Architect and illustrator, Marta Vilarinho de Freitas has yet again enchanted us with her intricate drawings of cities in thin-line-pen on paper. The Portuguese architect has been exercising her passion in drawing through a series of drawings entitled, Cities and Memory - the Architecture and the City.
Fascinated by cities, Marta’s illustrations express her connection with architecture while still capturing the romantic and qualitative aspects of each city, its patterns, colors, atmosphere, and light.
Marta Vilarinho de Freitas combines fantasy with detailed accuracy in her compositions of stacked building facades, roof pitches, plans and sections along with elements distinct to the city depicted such as Dutch windmills, boats, books, and instruments.The process of creating these drawings is cyclical in that they continue to inform Marta of the spirit of each city as she draws each art piece.
The name Niemeyer stands for one thing above all: curves. Whether undulating lines, soaring domes, or swooping pillars that repeat in perfect rhythm, his designs reject “the straight line, hard and inflexible, created by man” in favor of “the curved Universe of Einstein,” as he wrote in his 2000 memoir The Curves of Time. Indeed, a late interview with him was headlined “the architect who eradicated the straight line.”
But what happens to an artist who becomes wedded to a certain philosophy of form and pursues it exclusively for decades; does it become restrictive? I wonder whether Niemeyer ever questioned his monogamous dedication to the curve. Perhaps a certain restlessness drove the uncharacteristically sharp-edged plan of the Tel Aviv house he designed for hotel magnate Yekutiel Federmann—or perhaps it reflects the political and personal upheaval of the moment.
The four hurricanes that slammed into heavily populated areas from the Caribbean to Texas this summer are inching toward a half-trillion-dollar price tag in damages—to say nothing of the work and wages missed by shutting down entire cities. Buildings are the most visible marker of a place’s resilience after a disaster strikes. Surveying the catastrophic damage forces a difficult question: How can it be rebuilt better?
While many architects have long clung to the old “form follows function” adage, form follows brain function might be the motto of today’s advertisers and automakers, who increasingly use high-tech tools to understand hidden human behaviors, and then design their products to meet them (without ever asking our permission!)
Biometric tools like an EEG (electroencephalogram) which measures brain waves; facial expression analysis software that follows our changing expressions; and eye-tracking, which allows us to record “unconscious” eye movements, are ubiquitous in all kinds of advertising and product development today—beyond the psychology or medical departments where you might expect to see them. These days you’ll also find them installed at the behavioral research and user experience labs in business schools such as American University in DC and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts.
What happens when you apply a biometric measure like eye-tracking to architecture? More than we expected...
https://www.archdaily.com/884945/heres-what-you-can-learn-about-architecture-from-tracking-peoples-eye-movementsAnn Sussman & Janice M. Ward
In a previous article, 5 Reasons Why You Need Multiple Architecture Portfolios, I discussed the importance of creating a targeted employment application. This process begins with selecting the office(s) where you would like to work.
So with the thousands of architecture firms out there, how do you know where to apply? I am sure you can come up with a few companies off the top of your head or perhaps you have a specific firm in mind.
Regardless if you are targeting one employer or are simply looking for a “new job” these strategies will help you create your ideal architecture firm list.
CODE – Competitions for Designers- launches “Logo Against Alzheimer’s”, a design competition aiming to create a logo for the Italian Association “Affetti da” that is going to support the families of people suffering from Alzheimer’s. The initiative offers a cash prize of € 10.000 to winner projects that will be selected by a renowned jury made of Milo Manara, Milton Glaser, Federico Babina, Margherita Urbani, Pietro Corraini, Mario Trimarchi (AIAP), Roberta Pantieri (Affetti da).
University of Miami School of Architecture faculty, students, and leadership enjoyed an unforgettable night at AIA Miami’s Design Awards Gala, taking home nine awards.
Taking photographs in fog can be an experience as chaotic as it is enchanting. Although working with this phenomenon can be risky, since fog dramatically modifies the available light and the atmosphere of a scene, if you know how to take advantage of it, the result can lead to perfect photographs. Below is a selection of 10 images from prominent photographers such as Kevin Scott, Richard Barnes, and Koichi Torimura.
Founded by collectors Yan Shijie and Cao Mei, the Red Brick Art Museum opened in May 2014 in the Chaoyang District to showcase Chinese and world art, since then, it has become a haven for photographers. In this photo series, He Lian focuses his lens on the museum and captures the sculptural beauty of the punctured brick walls.
Architect Dong Yugen has created a structure that is a piece of art in itself; the perforations, skylights and narrow windows manipulate light into the spaces, casting dramatic shadows and offering short glimpses outside. The grey tones implemented in the entrance to greet visitors softens the transition between the inside and outside, whilst guiding you through the building into the main hall featuring a sunken circle that can also be used as an auditorium.
At the end of September, we invited our Spanish-speaking readers to send us their social housing proposals completed at a university level. Social housing is still a challenge for much of Latin America and although every year hundreds of architecture students work on projects that reflect their concerns in the social housing field, its visibility is very low and its materialization is null. At a time when the Global South has pursued its own responses to its own problems, the university response on social housing should be taken into account by the State, both of whom are interested in the common good.
Out of 116 proposals received from Spain and 11 Latin American countries, this selection of 20 ideas represents the different challenges and state of the problems in social housing. While some approach Colombia's post-conflict scenario for rural inhabitants, some propose answers to the insertion of social housing in already densified areas, to which the beneficiaries tend to be relegated by the value of land and housing. Other ideas point to the reconversion of infrastructure, modulation, the integration of indigenous peoples and natural disasters.
We believe that the selection not only highlights the efforts of students and academics to address contingent problems but will also open up the discussion about social housing, often relegated only as a one-dimensional problem when in reality, poverty is multidimensional.
https://www.archdaily.com/883952/the-best-university-proposals-for-social-housing-in-latin-america-and-spain-in-2017ArchDaily Team
Blockbuster movies and buildings are somewhat related; both take multi-million-dollar budgets to produce, individuals work in large teams and coordinate with one another towards a single deliverable, and they both contribute to the development of society and culture. The relationship between film and architecture is prolific, especially when considering the work being produced at SCI-Arc.
Architecture firm Penda has created "Urban Nest," a new small living concept in collaboration with BMW China's MINI LIVING group for the recent Shanghai Mini Life Exposition. The installation is constructed from a series of 3 by 3 by 3 modules housing different program elements that can be combined to create a variety of flexible living arrangements.
Higher education is on the cusp of a major transition. It’s extremely likely that professional training, including that necessary to become an architect, will be conducted primarily online in the relatively near future. This means that design studio classes, a hallmark of the architect’s experience, will also happen online, likely without the in-person, face-to-face contact that defines that experience. The shift will eliminate many self-defeating aspects of today’s studio culture, but there’s also potential pitfalls that need to be addressed, before an online version of that culture acquires its own bad habits. We can do this by pro-actively devising new teaching and working methods that leverage the capabilities of digital education to promote constructive social dynamics between students.
Downtown Studio's latest design for a street library in Bulgaria, that utilizes the tools of parametric design to create a wooden structure that is light and transportable.
The project, a natural undulating form that develops in a semicircle, is constructed by a series of wooden modules that provide a public space with shelves to store and share books.
Walking in through the entrance of the Experimentarium by architecture firm CEBRA, visitors can immediately take notice of the radiating copper Helix staircase. The Helix staircase is 100 meters long, supported with 160 tons of steel and clad and 10 tons of 7mm thick copper.
From the moment we attend our very first lecture to the peak of our careers, architects are plagued with stressful events that are unlike any other profession. Meeting deadlines, dealing with planning and fabricating the dreams of our clients, our job can be intense and extremely demanding.
Often when we complain about it to our non-architect friends, however much they try, they don’t quite understand. They are not used to the impact that moving a staircase or rotating a plan might have on our workload, nor can they relate to losing a favorite pen. But among ourselves, we can wallow in our pain together as we go through just what makes our job so stressful (and rewarding)!
Winter is here, the streets are full of festive lights and store displays are decorated with gift-wrapped goodies which must mean only one thing—the holiday season is upon us!
Architects, ArchDaily has got you covered: our 2017 holiday gift guide features over 40 ideas, with gifts ranging from the slightly wacky to the delicately designed. This year the list includes an assortment of concrete furnishings and accessories, space frame-inspired jewelry and architectural building blocks.
At a time when engineers, designers, and builders must find solutions for a resource-constrained environment, new wood technology, materials, and science are accelerating efforts to enhance safety and structural performance.
International Building Code requires all building systems, regardless of materials used, to perform to the same level of health and safety standards. These codes have long recognized wood’s performance capabilities and allow its use in a wide range of low- to mid-rise residential and non-residential building types. Moreover, wood often surpasses steel and concrete in terms of strength, durability, fire safety, seismic performance, and sustainability – among other qualities.
The media outbreak for architect Elisabetta Andreoli and artist Ligia D'Andrea’s book "Andean Architecture of Bolivia", which focuses on the work of Freddy Mamani - ex-bricklayer turned engineer and constructor- has become the excuse to talk about everything else related to the highland country of Bolivia.
Such as the shortcomings and luxuries of the rapid urban expansion dispersed in El Alto, the youngest city in Bolivia; the birth of a new Aymara bourgeoisie in the shadow of the white elites; and the birth of a contemporary architectural identity that bothers purists and makes Aymaras proud, but is rejected by local architecture schools. Below, you can find out more about this new type of architecture together with photos by Alfredo Zeballos.
The seventh house in the Arts & Architecture Case Study program was built with real clients in mind: a family of three with creative hobbies. The result, designed by Thornton M Abell, is a flexible home with a distinctive functional character.
The house divides neatly into three separate areas: to the left of the entrance, working spaces make up nearly half of the full floorplan, with living and sleeping areas off to the right and extending forward into the garden. Sliding panels between the roomy central reception/dining area and the cozy living room create the option of privacy or extra space, as required, with the terrace and splash pool beyond offering further possibilities for summer entertaining. A small planting area beside the sliding door blurs the line between indoors and out.
September 22nd marked the start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere. This season of the year is excellent for architectural photography due to the effects of nature, which delights us with wonderful red and orange foliage. To mark the beginning of this season, we have created a selection of 10 works captured in fall by prominent photographers such as Francisco Nogueira, Jorge López Conde, and Steve Montpetit.
Gunnar Birkerts, Latvian-born architect and educator, passed away on August 15, 2017, at the age of 92. A passionate advocate of a creative process he called "organic synthesis," he leaves behind dozens of built works over three continents and influenced hundreds of architectural students and colleagues through his inquiry-based process and dynamic interactions. Eric Hill and John Gallagher, in their AIA Guide to Detroit, said of Birkerts’ architecture:
Each of his works seems to be approached as an opportunity to explore the essence of an architectural problem, resulting in a statement that often exceeds the immediate project.
At my most recent job, I did all of my best work at home. I would actively try to avoid the office for as long as possible. At home, I had two desks and complete control over my environment. Distractions and breaks were choices.
Once I went into the office, the environment changed. There were constant distractions, from other employees, dogs barking (for the record: puppers were a net positive), impromptu meetings and birthday celebrations. It was very difficult to get into flow states and incredibly easy to be broken from them. Of all the places I could work, my desk at the office was often the worst option.
A UNESCO designated World Heritage site, Red Square is the historic center of not only Moscow but Russia’s cultural life. In the 1400’s, this city center was a poor, blighted area until Ivan the Great called on Italian architects to help him build the Kremlin, or fortress. This outdoor urban space is now home to St. Basil’s Cathedral, the State Historical Museum, the GUM Department Store and Vladimir Lenin’s mausoleum. St. Basil’s is one of the most recognizable buildings in Russia due to it’s unique domes, towers, cupolas, spires and arches. Some of the best Russian history and art lives behind the distinctive red brick walls of the State Historical Museum. The GUM Department Store makes Red Square a luxuriant shopping destination. In it’s lifetime, the Square has hosted innumerable speeches, parades, rock concerts and festivals.