Archinect - Features

M.Arch Graduate Lucas Pissetti on "Designing With Informal Settlements"

2020-07-10T08:31:00-04:00

Graduate student Lucas Pissetti poses the question, how does one "improve basic life conditions for the people in need, while preserving the qualities that are very specific to their location?"

A recent graduate from the Academy of Architecture Amsterdam, Pissetti investigates favelas in Brazil and discusses his design strategy to improve the relationship residents have within these communities, specifically in Paraisópolis, in São Paulo. Pissetti explains, "My design proposes a new strategy on designing with informal settlements, which aims to improve basic life conditions for the people in need, while preserving the qualities that are very specific to these locations." Archinect connects with Pissetti as he unpacks the ideation process of his thesis and how he feels the recent events taking place has impacted the industry and career opportunities.

Archinect's Spotlight on 2020 Thesis Projects: 2020 has been an extraordinarily challenging year for architecture graduates. Students ...

Canal House by Studio MK27 Captures a Tropical Miami

2020-02-26T15:21:00-05:00

Brazil-based Studio MK27, led by Marcio Kogan, is known for its authentic blending of modernism with the Brazilian regional aesthetic, often seen through cantilevered horizontal lines, louvered walls, and organic materials. While not in Brazil, this Miami-based property, called Canal House, captures a similar feeling.

A Look at Brutalist Brazil

2018-12-08T15:06:00-05:00

With the launch of Archinect's Brutal coffee we've decided to take a look at the Brutalist architecture of the two regions our beans have originated. A two part feature, today we explore the history of Brazil's Brutalist movement and how the iconic style has influenced the country. Stay tuned for the next part, looking at Brutalism in Guatemala.

Other than focusing on the pure materiality of these structures, Brutalism within Brazil can be interpreted as a beautiful expression of monumentality and its complementary nature to Brazil's lush landscapes. Once dissected into further detail, iconic designers like Italian-Brazilian architect, Lina Bo Bardi used the cultural makeup of the city, married with the honest materiality of Brutalism, to highlight the social and cultural potential of architecture in Brazil.

Meet Aleph Zero, the Young Architects Behind This Year's Best New Building

2018-11-21T09:05:00-05:00

Children Village, a boarding school for disadvantaged children in rural Brazil, has been crowned as the world's best new building of the year. Designed by the firm Aleph Zero in collaboration with Rosenbaum, the groundbreaking project has won the Royal Institute of British Architects' prestigious International Prize, a biennial award recognizing a new building from around the world that exemplifies design excellence, architectural ambition and delivers meaningful social impact.

Uniting the peripheral and the central at the 2016 Venice Biennale

2016-06-18T10:13:00-04:00

How architects are educated, and the role they play in society, are key questions of today. As an architecture teacher, I ask my students how they see their role; are they makers, choreographers, gardeners, enablers, artists? This year’s Venice Biennale asks, and tries to answer, the same question. There are many different answers.

Working Out of the Box: Jader Almeida

2016-03-02T08:19:00-05:00

Working out of the Box is a series of features presenting architects who have applied their architecture backgrounds to alternative career paths.

In this installment, we're talking with Jader Almeida, a Brazilian furniture and product designer.

Are you an architect working out of the box? Do you know of someone that has changed careers and has an interesting story to share? If you would like to suggest an (ex-)architect, please send us a message.

Innovation with a heart: Guto Requena's technological and emotional designs

2016-02-27T11:54:00-05:00

Imagine “technology". What comes to mind? A robot? An iPhone? A self-driving car? Whatever the case, chances are it’s an object that feels pretty cold and provokes little emotion.

Screen/Print #12: The Cairo Review's "Future of the City"

2014-04-15T14:26:00-04:00

The American University in Cairo is an institution focused on global diplomacy and policy, attracting journalists, politicians, lawyers, academics and experts from all over the world. The Cairo Review of Global Affairs, the quarterly journal couched within the University's School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, serves as an authority on global affairs for both students and professionals.

Screen/Print #2: The Petropolis of Tomorrow

2013-11-28T11:08:00-05:00

Screen/Print is an experimentation in translation across media, featuring a close-up digital look at printed architectural writing. Divorcing content from the physical page, the series lends a new perspective to nuanced architectural thought.

For this issue, we’re featuring The Petropolis of Tomorrow.

Do you run an architectural publication? Are you particularly excited about an upcoming periodical? If you’d like to submit a piece of writing to Screen/Print, please send us a message.

Student Works: The Petropolis of Tomorrow: Drift & Drive

2012-12-10T01:11:00-05:00

Drift & Drive proposes a new model of water-based urbanism by readdressing the technological and logistical challenges of offshore oil extraction. Our project is a solution to the desire on the part of Petrobras, the Brazilian petrochemical company, to relocate workers offshore, as rigs are established ever further from the coast, increasing the transportation cost of both workers and oil.