English: Architect from the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Urban Planning of the University of Buenos Aires (FADU-UBA). Collaborator at ArchDaily. Her interests involve projecting and thinking about urban planning and architecture from people. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Instagram: @agustinainiguez_
In a quest to enhance and attract new natural experiences to city centers, the design, planning, and revitalization of certain urban spaces align with strategies aimed at improving the quality of life for residents while maintaining a connection with nature rooted in the local landscape. Through technical solutions for wastewater treatment and stormwater drainage, improved accessibility, incorporation of recreational activities, introduction of native vegetation, and more, numerous parks, plazas, and gardens are integrated into urban and rural fabrics. These efforts seek to filter pollution, purify the air, address social issues, and promote experiences that foster connections between nature, biodiversity, and society.
Museo Nacional de Arte Contemporáneo (MNAC) / Luis Manuel Pereira + del medio atelier + Baile Menduiña. Image Cortesía de del medio atelier
The concept by Baile Menduiña and del medio atelier, coordinated by Luis Manuel Pereira, ranked first in the public design competition for the renovation and expansion project of the National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC), located in the historic Chiado neighborhood in Lisbon. Among the 29 projects submitted for the competition, the jury, composed of Carlos Bessa, Elisabete Moura, and André Caiado distinguished a total of five projects and awarded a series of honorable mentions.
As the year comes to an end, we take a moment to honor the careers and contributions of celebrated architects, designers, and artists who passed away in 2024. These influential figures have left a lasting legacy in the built environment, prompting deeper thought about the role of their disciplines in society and their ability to evolve over time.
Whether through their work in academia, professional practice, or the arts, each of these individuals stood out for their dedication to advancing the fields of architecture, landscapes, design, materiality, and more. From Pritzker Prize-winning architect Fumihiko Maki to renowned sculptor Richard Serra, each showcased a unique vision and approach to design, leaving behind a wealth of knowledge to explore.
Combining experience, knowledge, tradition, innovation, and experimentation, Estudio Planta, based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, focuses on fostering the relationship between architecture and nature by using vegetation as a building material and integrating outdoor spaces into daily life. Addressing the unique characteristics of each site, programmatic innovation, sustainability, care for noble materials, and construction details, the practice defines its identity by proposing ways of living in harmony with its inhabitants and understanding the legacy that architecture can leave for society.
La Valiente Focaccería + Maíz / OHIO Estudio. Image Cortesía de OHIO Estudio
Creating spaces for social interaction involves design processes aimed at countering the individualization of people by fostering bonds and connections between them. While advancements in information and communication technologies provide new tools that optimize the development of certain activities and functions, their societal impact often tends to increase individual practices, such as remote work, virtual fitness activities through apps, or the digital consumption of goods, services, and events, among others. From architecture and interior design to urban planning, many emerging practices face the challenge of consolidating spaces for social interaction through design strategies, uses, and natural connections that prevent the replacement of physical space with virtual alternatives.
Accessibility in architecture is essential for creating built environments that accommodate of all ages, from young children to the elderly. In both public and private buildings—whether residences, infrastructure, or facilities—the design of internal pathways, circulation areas, and entrances and exits must prioritize safety, clarity and efficiency. This approach enhances daily activities and ultimately improves quality of life. ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems offers a wide range of products, including automatic, industrial, and commercial doors, as well as digital solutions, to meet user needs.
Amid a significant global housing shortage and an increase in urban growth, the residential phenomenon of co-living is expanding, fostering a community-based lifestyle where socialization becomes a fundamental principle. Resources, values, interests, and experiences are shared, creating new ways of living. While co-living buildings also incorporate spaces for individuality, this new form of communal domesticity emerges as a viable alternative suitable for diverse users, not only students or young adults but also older residents, promoting efficient space utilization and intergenerational interaction.
The evolution of new technologies, innovative applications, and a shift towards sustainable solutions are central to contemporary hotel architecture. These developments aim to raise awareness about environmental care while enhancing indoor comfort and well-being. From expansive resorts and tourist complexes to cabins and remote retreats, the design of common areas incorporates essential furniture for effective activities, proper climate control equipments, and wall and floor finishes that align with specific needs.
Not all people share the same routines, habits, or customs, yet we all have the same fundamental needs, regardless of age, social class, gender, culture, or religion. Designing bathroom spaces involves considering parameters of accessibility, technology, cleanliness, comfort, and durability, while offering efficient and sustainable solutions that ensure optimal performance. But what does functionality in architecture really mean? How do usage patterns evolve over time? Geberit products showcase various design proposals through their Mix and Match approach that blend furniture, sinks, and other bathroom accessories, all conceived to meet the diverse requirements of their users.
Espacio Escultórico de la UNAM. Image Cortesía de Andrés Cedillo
Integrating contemporary art with the landscape in a dialogue between human creation and the natural environment, the Sculpture Space of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) represents one of the most important public artworks in Latin America. Both the Sculpture Space and the Pedregal de San Ángel Ecological Reserve at UNAM in Mexico City have recently been awarded the Carlo Scarpa International Prize for Gardens 2023-2024, granted by the Benetton Foundation for Studies and Research based in Treviso, Italy. They were recognized for their high natural, historical, and cultural value as works of preservation and collective art that emerged from a lava surface where new neighborhoods and UNAM’s University City were developed.
Art and architecture go through a series of interpretive processes before their creation that involve recognizing a capacity for wonder, experimentation, communication, and imagination. Sharing sensitivities and creative quests, they can transform the experience of the world by responding to a collective set of ideas that, at times, design, paint, and write about themes related to the connection with nature, the role of society in the built environment, the sensations conveyed by spaces, and more.
On October 24, 2024, the Rogelio Salmona Latin American Architecture Prize award ceremony took place, honoring works that have significantly created meaningful, open, and collective spaces for the public in the region. During the event, held at the Virgilio Barco Public Library auditorium in Bogotá, Colombia, the winners of this prestigious award were announced. This year marked the fourth cycle, titled "Open Spaces/Collective Spaces," with participation from 47 projects.
The jury, composed of international figures such as Sol Camacho (Brazil-Mexico), Nicolás Campodonico (Argentina), Carlos Campuzano (Colombia), and Mauricio Rocha (Mexico), first shortlisted 26 selected works, from which two were awarded the first prize in the Latin America and Colombia categories.
Community Development Center in Tapachula / Laboratorio de Acupuntura Urbana. Image
How do community centers emerge? Why do they often represent a need for the appropriation and development of society? In the pursuit of improving the quality of life in the most vulnerable communities, community centers present themselves as an alternative capable of providing healthcare, educational, cultural, and recreational services, along with spaces that contribute to the present and future development of communities. In Mexico, numerous community centers are created and supported by government institutions, civil foundations, or private companies, as well as co-management initiatives that aim to integrate children, youth, adults, and older adults into spaces for gathering, socializing, and recreation, where they can engage in activities from learning to developing individual and collective skills.
One City Park in Bradford, England. Image Courtesy of Rieder Facades / Ditz Fejer
Contemporary architecture evolves in tandem with the materials and construction techniques available in each region. In addition to the architectural trends of the moment or historical ideas that may inspire creativity, understanding how materials are used, cared for, and maintained, as well as their technical and aesthetic properties, is crucial to the concepts envisioned by many architects. Each material carries its own inherent logic. In fact, architect Louis Kahn suggested that the way materials interact can lead to unavoidable combinations of structure, walls, and assembly in buildings. Rieder products exemplify this by offering modular, flexible solutions that help buildings seamlessly adapt to urban environments, enhancing both interior and exterior spaces while maintaining cost-effectiveness.
What is urban renaturalization? How is it possible to reintegrate nature into the urban environment? With increasingly limited access to nature for the population and growing exposure to environmental hazards such as noise or air pollution, resource scarcity, climate change, and more, the development of "renaturalized" spaces in cities is seen as a tool capable of improving the quality of life for citizens and designing spaces for gathering, resting, and leisure areas for the common good, while also balancing urban development with biodiversity and the benefits of ecosystems. One of the many architecture firms involved with this concept is 08014 arquitectura, based in Barcelona, which, through its Plaza-jardín Rocafort and Paseo Comte D'Ègara projects, aims to revitalize certain urban areas, paying particular attention to improving the quality of life for citizens and their connection to the natural environment.
Faced with the aging of the global population, one of the most significant social transformations of the 21st century is anticipated. The design of patios, gardens, terraces, and other green areas in facilities for the elderly presents an opportunity to foster interaction, participation in various collective activities, and the establishment of gathering spaces aimed at reducing loneliness among older adults while enhancing well-being and social interaction in connection with nature. How can built environments be created to adapt to the needs of older adults?
How do pavilions emerge in architecture? What role do they play in urban spaces? Beyond the multiple interpretations that exist around the world, the pavilion, as an architectural principle and typology, tends toward extroversion, often associated with a centrifugal nature and visual openness toward the horizon, which is linked to its origins as a tent offering shelter from the elements. Pavilions are usually identified as isolated and independent structures that can promote lateral openings in the urban space, panoramic or introspective views, technological reflections, and material experiments that are recognizable from the outside or once inside.
