From the 1930s to the 1990s, Burle Marx's work anticipated many of today's concerns about sustainability and urban well-being. Long before terms like "sustainable design" or "green infrastructure" became commonplace, Burle Marx was already advocating for the use of native plants, recognizing their role in creating self-sustaining ecosystems that required minimal intervention. His projects often transformed neglected urban areas into vibrant, ecologically balanced spaces that not only improved the environment but also enhanced the quality of life for city dwellers.
Mirante do Gavião Amazon Lodge / Atelier O'Reilly. Photo: Jean Dallazem
The architecture of indigenous peoples is deeply rooted in their surroundings, in the sense that materials are locally sourced and empirically tested, to discover the construction techniques and dwellings that best respond to the values of the community and their understanding of housing. The situation in the Amazon is no different. Many different groups of people have settled on the land and water, developing many unique building skills that attract a lot of architects working in these regions. As a result, there is an exchange of knowledge, combining native cultures and novel architecture.
Nothing is more representative for an office than carrying the name of the country on its identity. Far from seeming banal, the architecture of Brazil in Brasil Arquitetura undergoes a thorough analysis that highlights aspects of Brazilian culture and society.
In recent years, several movements in Brazil and around the world have contributed significantly to society by emphasizing the need to occupy public spaces in the cities to claim quality and freedom of use for the community. The Ocupe Estelita movement in Recife, Brazil, for example, confronted the growing real estate speculation in the region and challenged the aggressive commercial urban planning on the banks of the Capibaribe River. Based on cases like this one, professor, critic, and curator Guilherme Wisnik, in an interview with Fora, addressed the issue of public space as a place of conflict.
Understanding the relationship between body and space is fundamental to offer the many different experiences that architecture can provide. To reflect on the distinctive scales that encompass the work of an architect, from buildings to furniture, we interviewed Marcelo Ferraz, co-founder of Brasil Arquitetura and Marcenaria Baraúna. His outlook and experience illustrate how the body and its symbolism are crucial when designing a project regardless of its scale.
During the modern period, the buildings that used the traditional sloping roofs with tiles, draining the waters as quickly as possible, have begun to give way to the well-known 'waterproof flat roofs.' In spite of delivering a clean aesthetic to the project, allowing the use of the last slab as a space for living and contemplation, this solution can become a headache for its occupants if its execution and design are not careful. It is no accident that there have been infiltrations in famous modern buildings, such as the Vile Savoye or the Farnsworth House, designed by great masters of architecture. Currently, the civil construction industry has developed more sophisticated products and techniques that drastically reduce the chances of subsequent infiltration. However, we could say that waterproof flat slabs continue to be fragile points in buildings. The architects from Brasil Arquitetura have improved an inventive and very simple solution to avoid infiltrations in flat slabs, much used in the 70's by architects like Paulo Mendes da Rocha and Ruy Ohtake, filling them with vegetation.
The Brasil Arquitetura office, formed in 1979, is an architect’s association led by Francisco Fanucci and Marcelo Ferraz, having executed emblematic projects such as the Yellow Quarter in Berlin, Germany, the Rodin Museum in Salvador, Bahia and the Praça das Artes in São Paulo, among many others. Both were very close to Lina Bo Bardi at important moments in her professional life, including the construction of Sesc Pompéia. In several projects, they faced the challenge of rehabilitating old buildings, such as the Museu do Pão, Praça das Artes, Rodin Museum and Sesc Pompéia itself. We spoke with the office to know more about this type of intervention.
https://www.archdaily.com/890928/brasil-arquitetura-reveals-how-building-recovery-is-about-meeting-the-real-demands-of-societyPedro Vada
In honor of International Museum Day we’ve collected twenty compelling museum projects. In this round up you’ll find a truly global selection; from Wang Shu's Ningbo Historic Museum in China and Tod Williams + Billie Tsien's Barnes Foundationin Philadelphia to Monoblock's Contemporary Art Museumin Buenos Aires, see all of our editors’ favorites after the break!
https://www.archdaily.com/631994/archdaily-editors-select-20-more-amazing-21st-century-museumsAD Editorial Team
Wiel Arets, Dean of the College of Architecture at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and Dirk Denison, Director of the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize (MCHAP), have announced the inaugural MCHAP shortlist – 36 “Outstanding Projects” selected from the 225 MCHAP nominees.
“The rich diversity of these built works is a testament to the creative energy at work in the Americas today,” said Arets. “When viewed alongside the innovative work by the MCHAP.emerge finalists and winner, Poli House by Mauricio Pezo and Sofia von Ellrichshausen which we honored in May, we see the evolution of a distinctly American conversation about creating livable space.” See all 36 winners after the break.
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.jpg?1541081334 "Praça das Artes. © Nelson Kon")
.jpg?1541081352 "Image Cortesia de USINA CTAH. ImageVista do Mutirão Paulo Freire")
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