Articles by Victor Delaqua

The architecture of indigenous peoples is deeply rooted in their surroundings, in the sense that materials are locally sourced and empirically tested, to discover the construction techniques and dwellings that best respond to the values of the community and their understanding of housing. The situation in the Amazon is no different. Many different groups of people have settled on the land and water, developing many unique building skills that attract a lot of architects working in these regions. As a result, there is an exchange of knowledge, combining native cultures and novel architecture.

Curtains can provide a freer and more dynamic flow in architecture. These elements are usually intended to protect the interior from sunlight or create visual privacy, but they are also used as decoration or as room dividers. Since they are very movable and flexible, curtains are becoming a popular choice for architects and interior designers, creating layers between interior and exterior spaces that transform the environment through light and shade. Here, we have gathered some examples of projects that use curtains, particularly in the facades, showing how this solution can affect the overall impression of the design.

Efficiency in the construction site by reducing waste and lowering costs, improving safety through better planning, and introducing machines to assist in the construction and design process. These benefits can be achieved through automation in architecture, but for technology to reach this point of empowering and supporting creativity while also improving efficiency, we have come a long way. To understand how automation developed and the prospects it offers for architecture, here is a brief timeline.

When designing community spaces, the architectural concept can easily clash with the user’s experience. Therefore, engaging the community and future users in the project development and design process is a way of adding different perspectives to the architect’s vision towards a more intelligent architecture.

In this episode of “Behind the Scenes”, where we showcase the work of visionary photographers and ask about their experiences beyond what is seen by the public, we are presenting Niveditaa Gupta, an architectural photographer, and filmmaker based in New Delhi, India. Through her photos, she looks to create visuals that can prompt a discourse about architecture itself.

Rendering has become indispensable to most architectural offices. To understand how these images can assist during the design process, how they have evolved, and especially, what aspects should be considered to create an outstanding visualization of a project, we talked to Guilherme Bravin and Marcus Vinicius Damon, co-founders of Estúdio Módulo, and coordinators of {CURA}, an open architecture school focused mainly on architectural visualization.

In this episode of “Behind the Scenes”, where we showcase the work of visionary artists and ask about their experiences beyond what is seen by the public, we are presenting Nicolás Castagnola: an illustrator, animator, and architect born in Buenos Aires and based in Berlin. Through his illustrations and animations, he brings different meanings to architecture by opening an imaginative field about the infinite possibilities that the built environment can provide.

At ArchDaily, we always aspire to provide our community with all the tools and knowledge to help imagine, design, and build better cities. In order to bring inspiration and present more about what goes on beyond a complete project, we are launching a new series titled “Behind the Scenes”, where we showcase the work of visionary photographers, artists, and curators, and ask some questions that allow them to share more of what they do with the world. In every episode, we will be sharing with you the answers, along with images and videos of their work. 

With a formal and material approach that differs from the scenarios we usually find in Architecture, Lacaton & Vassal —a French practice that marks its influence in contemporary times by being awarded the Pritzker Prize 2021— brings an open and generous vision to the field.

The climate crisis has revealed the poor planning of our cities and the spaces we inhabit. Both construction and projects contribute to high carbon gas emissions. Fortunately, there are several ways to intervene to bring change into this scenario, either through materials and techniques adopted in each initiative or through geographical and social impact. In this scenario, the only certainty is that: to think about the future we cannot ignore the “green” in all its recent meanings from nature to sustainability, and ecology.