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.

Rozana Montiel has been awarded the 2022 International Prize for Women Architects, organized by ARVHA (Association for Research on Cities and housing) with the support of the Ile de France Region, the French Higher Council of Architects Associations (CNOA), the Pavillon de l'Arsenal and the City of Paris.

“Superstorm Sandy in 2012 was a wake-up call for NYC and made the city realize it needed to better prepare for climate change,” said Adrian Smith, FASLA, vice president at ASLA and team leader of Staten Island capital projects with NYC Parks. Due to storm surges from Sandy, “several people in Staten Island perished, and millions in property damage were sustained.”

On the 10th anniversary of Sandy, Smith, along with Pippa Brashear, ASLA, principal at SCAPE, and Donna Walcavage, FASLA, principal at Stantec, explained how designing with nature can lead to more resilient shoreline communities. During Climate Week NYC, they walked an online crowd of hundreds through two interconnected projects on the southwestern end of the island: Living Breakwaters and its companion on land — the Tottenville Shoreline Protection Project.

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On September 23, LIGA celebrated 10 years of supporting and empowering young Latin American architects with a dinner held at its main space in Mexico City. LIGA is housed within a former textile factory (La Laguna) that originally opened in the first decade of the 19th century. Now transformed into a collaborative multi-use space designed by the architecture firm PRODUCTORA, the venue hosts independent Mexican initiatives ranging from a coffee shop and an architecture studio to a ceramics workshop.

A Hungarian proverb says "Aki tagadja a múltat, az nem talál jövőt", telling of the importance of using our past experiences to write our future, but balancing these two endless worlds – the traditions and culture of one, with the technology and innovation of the other – is often key to creating timeless design.

At the annual 360 Design Budapest event, Hungary’s most important cultural showcase of emerging and existing homegrown talent, the interconnectedness of both time and art inspired three key themes of storytelling (history and tradition), education (youthful talent and sustainability) and digitalization (technology and innovation).

Here are some of the standout designers, manufacturers, and their products from the week:

The motto of the Solar Decathlon Europe 21/22 was to convert and expand rather than to demolish and reconstruct. Recycling windows, using biodegradable materials for luminaires and connecting light with sensors represented just some innovative examples of the international university-level student competition in Wuppertal, Germany. For the first time, the competition presented an award for sustainable architectural lighting. This was a question of quality as much as quantity, and that applies equally to daylight and artificial light.

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Sustainability was a hot topic at this year’s Cersaie trade fair, the biggest international ceramic tile and surfacing event, held annually in Bologna, which exhibits the latest developments in ceramics industry trends. Dynamic discussions explored the environmental impact of the raw materials of ceramics, the thermal properties of ceramic tiles as insulators, the biophilic effect of ceramic tiles within urban interiors – and much more.

Considering the time, energy, and environmental impact of a construction process, architecture must explore different methodologies that work with the existing built environment. For example: how to give life to a forgotten building? Adaptive reuse gives new opportunities to abandoned buildings, following the idea that good architecture must be durable, innovative and recyclable.

Architects should not design just for the present, but should also think of how to adapt buildings for the future. In view of the world’s current situation regarding the climate crisis and available natural resources, adaptive reuse explores strategies for sustainability and design innovation, working to reduce energy consumption, minimal carbon impact and positive social impact.

Opulence comes at a cost and it’s not just the sort that will leave your purse lighter. Exotic woods dent, gold tarnishes, marble stains and chips. But it doesn’t stop us hankering after the materials we perceive to be effortlessly elegant and replete with character. Okay, so we also like a bit of polish and precision in our building materials these days, alongside durability and ethical manufacture, ease of installation and maintenance alongside hygienic surfaces. But what’s often been missing from modern engineered materials is old-fashioned warmth and poetry. Is it too much to ask for both?

During the final discussions for the approval of Belo Horizonte's Master Plan in 2019, the proposed charging of the Onerous Grant of the Right to Build (OODC) sparked intense debate and emerged as the main political obstacle to its passage. Several institutions, including UN-Habitat, took a stance on the matter. Ultimately, what is the OODC and what are the effects of this planning instrument on the urban territory?

Reflecting on what the materials of the future will be like, we will talk about a material that is booming in Barcelona and which perhaps leads us to respond by suggesting that, as always, everything comes back.

For some years now, hydraulic mosaics have been back on trend, generating interest due to their high artisan value and their diverse designs, perfect for combining traditional environments with avant-garde details.

The architectural practice has always been rooted in what people now call “human-centered design”. The term, coined by Irish engineer Mike Cooley in his 1987 publication “Human-Centred Systems” describes a design approach around identifying people’s needs and solving the right problem with simple interventions. Architecture balances between being aesthetic art and practical design. With multiple collaborators and goals for the project, the needs of the end-user often get compromised in the design process. To help architects better design for people, new methodologies may be inspired by human-centered design techniques developed by user experience (UX) designers.

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Videos

The Second Studio (formerly The Midnight Charette) is an explicit podcast about design, architecture, and the everyday. Hosted by Architects David Lee and Marina Bourderonnet, it features different creative professionals in unscripted conversations that allow for thoughtful takes and personal discussions.

A variety of subjects are covered with honesty and humor: some episodes are interviews, while others are tips for fellow designers, reviews of buildings and other projects, or casual explorations of everyday life and design. The Second Studio is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.

This week David and Marina are joined by Architect Greg Faulkner, founder & director of Faulkner Architects to discuss his background as a design engineer in the aircraft industry; his tools and process; working with the site; his design philosophies and architectural truths; running and maintaining a small-sized practice; collaborating with Tom Kundig to design his house; and more.

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Buildings hold stories, but those who built them are the ones who tell them. Mañungo, a Chilote carpenter, narrates through his notebooks the cultural, identity-defining, and architectural history of 12 rural communities in the archipelago of Chiloé. Through ethnographic research, the study reveals the attributes and qualities of the churches belonging to these territories and their connection to the lives of their inhabitants.

Videos

Located in northern Spain, Logroño is a crossroads of both borders and architecture. It is not only a key stop on the Camino de Santiago and a gathering place for lovers of fine food and excellent Rioja wine, but works from its long architectural history can be found seamlessly interwoven throughout the city, often going unnoticed: from the ancient ruins on Monte Cantabria to Rafael Moneo's modern City Hall—not to mention the contemporary design of the High-Speed Rail Station by Ábalos + Sentkiewicz or the upcoming Bosonit building by Kengo Kuma in the historic center.

There is no need to worry about getting lost. Over its eight editions, the team behind the Concéntrico Festival has curated an extensive series of locations: new squares, interior courtyards, and hidden public spaces that speak volumes about the role of the urban fabric when discussing architecture in Logroño.

Designing a living room is not just about deciding on the sofa and rug set. Often, because it is the main environment of the house, it is connected with other programs of more public use, such as kitchens and offices - or even private, such as dormitories, in the case of apartments with a reduced area -, therefore, in order to conceive greater spatial flow, it is necessary to think of different strategies that help design a more comfortable and pleasant space.

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In almost every Indian language, a colloquial term for “family” - ghar wale in Hindi, for example - literally translates to “the ones in (my) house”. Traditionally, Indian homes would shelter generations of a family together under one roof, forming close-knit neighborhoods of relatives and friends. The residential architecture was therefore influenced by the needs of the joint family system. Spaces for social interaction are pivotal in collective housing, apart from structures that adapt to the changing needs of each family. The nuanced relationship between culture, traditions, and architecture beautifully manifests in the spatial syntax of Indian housing. 

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When developing a project, an architect needs to deal with numerous decisions: Does the building correspond with the client's requirements? Can the contractors build it without problems? Are the costs what were initially expected? Does the project have a good relationship with its surroundings? How will it age? To figure all of this out, the professional must take into account several issues that will both influence each other and directly affect the final product. Among these, the chosen materials and constructive techniques play an essential role, as these elements are what give shape to the designer's vision and can influence factors such as the accessibility or the environmental impact of a building.

However, being well-versed in all the options, advantages and disadvantages of each decision is a herculean task that demands resources, research and time - factors that are usually scarce in our profession. Under the motto “What is good architecture”, we have compiled a series of articles that exemplify best practices in the use of constructive materials and techniques, seeking to cover as much ground as possible for all types of questions:

Downtown areas in major cities are targeted by various public and private agents. Usually boasting comprehensive urban infrastructure, these central districts concentrate multiple layers of complexity: from a significant number of vacant properties to phenomena like gentrification, which drives up the local cost of living and pushes low-income residents to far-flung neighborhoods, creating a host of municipal issues.

This article was originally published on Common Edge.

Theodore Prudon, the founding president of Docomomo US, recently stepped down as the organization’s head. (Robert Meckfessel is the new president.) “Docomomo” is shorthand for the group’s mission: the documentation and conservation of buildings, sites, and neighborhoods of the Modern movement. Prudon has had a storied career as a preservationist, architect, and educator, heading his own practice and teaching at Columbia University. In October, he was presented with the Connecticut Architecture Foundation’s Distinguished Leadership Award at the newly reborn Marcel Breuer building in New Haven, which began its life in 1970 as the Pirelli Tire Building and is now the Hotel Marcel (designed, planned, and developed by architect Bruce Redman Becker).

The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.” If one or more of these aspects are compromised, quality of life and happiness can be severely affected. In recent years, and particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, this has proved to be especially challenging. Commuting restrictions forced many to stay indoors and businesses to pause in-person operations, aiming to prevent the virus from spreading but inevitably sacrificing psychological, emotional, and even physical health in the process. As a result, people’s lifestyles shifted to find new ways to address their well-being, including adapting their living spaces accordingly. Home gyms, for example, became a popular initiative.

Videos

As part of their latest release, architect and visual artist Erik López (IMGN) and electronic music producer and composer Edgar Mondragón have unveiled their new piece "Santuario," which is described as "a remote experience that connects with the existence of a physical space that cannot be visited." This audiovisual piece consists of a 3D model of the Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC), designed by Mexican architect Teodoro González de León for the Centro Cultural Universitario.

Combining high style with low maintenance, Corian® Design’s Solid Surface aids designers and architects to create healthy spaces for complete peace of mind. designboom and ArchDaily continues its three-part webinar series with the material producer, this time to explore the future of healthcare facilities. Including Studio Fluid, Operamed and NOAS Sweden, leading architectural and design experts join the conversation which can be watched live – register here.

Design for assembly (DFA) is hardly new. Thonet’s 1859 No. 14 chair, when disassembled, could be shipped in batches of 36 per 40-square-inch box.

Those cost savings tied to DFA are still valuable. And as it helped revolutionize shipping in the industrial era, it now carries prestige as a powerful carbon-reduction tool. In fact, DFA is currently the distinguishing feature of at least six highly visible product launches among commercial furniture manufacturers in just the past year.

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Windows and doors dictate the relationship between interiors and exteriors in buildings, helping to either integrate or separate them. They are also important components in architecture that can add to a façade's composition, balance and rhythm, while fulfilling its main function: to protect the interiors and serve as a barrier to the weather. While the first windows were composed of reduced spans and small glass panes with heavy frames, today there are almost invisible options that easily adapt to any type of project. It is up to the designers to choose among the various possibilities of materials, operations, colors and finishes.