The act of designing implies not only drawing, but building. It carries – or should carry – with it the same rigor and complexity as the execution on the construction site. That’s what Francisco Rivas and Rodrigo Messina believe, partners at messina in | rivas, a São Paulo-based firm that has already gained national and international recognition, also selected among the best new practices of 2021 by ArchDaily.

An architectural project conceived from the neoliberal system can only be hostile. That’s what Father Júlio Lancellotti, an active figure in actions to support homeless people in São Paulo, says. His work at the head of Pastoral do Povo da Rua has deservedly received the attention of national and international media, as well as being frequently published on his own social networks, drawing the attention of the public and authorities to urgent issues of inequality, invisibility of the most vulnerable and the hostility of our architecture and public spaces.

“I’m interested in creating shapes that surprise people, that are bold,” Ruy Ohtake used to say. With a career of over six decades and around 420 works built – almost three hundred only in São Paulo – Ohtake leaves a prolific and inspiring legacy to Brazilian architecture.

From the content universe we made available in 2021, interviews are, without a doubt, among those in which we invested more time and research. Making room for the voice of architects and other professionals in the built environment is a great pleasure but also an enormous challenge, as it requires a lot of research and dedicated time from our team of editors. It is also rewarding as it puts us in contact with some of the most prominent talents in our discipline, who have been discussing issues such as cities, community, environment, democracy, sustainability, building technology and interiors.

From the content universe we made available in 2021, interviews are, without a doubt, among those in which we invested more time and research. Making room for the voice of architects and other professionals in the built environment is a great pleasure but also an enormous challenge, as it requires a lot of research and dedicated time from our team of editors. It is also rewarding as it puts us in contact with some of the most prominent talents in our discipline, who have been discussing issues such as cities, community, environment, democracy, sustainability, building technology and interiors.

One of Oscar Niemeyer’s most famous projects, the iconic Copan building in downtown São Paulo, may finally have its restoration work started. After being negotiated for ten years, the project presented by a company hired by the building administration was partially approved by the Department of Historical Heritage (Departamento de Patrimônio Histórico – DPH) and the Municipal Council for the Preservation of the Historical, Cultural and Environmental Heritage of the City of São Paulo (Conselho Municipal de Preservação do Patrimônio Histórico, Cultural e Ambiental da Cidade de São Paulo – Conpresp).

Designed by JPG.ARQ, MMBB Arquitetos, and Ben-Avid, the Brazil Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai offers a sensory experience that connects visitors of the World Expo with Brazilian biomes and cultural heritage.

People die in Squid Game. Lots of people. But while violence is one of the most appealing ingredients for the success (or failure) of a television show, that’s not the only reason the series has become so popular worldwide. Pop culture, mesmerizing scenarios, and a plot full of social metaphors all contribute to this.

African architecture has received deserved international attention in the last decade and one of the main responsible for this is, undoubtedly, Diébédo Francis Kéré. Born in Gando, Burkina Faso, Kéré graduated in architecture at the Technische Universität Berlin, in Germany. Today, he maintains branches of his firm, Kéré Architecture, in both countries, through which he seeks to develop works in the “intersection of utopia and pragmatism”, exploring the border between Western architecture and local practice.

Naoshima, Teshima, and Inujima are the three main islands of an archipelago in Japan‘s Seto Inland Sea. What sets them apart from the many other Japanese islands is the large number of exceptional architectural works designed by some of the greatest architects and artists in the world. These projects are part of the Benesse Art Site Naoshima, an art complex idealized by billionaire businessman Soichiro Fukutake in the 1980s, composed of eighteen museums, galleries, and open-air installations.