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 eighth edition of The Architecture Drawing Prize has revealed its 15 winners, following a radical restructuring of its judging criteria to reflect the evolving landscape of architectural representation. For the first time, the competition assessed all entries together, rather than by category, embracing the growing influence of digital and AI-assisted tools in the creative process.

Launched in 2017 and co-curated by Make Architects, Sir John Soane's Museum, and the World Architecture Festival (WAF), the Prize celebrates the art and skill of architectural drawing across multiple modes of creation. Sponsored by Iris Ceramica Group and supported by ArchDaily as media partner, this year's edition attracted a record number of more than 200 submissions from around the world. Drawings were evaluated for their technical skill, originality, and capacity to convey architectural ideas through diverse techniques, ranging from traditional hand drawings to complex hybrid compositions.

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CRA–Carlo Ratti Associati, in collaboration with Salone del Mobile.Milano, recently unveiled the design of a digitally fabricated bivouac set to debut as an urban pavilion during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. The digitally fabricated wooden structure is designed to be self-sufficient, incorporating systems for energy production and storage, as well as water harvesting through air condensation. After its debut at Milano Cortina 2026, the structure is planned to be airlifted by helicopter to its permanent high-altitude location in the Italian Alps, where it will serve as a refuge for mountaineers.

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The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction has announced the 20 winning projects of the 2025 Holcim Foundation Awards, recognizing contributions to sustainable design and construction across five regions: Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, and North America. This year's selection spans a broad range of scales, from a 200-square-meter semi-permanent school in a Kenyan forest to major urban regeneration initiatives in Madrid, Dhaka, and Shenzhen, reflecting the diversity and reach of sustainable architecture today. This year introduces a new Grand Prize format, replacing the traditional Gold, Silver, and Bronze rankings. Each region will now honor one Grand Prize winner, emphasizing excellence without comparison and acknowledging the diverse approaches to sustainability.

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The Sultanate of Oman has made its first appearance at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, presenting its debut national pavilion titled Traces. Curated by Omani architect Majeda Alhinai and commissioned by Sayyid Saeed bin Sultan bin Yarub Al Busaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth for Culture, the pavilion is part of the exhibition's central theme, "Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective." It will be on view until 23 November 2025 at the Arsenale in Venice, Italy.

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Construction has officially begun on the Museum Ehrhardt in Plüschow, northeast Germany, marking the first cultural project in Germany by Francis Kéré and his firm Kéré Architecture, as well as their first museum building in Europe. Developed in cooperation with HK Architekten and Hermann Kaufmann + Partner ZT GmbH, the 1,400-square-meter museum will be dedicated to photography and contemporary art. The initiative was launched by Dr. Jens Ehrhardt, son of the artist Alfred Ehrhardt (1901–1984), together with his wife Elke Weicht-Ehrhardt, to honor the painter, photographer, and filmmaker who was a leading figure of Germany's New Objectivity movement. The museum will stand near the Baltic Sea, adjacent to Schloss Plüschow, an artist residency and gallery.

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Construction began on the Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence (IPAI) Campus in Heilbronn, Germany, designed by the Dutch architectural firm MVRDV. Developed by the IPAI Konsortium, which includes the State of Baden-Württemberg, the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, Schwarz Gruppe, and the City of Heilbronn, the 30-hectare campus is envisioned as an international hub for over 5,000 professionals advancing innovative and responsible AI solutions. Centered on principles of openness, collaboration, and sustainability, the project aims to integrate workplaces, public spaces, and research facilities, establishing a setting where technology and human interaction coexist.

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2025 marks the 60th anniversary of Singapore's independence, commemorating its separation from Malaysia on August 9, 1965. The occasion is celebrated in the country's national pavilion at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale with a multisensory installation that honors Singapore's diversity and reimagines city-making through food, culture, and collective design. Titled RASA–TABULA–SINGAPURA, the installation invites visitors to take a seat at the Table of Superdiversity: an enticing reimagining of city-making and nation-building through the universal act of dining. According to the curatorial team from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), the purpose of the installation is to showcase how the convergence of multicultural differences, collective histories, design, and new technology creates opportunities for more inclusive and adaptive urban futures.

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As the 19th International Architecture Exhibition enters its final month before closing on November 23, the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale continues to reaffirm its position as one of the most influential global platforms for contemporary architectural discourse. Opened to the public on May 10 under the curatorship of Italian architect Carlo Ratti, this edition, titled "Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective." brings together over 750 participants across 65 national pavilions, 11 collateral events, and numerous parallel initiatives throughout the city. Structured around the themes of Natural, Artificial, and Collective Intelligence, the Biennale examines how architecture can respond to the intertwined challenges of climate adaptation, technological transformation, and social collaboration.

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The Tallinn Architecture Biennale (TAB) has been organized by the Estonian Centre for Architecture (ECA) since 2011. Since its founding, it has become Estonia's leading international festival dedicated to architecture and the built environment. The ECA recently announced that the upcoming edition will be curated by Stuudio TÄNA and Mark Aleksander Fischer, winners of the Curatorial Competition for the 8th International Tallinn Architecture Biennale (TAB 2026). Their winning proposal, titled "How Much?", poses the question of what affordability truly means in architecture today. The event, which in previous editions has included exhibitions, lectures, seminars, tours, satellite events, and installations across Tallinn, seeks to open a space for reflection on how architecture and design can be genuinely cost-effective, addressing the broader implications of cost and consumption. TAB 2026 will take place in the Estonian capital from 9 September to 30 November 2026.

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This week's architectural developments highlighted how design operates as a form of social and cultural infrastructure, linking care, community, and context across scales. From London's reinterpretation of the almshouse model to the transformation of urban gateways in Phnom Penh and Tirana, architecture reflected a shared interest in spaces that foster connection and adaptability. Parallel to these urban and infrastructural works, new cultural projects in Paris and Hanoi explored how museums and performance spaces can renew public institutions through material experimentation and spatial flexibility.

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Zaha Hadid Architects was announced as the winner of the Danjiang Bridge International Competition in 2015. At the time, the design proposal sought to minimize the bridge's visual impact by employing a single concrete structural mast to support a 920-meter-long cable-stayed span. Construction began in 2019 on what would become the world's longest single-mast, asymmetric cable-stayed bridge. In October 2025, the final segment of the bridge's steel decking was installed, connecting the east and west banks of the Tamsui River estuary in Taiwan for the first time and confirming its opening date for May 12, 2026.

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The Busan Slope Housing project by OMA addresses urban redevelopment on the steep hillsides of Busan, South Korea, drawing on the city's topographical complexity and historical settlement patterns. Developed in collaboration with the Busan Architecture Festival and the Department of Housing and Architecture, the project explores strategies to rethink hillside neighborhoods while responding to both contemporary housing needs and the social and spatial legacies of these areas. Rather than replacing these areas with conventional high-rise estates, OMA envisions a flexible, context-responsive framework that integrates contemporary housing typologies with the site's inherited structure.

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Eduardo Souto de Moura and OODA have unveiled the design of the Oricon Tower, a 180-meter mixed-use skyscraper planned for Tirana, Albania. Located near OODA's recently completed Bond Tower, the project is part of the city's ongoing transformation under the Tirana 2030 Masterplan, which envisions a denser and more connected urban core. The tower will house offices, residences, retail areas, and a hotel, contributing to the city's evolving skyline and serving as a new urban gateway between Tirana's historic center and its expanding western districts.

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Foster + Partners has completed the Techo International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, marking a new chapter in the nation's vision for sustainable growth and improved regional connectivity. Situated 20 kilometers south of the city center, the airport's terminal building spans 235,500 square meters and forms the centerpiece of a 24-square-kilometer master plan. Drawing inspiration from Cambodia's vernacular architecture and tropical landscape, the design integrates cultural references and environmental responsiveness to create a contemporary yet contextually rooted gateway for international travel. The first phase, including the head house and northern pier, opened to the public in 2025, while the southern pier is scheduled for completion by 2030.

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Between September 25 and October 5, 2025, the XXIII Chilean Architecture and Urbanism Biennial took place in Santiago. Under the title "DOUBLE EXPOSURE: (re)program · (re)adapt · (re)construct," the event was organized around the idea of "understanding architecture not as the production of the new, but as the ability to reactivate what already exists." Based on this premise, the curatorial team, composed of Ángela Carvajal and Sebastián López (Anagramma Arquitectes) together with Óscar Aceves, conceived a circuit of eight venues located in downtown Santiago. Their goal was to revive and reclaim urban spaces through a series of free public activities that drew around 70,000 visitors. Among the reactivated sites, the ruins of the San Francisco de Borja Church stood out. Burned during the social outburst of October 2019, the site hosted a temporary pavilion that served as a venue for talks, readings, art installations, discussions, and community events.

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"Breathing Cells," an installation by MAD Architects, is currently on view at Songhyeon Green Plaza in Seoul as part of the 5th Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism. Invited by Biennale Director Thomas Heatherwick, the installation opened on September 26, 2025, and will remain on display until November 18. Responding to the curatorial theme "Radically More Human," the work presents an alternative vision for future urban environments, one where architecture behaves more like a living organism than a static object.

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Photographer Marc Goodwin has extended his Atlas of Architectural Atmospheres to Belgium, capturing the workspaces of architecture studios in Antwerp, Brussels, and Ghent. The series includes large offices such as B-architecten, POLO, and Binst Architects, alongside smaller-scale practices like Studio Okami, Stand Van Zaken, and Bruno Spaas Architectuur. Many of them occupy buildings with layered pasts from former workshops, to cinemas, and from storage facilities, to waterfront structures.

In addition to photographing the studios, Goodwin asked each practice the same question: "What makes for a good office space and office culture for you?" Their responses accompany the images, offering insight into how architects define the atmosphere of their workplaces. Studio Okami describes its workplace as a "home office away from home," while Brut highlights the role of shared meals and greenery in softening their penthouse space.

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On October 25, 2025, the Fondation Cartier Pour l'Art Contemporain will open its new premises to the public with an inaugural exhibition drawn from its own Collection, entitled Exposition Générale. Located in the heart of Paris, the new space occupies a Haussmannian building that once housed the Grands Magasins du Louvre, recently reimagined by Jean Nouvel. Conceived as a dynamic architecture with five mobile platforms, the building was designed to expand the possibilities of a traditional exhibition venue. These mechanisms aim to accommodate all forms of visual expression, including photography, cinema, the performing arts, science, and craft, within a space that resonates with the urban life of Paris and engages with questions of urban planning and ecology. Within these parameters, the inaugural exhibition brings together more than 600 works by over 100 artists in a contemporary scenography designed by Formafantasma.

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The RIBA Stirling Prize 2025 has been awarded to Appleby Blue Almshouse by Witherford Watson Mann Architects, a new social housing development for older residents in London. Presented annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) since 1996, the prize recognizes the UK's best new building, celebrating architectural excellence, innovation, and social impact. This marks the second Stirling Prize win for Witherford Watson Mann Architects, following their 2013 recognition for Astley Castle, and continues their trajectory as a practice that engages deeply with social and cultural contexts. The firm was also shortlisted in 2019 and 2023.

Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW), in collaboration with Sydney and Hanoi-based PTW Architects, has begun construction of the Isola della Musica, a new opera house and convention center in Hanoi, Vietnam. Commissioned by Sun Group, the project was first conceived in 2017 and forms part of a broader masterplan that reshapes the existing boundary between West Lake and Đầm Trị Lake. Inspired by the region's history of pearl cultivation, the building features a series of curved concrete shells whose forms and surfaces evoke the texture and luminosity of mother-of-pearl.

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Cobe has revealed the design for Museum Wegner in Tønder, Denmark, a new cultural institution dedicated to the life and work of renowned Danish designer Hans J. Wegner. The museum will be located at Hestholm, a historic farm dating back to 1445, and will combine the adaptive reuse of existing structures with a contemporary extension. Selected as the project architect in February 2024 following a competitive interview process, Cobe is now moving the design toward realization with strong local and national support.

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This week in architecture, global recognitions and new unveilings underscored the field's growing commitment to climate awareness, cultural continuity, and adaptive reuse. From Expo 2025 Osaka's closing ceremonies to international award announcements, the focus turned to architects and designers redefining the relationship between place, material, and community. Alongside these recognitions, major new projects, from Dubai to California, illustrated how design continues to evolve across scales: shaping cities, preserving heritage, and addressing urgent global challenges through context-driven architecture.

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Videos

Bahrain's architectural participations in the international exhibitions have gained increasing global recognition, marked most recently by major awards at Expo 2025 Osaka and the Venice Architecture Biennale. These milestones reflect a broader trajectory in which the country's design culture, rooted in climatic intelligence and cultural continuity, has become a prominent voice in international conversations on context-driven architecture.

This growing visibility builds upon a deep architectural lineage. Bahrain's identity has long been shaped by its position as a maritime crossroads of the Arabian Gulf, where the legacy of pearling settlements and the compact urban fabric of Muharraq and Manama reveal a dialogue between local traditions and global exchange. Today, that dialogue evolves through practices that merge preservation with experimentation, translating heritage into a contemporary architectural language that is both place-specific and forward-looking.

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The biennial Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize was established to increase the visibility, understanding, appreciation, and dialogue around landscape architecture. The creation of the Oberlander Prize began in 2014, and the most recent laureate was landscape architect Kongjian Yu, the pioneer of the "Sponge City" concept. This year, The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) announced that Mexico City-based landscape architect Mario Schjetnan and his firm Grupo de Diseño Urbano (GDU) are the recipients of the 2025 Oberlander Prize. According to TCLF, Schjetnan belongs to a generation of landscape architects, architects, and urbanists who became aware of the environmental impacts of urban development and their consequences for life, the planet, and its inhabitants. He and the GDU team are the first Latin Americans to be awarded the Oberlander Prize laureate.

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