This guide covers a workflow that moves from project parameters to generated floor plans, 3D perspective views, exterior design exploration, and site context visualization, using AI tools in place of preliminary CAD and rendering work.

The tragic end in early 2017 of the Guzmán House, designed by architect Alejandro de la Sota, seems poised to repeat itself—this time with the Vallet de Goytisolo House, one of three works built in the capital by José Antonio Coderch (1913-1984), a prominent 20th-century Spanish architect, and his partner Manuel Valls.

According to the newspaper El Mundo, the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Community of Madrid has issued a report rejecting the designation of this example of modern residential architecture—located at 5 Belisana Street in Madrid's Ciudad Lineal district—as a heritage site.

The construction of a four-tower housing complex just steps from the historic center threatens Cartagena (Colombia)’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The community is currently awaiting a judicial ruling on the Aquarela case, the name of the multi-family social housing (VIS) project.

According to statements by the Bolívar Business Council (Consejo Gremial de Bolívar)—the organization tasked with promoting competitive development in the city and department—the situation is delicate, as the advanced stage of construction complicates potential decisions. Given that the city is one of Latin America's primary tourist destinations, the lack of oversight from national and local authorities—who failed to act in accordance with the planning principles outlined in Article 2 of the Colombian Constitution—is difficult to explain.

Two young entrepreneurs from Curitiba have developed a technological innovation that brings a long-held dream within reach for many Brazilians: owning a personal power plant. As reported by Tribuna do Paraná, mechanical engineers Felipe Wotecoski (31) and Juliano Rataiczyk (30) have created a device capable of generating electricity in a backyard with minimal environmental impact.

Similar in size to a four-burner stove, the micro-plant can generate up to 720 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month—enough electricity to power three to four homes and feed the surplus back into the grid. According to the engineers, this output translates to savings of approximately R$ 500 per month on electricity bills.

The theme “Women’s Histories, Feminist Histories” will guide the 2019 exhibition program at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand (MASP). Six solo exhibitions by female artists—Djanira da Motta e Silva, Tarsila do Amaral, Lina Bo Bardi, Anna Bella Geiger, Leonor Antunes, and Gego—have already been confirmed, alongside a major group exhibition sharing the program's title.

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The Arquiteturas Film Festival, one of the most prominent film festivals dedicated to cinema addressing architecture and cities, has announced the list of award-winning films for its 2018 edition. In its 6th edition, the festival, which is an independent project promoted by DYMA – Do You Mean Architecture, focused on "exploring what we learn from the futuristic, utopian, or hyper-realistic stories that have been shaping our visual culture through cinema."

Believing that “there is no cinema without architecture,” the objective of Arquiteturas is to discover and present films that foster meaningful contemporary debates and broaden the viewer's critical thinking. 

Bioconstruction is based on the principle that it is possible to build with a very low environmental impact. To promote this concept and present practical techniques, the Ministry of the Environment is offering a free online guidebook for training and information on the subject and its methodologies.

Although created for a course within the Support Program for Ecotourism and Environmental Sustainability in Tourism (Proecotur), the material is highly useful for anyone wishing to better understand bioconstruction and learn the details of different sustainable and environmentally friendly techniques.

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With an investment of 1.188 billion pesos, a new aquarium will be built in Mazatlán. According to local authorities, it will be the largest in Latin America, spanning 12,384 square meters, with 3,917 square meters allocated for outdoor areas and 9,441 square meters for interiors.

The Mexican architecture firm led by Tatiana Bilbao will head the project in collaboration with international companies, including San Francisco-based EHDD, San Diego-based TJP Engineering, and Chicago-based Space Haus.

Once the bidding process—expected to take three months from the release of the call—is complete, construction will take 24 months. This timeline is planned to avoid disrupting the operations of the existing aquarium.

The results of the competition for the Brazilian Pavilion at EXPO 2020 were announced today, November 12. The objective of the competition was to select a proposal and subsequently commission the complete Executive Project (Architectural Design, Complementary Engineering Projects, and Exhibition Design), construction supervision, consulting, and related services for the Brazilian Pavilion at the World Expo. The competition was promoted by Apex-Brasil (Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency) and organized by the Federal District Department of the Institute of Architects of Brazil (IAB/DF). 

According to the competition brief, “the Brazilian Pavilion should highlight diversity with the theme TOGETHER FOR DIVERSITY, sub-divided into nature, people, and tomorrow (Together for Nature, Together for People, and Together for Tomorrow). These are the starting points for the architects to showcase the diversity of fauna and flora, the ethnic, creative, and cultural multiplicity of our people, and present Brazil as a unifying country, as well as a key global actor in international sustainability issues. The keyword summarizing the Brazilian theme is sociobiodiversity—and the Brazilian Pavilion, from its conception, must reflect this unique characteristic of the country.”

The Council of Architecture and Urbanism (CAU) has re-released the free guidebook on Technical Assistance for Social Interest Housing (ATHIS), originally published by CAU/SC. The 60-page document contextualizes this assistance work in relation to public authorities, the general public, and professionals, presenting different service delivery scenarios.

At FITUR, the Logroño City Council presented LA CALLE ES UN MUSEO (The Street is a Museum), a project aimed at revitalizing tourism and cultural visits in the city by showcasing public artworks and their creative processes, narrated by the artists themselves.

Opening its doors alongside the Infinito Vão exhibition, “Two Houses by Paulo Mendes da Rocha” will be on display until February 10, 2019, at the House Gallery. Curated by Nuno Sampaio, “Two Houses” offers the opportunity to visit two unique projects from the collection of architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha, which, in line with the transatlantic focus of this program, are located in Portugal and Brazil.

Ever since we announced the results of the competition for the “New Biobío Regional Theater,” an initiative led by the Regional Government and the Architecture Area of the Council of Culture and the Arts, we had been eagerly looking forward to seeing the winning proposal finally built.

The Institut Ramon Llull has presented the project RCR. Dream and Nature_Catalonia in Venice in Barcelona, an exhibition showcasing RCR Arquitectes as part of the collateral events of the 16th Venice Architecture Biennale, set to open on May 26.

Representing Catalonia at the 2018 Venice Biennale, the project is co-curated by journalist Pati Núñez and architect Estel Ortega alongside the 2017 Pritzker Prize-winning firm. Together, they have created a space free of scale models or blueprints to "investigate and rethink humanity's relationship with the world, located at the La Vila estate in Vall de Bianya (Girona, Catalonia)," according to an official statement from the Catalan institute.

Thanks to its geographical and climatic characteristics, Bogotá has great potential for the development and enjoyment of nature tourism. The Colombian capital is bordered by the beautiful Eastern Hills, which connect with countless parks and trails that welcome visitors.

Among its natural wonders is the Sumapaz Páramo, the largest of its kind in the world. Exploring each of these places is undoubtedly an experience that few have the opportunity to enjoy and admire. As a result, numerous activities have sparked public interest in weaving together a city rich in environmental assets, including parks, rivers, wetlands, and gardens.

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The 2018 CEMEX Pavilion competition was conceived to provide the student community of Guadalajara with an opportunity and a voice to express their aspirations, interests, concerns, and critiques of the profession, channeling them into an intervention within the courtyard of a heritage house in the city's historic center, which functions as a workshop and cultural center. The event is organized by eSCALA, CENTROmx, and TEMAdc—groups made up of students and alumni of the Centro Universitario de Arte, Arquitectura y Diño of the Universidad de Guadalajara—and the winners of the 2018 CEMEX Pavilion Competition, which included one first-place and two second-place projects, were recently published.

Brazil's greatest living architect, Paulo Mendes da Rocha does not appreciate architecture alone. Music is also part of his daily life, and this playlist—shared with us by his daughter, Joana Mendes da Rocha—features some of the musical preferences of our Golden Lion.

During the Bogotá International Art Fair (ARTBO), held between October 24 and 28, Colombian artist Miller Lagos was awarded the second edition of the Kubik Prize. According to the organization, the prize “commissions a project that bridges art and architecture from an innovative perspective for the benefit of the city and its inhabitants.”

“In his recent work, the artist has undertaken projects in public spaces, examining the relationship between human populations and their bodies of water,” Kubik Lab stated, explaining its decision.

Bucaramanga is located 959 meters above sea level on a plateau in Colombia's Cordillera Oriental. Composed of 17 communes, it has a population of 528,575, while its metropolitan area is home to more than 1,141,700 people. Over the past 30 years, the city has systematically lost its public space due to abandonment, neglect, rapid urban growth, and a lack of coordinated political and planning initiatives that could foster direct communication between residents, public officials, academics, and private sector representatives.

The strategic project “Public Space: The Skin of Democracy” is a suite of initiatives designed by the Bucaramanga municipal government—and integrated into the city's current development plan—aimed at reconfiguring and renovating municipal public spaces. The initiative was launched by the Mayor's Office of Bucaramanga for the 2016–2019 term.

A few days ago, we reported that BD Bacatá, Colombia's tallest skyscraper, has yet to open after a series of delays, and new reports from the local press make it clear that the outlook for its 4,200 investors is not improving.

The developer BD Promotores owes its suppliers an estimated 4 billion Colombian pesos (1.46 million USD) "for finishes and leases." Following a lawsuit filed by three suppliers demanding the payment of 750 million Colombian pesos (273,750 USD) for services rendered, "the only way out after declaring insolvency was the seizure of the trademark" by the Superintendency of Industry and Commerce (SIC), according to a report by local newspaper La República.

In the presence of officials from the Ministry of Culture, Dra. Lidia Camacho, general director of the National Institute of Fine Arts, Mtra. Irene Muñoz Trujillo, director of the Mixed Fund for Tourism Promotion of Mexico City, and Maria Laura Medina de Salinas, honorary president of the Design Week México board, the general director of Design Week México and World Design Capital CDMX 2018, Emilio Cabrero, announced the details of the activity program for World Design Capital CDMX 2018.

Designed by the firm Brasil Arquitetura, the Museum of Labor and the Worker is located in the city of São Bernardo do Campo. Once completed, it is set to house records of the "memory of the working world, from the arrival of the Portuguese to the present day." Although 5,500 square meters have already been built, construction has been halted and the site has been abandoned for about a year and a half.

In an op-ed published in the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, Brazilian Pritzker laureate Paulo Mendes da Rocha and former UN Special Rapporteur Raquel Rolnik suggest that halting the museum's construction—officially blamed on suspected project overpricing—is actually more closely linked to an aversion to the cultural narrative surrounding the project.

The São Paulo - Morumbi Station is part of the second implementation phase of the São Paulo Metro’s Line 4 – Yellow and is currently nearing completion. The project features two external entrances located at the intersection of Francisco Morato and Jorge João Saad avenues, as well as integration with the SPTRANS bus terminal.

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Through the Center for Sustainable Development Research (CIDS), Infonavit launched an open call for architecture and engineering firms to design the "Materials, Energy, and Water Laboratories" Building. Aiming to research and experiment with new materials, industrialized components, and spatial characteristics that foster the development of social housing, the building will be part of the complex named "Infonavit Housing Practical Research and Experimentation Laboratory" in "San Miguel del Arco," Apan, Hidalgo.

The brief required the proposal to be designed as a program container. Specifically, the design for this Ideas Competition had to house three major research spaces (materials, energy, and water) tailored to the specific testing and research needs of each laboratory, which will be developed in detail during the executive project phase with the winning firm. A key requirement for these spaces was spatial flexibility and versatility in both plan and section.

On the evening of November 2, Rem·Koolhaas held a book launch for Elements of Architecture at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA). Hosted by Dean Zhu Pei, the event featured a roundtable discussion with artist Xu Bing, Mohsen·Mostafavi (Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design), and Stephan·Petermann, the book's editor. Koolhaas opened with a brief presentation introducing the book and the journey behind its publication. During the panel, the speakers engaged in an in-depth discussion on architectural details, differences between Eastern and Western book cultures, and the relationship between books and space. Below is a recap of this remarkable event.