It is with enthusiasm that Corticeira Amorim partners with the exhibition "Generation Proxima: Emerging Environmental Practices in Portuguese Architecture," on display until March 23, 2024, at the Center for Architecture in New York. This exhibition is not only the first major architectural showcase in the city since 2019 but also a prominent platform for Portuguese architecture, promoted by the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
In this international exhibition, cork plays a vital role, standing out as a material of excellence in terms of performance and sustainability. Its presence in the exhibition is not merely decorative: underlays and composites from Amorim Cork Composites, as well as expanded cork agglomerates from Amorim Cork Insulation, have been used in various applications, from building models to design elements that clad sections of the gallery walls.
Showcasing in this exhibition are seven Portuguese studios: Artéria, Coletivo Warehouse, Gorvell, Nuno Pimenta, Oficina Pedrez, OODA, and Ponto Atelier. These studios are not only employing resources in an environmentally conscious manner but also promoting advances in sustainable construction research.
As the exhibition´s curator and architect Pedro Gadanho indicates, the event focuses on "the potential of an ‘environmental turn’ in the context of world-recognized Portuguese architecture," emphasizing the urgency of "goals of decarbonization, ecological balance, increased biodiversity, and lower resource use”.
Jesse Lazar, Executive Director of AIANY and the Center for Architecture, adds: " Architects must usher in a paradigm shift to combat the ecological crisis, not perpetuate it. The Center for Architecture is excited present an exhibition that advocates for context-sensitive craftsmanship and innovative design."
Thus, this support not only enhances the visibility of Portuguese architecture on a global scale but also highights the importance of cork and Corticeira Amorim in the vanguard of sustainable construction and innovative design. It is a partnership that celebrates the best of Portuguese design and architecture while underlining an ongoing commitment to sustainability, a value more crucial than ever in the environmental challenges we currently face.
Learn more here about this initiative, an eloquent testimony to the innovative capacity and ecological responsibility that defines the current generation of Portuguese architects, supported by a unique natural material: cork.
Credits: Asya Gorovit & Sam Lahoz
