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.

In 2021, the average London driver spent 148 hours in traffic jams—double the national average, according to a new report by Inrix, a road traffic analytics company. These findings led to a BBC report that attributed this new, alleged status as the world's most congested city to an increase in bike lanes, implemented across London to ensure social distancing during pandemic travel. This analysis seems to overlook the fact that congestion in 2021 was practically the same as in 2019.

To understand what is happening, we must remember that the amount of time available to each of us limits how much we can travel. There are many things we need to fit into 24 hours and, on average, we spend only one hour commuting. This limits the accumulation of congestion in cities.

Brazil has just surpassed the historic milestone of 14 gigawatts (GW) of operational solar photovoltaic capacity, combining utility-scale plants and distributed self-generation systems on rooftops, facades, and small plots of land. Consequently, solar power now surpasses the installed capacity of the Itaipu hydroelectric plant, according to data from the Brazilian Association of Photovoltaic Solar Energy (ABSOLAR).

On Thursday (10), the São Paulo state government announced the project for Brazil's first long-distance highway bicycle path, the Ciclovia dos Bandeirantes, along the Bandeirantes Highway.

Located between São Paulo and Itupeva, the new bicycle path will connect the state capital to the newly launched Serra Azul Tourist District in Itupeva, spanning approximately 57 kilometers. 

Favela Marte, located in São José do Rio Preto, in upstate São Paulo, will be the first community in Latin America to be fully powered by solar panels. The site will serve as a model for a broad project that promises to generate income and social development for its residents. 

Known as Vila Itália, the community began to emerge in 2014. For several years, the residents were the target of lawsuits aimed at evicting them from the private land. A turning point came when the area was chosen to serve as a model for the “Favela 3D” project—standing for dignified, digital, and developed environments. 

The course Architecture and City in Brazil, taught by architect, curator, and professor Guilherme Wisnik, joins the online learning catalog of the Sesc Digital platform starting March 31. Entirely free and open, the self-paced, asynchronous course allows students to watch at their own pace.

The Novo Rio Pinheiros Program announced the results of actions taken by the São Paulo State Government to clean up the river since 2019. According to January data from the Secretariat of Infrastructure and Environment, there has been a significant improvement in oxygenation and a reduction in organic matter in the water. In June 2019, Governor João Doria promised to clean up the river by 2022.

Europe's largest research center for urban food production has opened in West Flanders, Belgium. Named Agrotopia, the space is a giant greenhouse where innovative urban horticulture techniques will be applied. 

Vegetables and fruit trees are being planted across the 6,000-square-meter cultivation area. The space is divided into four climate zones, allowing for the cultivation of diverse species. 

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Residents of the Brussels-Capital Region in Belgium will receive up to €900 to deregister their vehicles. The initiative is part of "Bruxell’Air," a financial support program for those looking to adopt alternative modes of transportation.

The seven main representative entities of Brazilian architects and urban planners, members of the Board of Architecture and Urbanism Entities (CEAU), launched the Open Letter to Candidates in the 2022 elections. Featuring 20 proposals, the document aims to address structural issues, economic and social development policies, and territorial planning in the country.

At one of Bolivia's most important architecture events, a Brazilian project took home the top prize. Sesc Parque Dom Pedro II, designed by the firm UNA Arquitetos under the coordination of Fernanda Barbara and Fabio Valentim, won the International Project category of the International Architecture Biennial of Santa Cruz 2022 (VIII BASC), held between March 25 and April 3 of this year.

The National Congress will officially discuss the proposal for the Professional Microentrepreneur (MEP), a tax category that would reduce taxes paid by architects, urban planners, and other independent professionals. The proposal, drafted by CAU in partnership with the Board of National Entities of Architects and Urban Planners (CEAU), was introduced by Federal Deputy Érica Kokay in the Chamber of Deputies as Supplementary Bill No. 55/2022.

Portuguese architecture firm Sastudio, in partnership with Icelandic studio Hjark and the firm Landmotun, has won the international design competition for a community center in Hornafjörður, Iceland. This marks the second competition won by the two offices; the first, for a kindergarten in Garðabær, is scheduled to begin construction in May of this year and is expected to be completed by mid-2023.

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The 29 de Março community, in the Cidade Industrial de Curitiba (CIC), was one of two Brazilian regions selected by the Action Fund Brazil to receive investments to combat climate inequality. Ambiens Sociedade Cooperativa, a local cooperative, was responsible for the project — a 15-month initiative in one of the city's most vulnerable neighborhoods. The other project was implemented in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul.

On May 3 at 11 a.m., Portobello will host the UNLTD Dreams Exhibition, an event that promotes discussions on art, architecture, and sustainability, while showcasing the diverse possibilities of space design through the eyes of leading professionals. 

Dating back to 1535, the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian in Igarassu, Pernambuco, is considered the oldest surviving church in Brazil. This iconic landmark has recently undergone an extensive restoration that preserves its historic features while introducing upgrades to facilitate its contemporary use. The intervention also included the adjacent two-story Parish House.

"Agostinho de Freitas was an extraordinary artist," says Agnaldo Farias, art critic, professor, and curator of the exhibition “Agostinho Batista de Freitas – Mestre das Ruas,” on view from May 12 to June 11 at Galeria Estação in São Paulo. The exhibition features a selection of about 20 of the artist's canvases from the collection of gallerist Vilma Eid.

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Two years after receiving the complete archive of Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Portugal's Casa da Arquitectura inaugurated its Digital Building last weekend. Marking the institution's shift toward the inescapable virtual world, the project consists of digitizing the archive accumulated since the organization was founded in 2017.

The 13th edition of the Architecture Biennial, organized by IAB-São Paulo, will open on May 27. It emerges from a reality of intense transformations brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide, which demanded major efforts to reorganize urban, social, and professional dynamics for survival. 

Travessias (Crossings), the theme of this edition, recognizes that the pandemic reinforces socio-spatial inequalities that were already established, not only in Brazil but globally, understanding that these structures undergo physical and symbolic fragmentations rooted in violent processes of colonization and historical erasure. As a result, they trigger numerous manifestations of oppression – such as racism, sexism, ableism, and coloniality – in Brazil and other territories. 

The canals of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, span more than 100 kilometers and are not immune to plastic pollution. However, a clever invention has arrived in the city to address this issue: “The Great Bubble Barrier,” a technology that creates bubbles in the water to make collecting plastic waste easier.

The Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI) released its Global Street Design Guide to help urban planners with the challenging task of including all users of urban spaces in their designs. The publication became a benchmark and has now inspired a dedicated companion guide focused on children. The guide Designing Streets for Kids (translated into Portuguese as Desenhando Ruas para Córiaças) is already available in several languages, including Portuguese.

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Brazilian architects Mário Rubem Costa Santana and Rafael Lamary Silva Santos received a special mention in the Children's House competition in Senegal, organized by the Kaira Looro organization. The competition sought proposals for a "space aimed at preventing child malnutrition" in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The 13th International Architecture Biennial enters its final week of activities—ending on Sunday, July 17—and brings very special attractions for those who have already visited or have yet to experience the Biennial.

Between July 8 and 17, the event features debates, conferences, short film screenings, a cycling tour, and much more, in this first in-person edition since the pandemic. The exhibition has been running since May 27 at Sesc Avenida Paulista and Centro Cultural São Paulo. 

Around the world, people continue to adapt to new ways of working, making the search for suitable furniture and equipment for both home and work environments more relevant than ever. At the same time, finding options that balance personal aesthetics and style with functionality is essential.

Herman Miller, a global leader in innovative design and furniture solutions, has announced the launch of an office chair inspired by the iconic Eames Shell chair. Design firm Studio 7.5 and Herman Miller have teamed up once again to reveal their latest collaboration: the Zeph chair.

Periodically, we have witnessed how the coasts of Quintana Roo have suffered from severe sargassum algae blooms, representing a major problem for local residents who, year after year, dedicate themselves to exhaustively cleaning the beaches during the April-August season. Various media outlets have reported that the cause of the sargassum is still unknown; however, some theories link it to climate change and variations in the Atlantic Ocean. Currently, the non-governmental organization Red de Monitoreo del Sargazo de Quintana Roo (Quintana Roo Sargassum Monitoring Network) monitors sargassum presence in the region. According to its latest alert level system, there are 22 locations with an excessive presence of this macroalgae, and the same number considered abundant.