Houses" series depicts finely stitched architectural facades against the picturesque landscapes of Northern Germany to create surreal architecture. Commencing as a childhood pastime in his father's photo lab, his passion for collaging has evolved into his career as a designer and artist.

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In recent years, social media (especially Instagram) has become an extremely important tool in the field of architecture. Instagram has become the go-to visual platform for showcasing a wide variety of architectural typologies and styles, city views, and stunning edifices that often go unnoticed. While these buildings may seem ordinary to the everyday passerby, they become objects of art for not only architects but those who stop to take notice of their design.

Below we have selected 13 Instagram accounts dedicated to highlighting facades and walls from around the world, showcasing the diversity of our cities.

Andres Gallardo's ongoing Urban Geometry series captures unique forms, colors, and shadows of modern architecture of various cities. The project is a personal one for Gallardo, as it has been a long-term photo series that has accompanied him throughout his journey in becoming a professional photographer, displaying his development and evolution as he captures the architectural beauty of cities such as Beijing, Helsinki, Seoul, and Copenhagen.

Below is the Copenhagen chapter of the series, a visual poem that allows us to see the city in new ways. Through flowing line and bright bursts of color, Gallardo displays an almost surreal version of the city, where the jagged forms and smooth curves of its modern architecture have replaced human presence.

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