ARQUITECTURAS DEL SUR

Ephemeral architecture as an instrument of urban transformation: a systemic analysis

Caio Nunes, Marcelo Tramontano — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Based on the findings of a Master's research project, this article examines the role of ephemeral architecture in contemporary urban transformations, exploring how its specific characteristics—temporality, flexibility, and ease of disassembly—can contribute to changes in public space. The primary objective is to analyze the potential of ephemeral architecture as a tool for renovating urban space from a systemic and complex perspective. Through a qualitative methodology based on literature review and document analysis, we examine a substantial set of projects and theoretical contributions, from the seminal works of Cedric Price and Archigram to contemporary interventions in Latin America. The research reveals that ephemerality, traditionally perceived as a limitation, can instead be a strategic asset, allowing for greater experimentation and requiring fewer commitments to the typical restrictions of permanent constructions. The discussion indicates that temporary interventions have significant potential to activate underutilized spaces, catalyze urban requalification processes, and promote new forms of use and appropriation of public space. We conclude that ephemeral architecture, when linked to a systemic approach, can be a relevant design tool for urban contexts that require swift and adaptable interventions, particularly in situations where permanent solutions would be unfeasible or inadequate.

Transport terminal - between intermodality and disconnection in Itaquera, São Paulo, Brasil

Luísa Gonçalves, Cauê Capillé — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article analyzes the construction of the Corinthians-Itaquera transport terminal, an important intermodal mass transit hub, located in a peripheral area of the metropolis of São Paulo, Brazil. To promote urban development, the neighborhood of Itaquera has received investment in housing and transportation consistent with the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) proposal; however, the implementation process has made it difficult to articulate these uses. As architecture, the terminal questions the boundaries of the building and raises important questions about urban context and design. This article addresses the architecture of transport nodes in two simultaneous dimensions: on the one hand, as a node in the network (access to a set of mass transport points), and on the other, as a place in the city, in a particular type of public space. Despite its numerous connections to the city’s transportation networks (train, subway, and bus) and its proximity to a major housing complex, the Itaquera terminal has a precarious connection to its immediate urban context. Through the description of the case study, production of graphic material, and historical contextualization of the site, alongside a bibliographic discussion, this article aims to assess the gap between parameters in urban planning and those on a local architectural scale. It is argued that considering transit nodes as public buildings and spaces for collective use requires urban design and is fundamental to face the most critical urban challenges of peripheral metropolitan conditions.

Digital manufacturing taxonomy for architecture

Bárbara Felipe, Carlos Nome — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article presents the Taxonomy for Digital Fabrication (TDFab+Arch), a tool developed to categorize and compare projects materialized through digital fabrication. In this article, TDFab+Arch has been applied to the Homo Faber (HF) catalogs, which bring together digital fabrication projects in Latin America from 2015 to 2022, and a comparison has been made between the techniques used by these projects. The structuring of the taxonomy was based on systematic literature reviews that identified criteria in the design processes, resulting in four categories: "design aspects," "machinery," "materials," and "surface topology." The methodology used in this article is "constructive research" as described by Kasanen et al. (1993) and Lukka (2003), which involves three phases of the process: understanding the project, proposing a solution, and validating the taxonomy. This methodology facilitates an understanding of the application of the taxonomy as a mode of classification, contributing to the advancement of knowledge in the field. The article presents the projects through text and images, making it easier to identify relevant aspects. TDFab+Arch stands out for its flexibility and versatility, making it suitable for cataloging project design. The taxonomy generates various visualization types, allowing designers to explore the criteria according to their specific needs. Qualitative content analysis and the structuring of the taxonomy were essential for organizing the techniques, materials, and equipment involved in digital fabrication, promoting a clearer understanding of the field. As a result, TDFab+Arch allows the designer to explore the criteria from different perspectives and gain a more comprehensive understanding of the projects. The taxonomy is an adaptable and customizable tool, allowing users to understand the criteria used in the development of each project.

Architecture and work: a flusserian analysis, from medieval monasteries to Smart Cities

Felipe Loureiro, Roberto Bartholo — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The paper draws from two theoretical references – philosopher Vilém Flusser's reflections on the nature of work and the concepts of space and place developed by geographer Yi-Fu Tuan – to analyse three types of workspaces: medieval monasteries, industrial-age factories, and contemporary offices. According to Flusser, "To be able to work, it is necessary to suppose that the world is not as it should be and that it can be transformed", and architecture – from the process of conception to construction – presupposes a type of work that transforms the world in a very concrete way, articulating the dimensions described by Tuan as a mythical space, pragmatic space, and geometric space. The intersection between the Flusserian approach and Tuan's concepts reveals some structural aspects of the relationships between buildings and the cultures they express and support, indicating possible paths for interpreting the role of architecture in a world dominated by devices.

EDITORIAL

Pablo R. Fuentes-Hernández, Gonzalo A. Cerda-Brintrup — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In the days following its founding in 1983, one of the first decisions that Arquitecturas del Sur magazine had to make was its name: architecture in the singular or plural? The decision to use the plural ultimately expressed a desire for diversity, to attempt to capture, even in its name, the infinite expressions of architecture in the southern part of the American continent.

The name also marked a geographical and cultural territory: the south. In those years, the concept of the global south, common and established today, had not yet been coined, but something told us that it was natural to refer to the south as meaning all of South America, that this should be our field of architectural and urban exploration and research. Today, looking back, we realize that this is a constant that has been consolidated, that our gaze turned to the south, which set a course, a direction, and an orientation.