New publications: architecture, trips & cities.

Every building has a story behind it, houses create towns, and these are transformed into cities, which will create connections with the people who inhabit them. New architecture publications invite us to analyze and rethink concepts such as houses, walks, and spaces. “Derivas”, “Al amparo de Mujeres” and “Casas de México” are books that curiously link architecture, photography, and the exploration of spaces in their approach that we recommend you acquire.

Derivas

After a mandatory break due to the pandemic, Derivas magazine returns to the editorial news of architecture with its biannual publications in June and December. This editorial project is an invitation to explore various aspects of the city that are hidden behind marketing and conventional tourist attractions. Its objectives are to transfer knowledge and generate discussions, questions, and critical readings about architecture, daily life, and other urban phenomena.

The magazine is produced and edited by Dérive Lab. It has received support from the “System of Support for the Creation of Cultural Projects (SACPC)”. In it, we find an editorial proposal in which fragments and experiences of a group of travelers who walk through different cities of the world are recovered.

Derivas places special emphasis on walks, and invites us to wander around the cities aimlessly, allowing us to enjoy the detour, the change of courses, and the emptiness. This practice is also contemplated as a methodology for research and the construction of relationships between peers.

We have all had the experience of being in a strange city and feeling totally disoriented, and incredibly helpless. My solution to this problem is always to walk the city as much as possible, which, in my experience, produces a sense of enlightenment.

Will Self, DERIVAS Vol. 3 Londres

So far, the magazine has visited cities such as Bogota, Colombia; Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong, China; Ciudad Juárez, Mexico and London, England. The first four volumes of the magazine ( Bogotá, Ciudad Juárez, Hong Kong, and London) are already available for purchase online with shipments throughout Mexico, soon in specialized bookstores in Mexico City, Querétaro, and Guadalajara.

Al amparo de Mujeres

Arquine, the Mexican architecture and design magazine, has launched its new book “Al amparo de Mujeres”. This new proposal, written by contemporary Mexican women architects, analyzes concepts such as house, city, and community. This has the objective of addressing other visions of the practice of architecture from a gender perspective.

Edited by Alejandro Hernández Galvéz, the book brings together a series of lectures and conversations held at the Museo Amparo, Puebla. This activity was attended by  Frida Escobedo, Tatiana Bilbao, Isadora Hastings, Loreta Castro, Gabriela Carrillo, Fernanda Canales, Elena Tudela y Rozana Montiel.

The architects’ analysis leads us to question the possibilities for action in the face of the urban, social, and ecological challenges we face as a society today. Copies of “Al amparo de mujeres” can be found on Arquine’s website.

Casas de México

To conclude this brief tour of new publications, Aldo C. Gracia  presents a fusion between architecture and photography. The book “Casas de México” consists of more than 13,000 photos taken in more than 1,000 properties in 22 states.

This project transports us to beautiful, modern, and sophisticated spaces. An example of this is the GH residence in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, which is titled “Efecto Infinito” (Infinity Effect).  This property was a remodeling project of the Mexican firm  “Ordaz Coppel Arquitectos” in collaboration with the interior design firm “Victor Rueda”.

For people interested in interior design, architecture, and photography, this book can be a source of inspiration, as Aldo Gracia manages to capture the dedication and professionalism of Mexico.