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_
Carpa Itinerante / Fabrizio Pugliese + Gabriel Huarte. Image Cortesía de Fabrizio Pugliese + Gabriel Huarte
Spanning over 20 million square kilometers and featuring nearly all the climates of the world, the Latin American region is home to endemic biological wealth and geographical diversity that ranges from some of the most significant rivers in the world to the mountain range of the Andes, the Amazon rainforests, the plains of Patagonia, the coasts of the Caribbean Sea, and more. In light of a collective effort involving local communities and new generations, the construction of installations and structures in these natural environments is aimed not only at meeting functional needs but also at educational, research, and environmental conservation purposes.
How does floating architecture relate to nature? How are wellness spaces connected to natural environments? Living in spaces around water continues to be one of the greatest interests and attractions for a large portion of the global population. Beyond the fact that designing on water requires consideration of various structural, economic, construction, material, and technological variables, understanding the region's climate aspects—such as rainfall, currents, winds, temperatures, and more—is essential for creating architectures that coexist with the natural world and do not cause severe damage to ecosystems.
What is the link between architecture and pastry? What design strategies are applied in the contemporary interiors of bakeries and pastry shops? While architecture can serve as inspiration for the design of forms and configurations of edible elements, it also contributes the techniques of descriptive drawing, architectural composition, and staged planning to the culinary language. Focusing their thinking on people and their needs, both disciplines strive for precision, with interior design being a broad field where the use of figures, colors, materials, and various equipment can be explored to enhance user experiences.
How is it possible to open educational spaces to the outdoors, and what are the appropriate conditions for their development? What bioclimatic strategies can be implemented to contribute to environmental comfort and the cultural preservation of communities? By conceiving outdoor learning spaces and blurring the boundaries between indoors and outdoors, the educational infrastructures projected by the Semillas association in the Peruvian jungle invite reflection on the opportunities for gathering, meeting, and community participation among students, families, and local residents. Linked to the site's uses and customs, this conception of space represents a way of living where the implementation of bioclimatic strategies, along with the use of local materials and construction techniques, come together to create an architecture connected to its environment and history.
The domestic space reflects individuals' activities, behaviors, and actions, where various dynamics and processes coexist as part of daily life. Although each home has its distribution logic according to the time of its design, the needs of its inhabitants, the technologies of the era, and other factors, residential interior renovations often express an interest in recovering old structures and façades, recycling unused furniture, restoring high-quality elements present in coverings and flooring, or directly integrating new features to achieve greater spatial fluidity, lighting, and optimization of surfaces.
What is the vision for a 21st-century library? How can architecture professionals foster the interest of new and future generations in reading? Globally, the rapid growth of communication technologies, along with the increase in available information and the constant need to update knowledge, brings with it new educational approaches, cultural practices, and community activities that involve the creation of more dynamic spaces capable of adapting to different functions simultaneously. The connection with play, the integration of other uses, or even the incorporation of new technologies typically play a central role in the interiors of contemporary libraries designed for a young audience.
In the quest to preserve certain architectural, historical, and cultural features of original Catalan homes, apartment renovations are conceived as a means of connecting the past and the present through the recovery and/or restoration of coverings, flooring, carpentry, facades, and more. The history of ceramics in Spain has evolved over the years, experiencing periods of productive flourishing as well as decline. However, the expressive language, versatility, and adaptability of hydraulic tiles to tradition and the future stand out in homes' interior and exterior spaces with their wide combination of colors, textures, and patterns.
Beyond the wide variety of landscape, environmental, economic, social, and cultural particularities that distinguish each region of Latin America, the renovation of interior spaces that make up domestic life generally focuses on achieving the greatest possible integration of environments along with providing flexibility, spaciousness, and better conditions for ventilation and natural lighting. Seeking to revalue unused spaces and/or give them a second life, renovations aim to transform the ways of living through strategies capable of involving the restoration of materials, the preservation of structures, the maintenance of installations, and more.
In the whirlwind of daily life, a large majority of urban centers transform to accommodate new functions and/or needs demanded by their populations, seeking to improve, renovate, or update the infrastructures, equipment, networks, and spaces that enable community life. Although times change, and with them, many buildings that once served important protective or sheltering functions start to become obsolete. However, the heritage they leave behind reflects the passage of time and provides a living testimony of their history, contributing to the consolidation of identity and the recognition of a sense of belonging.
Tomás Bravo has been selected to be part of the ArchDaily's 2024 Best New Practices, highlighting his work about the dialogue between architecture and territory, and the use of advanced technologies to analyze nature and heritage through a process that involves a project in itself. Originating from Chile's diverse and complex geography, he proposes using classical architectural representation in combination with technological tools and measurement methodologies to bring the territory and heritage closer to architecture professionals and their clients.
Around 1949, the city of Buenos Aires led the construction of the Sixth Pantheon in the Chacarita neighborhood. Monumental in character and brutalist in style, this underground necropolis turned out to be the first and largest experiment in modern architecture in the funerary field. Designed by Ítala Fulvia Villa, one of the first Argentine women architects and urban planners, and a pioneer of South American modernism, along with her team comprised of Leila Cornell, Raquel S. de Días, Gunter Ernest, Carlos A. Gabutti, Ludovico Koppman, and Clorindo Testa, this work was discovered by Léa Namer, who conducted an in-depth investigation reflecting on the legacy of a modern utopia and a feminist rereading of history.
Until July 14, 2024, the pavilion ¡Qué faena(r)! ('What a Task!') by Óscar Cruz García and Pablo Paradinas Sastre will be installed at Puerta del Sol in Vigo, one of the two winning temporary pavilions of the third edition of TAC! Urban Architecture Festival. Reflecting on public spaces and the regeneration of urban centers as the main theme of this new edition, the proposal combines tradition and innovation, involving local producers and artisans during the process and simultaneously reusing materials considered waste, such as fishing nets, rusty 'bombos,' recovered wood from bateas, and granite blocks that gain a second life after fulfilling their mission in the sea.
Within the framework of implementing green infrastructure projects for water management in the Basin of Mexico, utilizing existing public spaces, La Quebradora Water Park emerges as the first proposal for hydro-urban acupuncture. The project, developed by the team from the Institute of Social Research at UNAM, coordinated by Manuel Perló Cohen and Loreta Castro Reguera Mancera, aims to transform the site's infiltration into a landmark of good water management, public space creation, and strengthening of the social fabric through four levels: infrastructure, park, city, and viewpoint. Addressing part of the water and social issues facing the area, the proposal transforms urban infrastructure into a public and recreational space for the community in a densely populated area with scarce public spaces.
The concept of permaculture refers to a design system capable of creating sustainable human environments based on an ethic and a series of ecological, environmental, and resilience design principles. In contact with plants, animals, buildings, and infrastructures such as water, energy, and/or communications, permaculture analyzes the possible relationships between these elements based on their position in the landscape. Its 12 design principles can be applied in multiple architecture projects of varying scales and programs, contributing, for example, to the dissemination of new ways to reduce energy consumption in homes, save water through rainwater harvesting or the recycling of greywater for sanitary systems, gardens, and more, and participate in food production, among other matters.
The history of the use of lime in the construction industry dates back thousands of years, spanning cultures and communities worldwide. In fact, around 4000 B.C., the ancient Egyptians used quicklime mixed with water as a building material for their pyramids. Although lime has multiple applications in the food and agricultural industries, as well as in chemical, mining, and steel industries, in architecture it is one of the main construction materials due to its versatility, adhesion, waterproofing, workability, performance, setting, and durability, which allow for the creation of masonry mortars, interior or exterior plasters, among other functions.
Founded by architects Felipe Mesa and Federico Mesa, the Plan:b arquitectos studio is located in the city of Medellín, Colombia, bringing together building design, participation in academic activities, and the construction of concepts capable of connecting architecture with the urgent realities of everyday life. Understanding the architectural project as a provisional pact, permeable configuration, and positive expression of eco-social constraints, they have constructed a large number of buildings of various scales and programs since 2000, ranging from public, educational, and sports spaces to housing, offices, hotels, and installations.
Beyond being a prefabricated material currently produced in large quantities, the use of concrete blocks in architecture continues to evolve to meet the demands and needs of contemporary societies that are constantly changing. Whether in interior or exterior spaces, their use can align with concepts of circular economy, resource efficiency, sustainability, and more, with the goal of creating habitable spaces while also understanding their constructive advantages and disadvantages, their expressive and aesthetic qualities, and so on.
In response to the diverse topographies and natural conditions throughout the Argentine territory, the works of Luciano Kruk propose an architecture that works in harmony with the environment, the landscape, and the nature in which they are situated. Whether immersed in a forest, on sloping terrain, or on a rural plain, among other geographies, his intention is to enhance the relationship between the interior and exterior of the architecture, using concrete as the main material in most of his projects.
