Indeed, an architect's primary responsibility is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public, which includes a diverse population with varying degrees of physical and intellectual abilities.

Neurodiversity refers to this intellectual and cognitive variability, encompassing a mix of neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals. Those who are "divergent" are typically recognized as having differences in communication, learning, or behavior. Consequently, an architect's goal is not to design a building exclusively for either neurotypical or neurodivergent populations, but rather to create spaces where all users feel welcome and comfortable.

Founded in Shanghai in 2018, XISUI Design is currently a boutique, close-knit team that encourages every member to realize their full potential and enjoy a healthy work-life balance. We have accumulated extensive experience in delivering projects driven by digital design and construction technologies, encouraging practical actions that turn groundbreaking innovation and imagination into reality. In integrating digital technology into the design and construction fields, our completed works currently focus on spatial design, installation art, children's playscapes, and landscape structures. We offer schematic design, strategic planning, and construction administration services. Our office is located in the Jing'an District of Shanghai, near Jing'an Sculpture Park and within walking distance of Metro Lines 1, 2, and 13. We welcome pragmatic individuals who aspire to shape the future to join us and grow together.

Upholding the design philosophy of “Cutting-edge, Joy, and Creativity,” we leverage advanced digital design and fabrication technologies to create richer imaginative spaces and narrative environments. Our design pursuits combine pioneering modes of expression with a continuous exploration of intrinsic essence, allowing users of different ages, family structures, and cultural backgrounds to experience the genuine emotion, local heritage, and profound care for life embedded in our work.

Although the architecture and construction industry has advanced in recent years into new areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), parametric modeling, virtual reality (VR), and other cutting-edge tools, their integration and systematization within the design process remains slow. In an increasingly connected and constantly evolving world, digital tools and emerging technologies are revolutionizing how architects design and build, rewriting the rules and expanding creative horizons. Therefore, it is essential to continue discussing how these tools are being integrated and how their potential can be further unlocked within the discipline.

This July, ArchDaily is exploring the topic of the design process. Within this framework, we want to open up the discussion to hear about your experiences, learn from your successes, challenges, and mistakes—and explore together how these new tools are transforming the practice of architecture.

The last few decades have yielded a renewed conception of the ruin, shaped by the logic of contemporary society. These ruins can be found, for example, in the demolition of industrial buildings on a colossal scale. Yet they are stripped of their historical and enigmatic values, since we have witnessed their birth and coexisted with them in the present.

DDB Architects (Shanghai) was founded in 1998 by Professor Xiang Bingren. Since its inception, influenced by a strong academic background, the firm has adhered to the core philosophy of "culture-led design, creative value enhancement." This approach manifests as a multifaceted contemplation of culture across diverse design typologies, driving continuous creative momentum. Positioning itself as a highly specialized, professional, and lean, top-tier architectural design team, the firm is committed to pursuing both academic and artistic excellence in architecture. Over more than 20 years of deep industry engagement, the firm has maintained an urban perspective. It has accumulated extensive project experience, professional expertise, and a robust client base across seven key sectors: supertall complexes, offices and corporate headquarters, urban renewal, commercial spaces, cultural landmarks, bespoke hospitality spaces, and customized residential spaces. Through high-caliber design creativity, professional quality, and attentive, personalized service, DDB has established an outstanding market reputation.

The firm features a mature innovation and research system, a lean design methodology, and an integrated design workflow.
Innovation and Research System: Centered on talent development and brand building, the firm has conducted a series of distinctive explorations and practices across platforms such as R&D, team knowledge management, and media communication. By integrating R&D platforms with design practice, design and management are closely linked to drive iterative upgrades.

Lean Design System: Utilizing its proprietary, meticulous curtain wall control methodology, the firm manages façade design with scientific rigor, allowing for highly targeted cost optimization.

Integrated Design: With an integrated design matrix, the firm possesses design capabilities across architecture, landscape, and interior design, alongside the perspective and capacity to address related technical challenges. Additionally, by collaborating with a network of leading domestic technical partners and consultants, DDB has formed a multidisciplinary design matrix to deliver highly professional solutions tailored to clients' specific needs.

In the 1940s, as director of the Division of Studies and Heritage Listing at IPHAN, Lucio Costa sent his staff into the field to identify the cultural heritage scattered across Brazil, waiting to be discovered.

“Who,” “when,” and “how” were the questions his assistants had up their sleeves. Supposedly, they were meant to reveal the characteristics of the analyzed assets, in order to then categorize them as worthy or unworthy of heritage listing.

From Le Corbusier's polychromy to the aesthetic concepts of the Bauhaus, color has played an essential role throughout architectural history. Yet, we stand on the threshold of a new era of innovation where the meaning, application, and impact of color in architecture are constantly evolving. This evolution brings new questions to the fore: Could new materials and finishes revolutionize the color palette? What possibilities does color application hold in virtual spaces? What will be the upcoming color trends in the world of interior design?

Jenny Holzer (b. 1950, United States)

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Vicuña Mackenna 20 (VM20), located steps from the Baquedano Metro station in the heart of Santiago, is a new project by the University of Chile. It aims both to become a hub for artistic and cultural outreach and to impact the public space recovery plan in the capital's central area.

Tomás Vodanovic, mayor of the municipality of Maipú in Santiago, Chile, announced a new measure prohibiting high-rise construction along major thoroughfares, such as Pajaritos, Américo Vespucio, and 5 de Abril, in an effort to foster the aesthetic and sustainable development of the district.

As the climate emergency worsens globally, an ever-larger number of people are forced to flee their homes due to natural disasters, droughts, and other meteorological events. These displaced populations are often referred to as “climate refugees.” This humanitarian crisis demands immediate action, but first we must understand who these individuals are and how the international community can appropriately address this growing issue.

Being present has become the new currency, another way to accumulate symbolic capital, and a new way to validate status. It began with a sudden and rapid surge in museum attendance, alongside the visible crowding of specific areas of Mexico City. This points to an issue currently affecting us: gentrification and forced displacement.

The history of architecture is filled with remarkable unrealized hypotheses, whether due to infeasibility, conceptual radicalism, or other specific factors. Even when conceived by the field's most prestigious minds, these ideas never overcame the inevitable constraints of material reality, nor could they be adapted to make them viable, even partially. Yet, the significance of these projects goes beyond the tangible. Beyond enriching the profession's intellectual heritage, these once-abandoned proposals were—and still are—a catalyst for reflection and a source of inspiration for diverse artistic approaches.

We have less than seven years to halve greenhouse gas emissions if we want to limit global warming to 1.5°C, the threshold scientists consider necessary to avoid some of the most dangerous impacts of climate change. In 2022, floods, droughts, and severe heatwaves claimed thousands of lives and affected millions worldwide, offering a glimpse of what to expect if we fail to take climate action. Since cities account for more than 60% of global emissions and are home to more than half of the world's population, changing how we manage the urban environment must be at the center of our efforts to curb the climate crisis.

Dementia villages, or communities designed for people living with dementia, represent an innovative model of care for individuals experiencing cognitive decline, such as Alzheimer's disease. These environments are adapted and welcoming, fostering a sense of community while promoting resident autonomy and well-being.

Neuroarchitecture and dementia villages are closely linked, as both seek to create spaces that enhance the well-being and quality of life of those with dementia. Combining neuroscience with design, neuroarchitecture explores how the physical environment impacts the human brain and behavior.

Designed by the architects of Grass+Batz, the Dignity Memorial Mausoleum in Chile has been selected as the winning project in the architecture category of ESENCIALES x ArchDaily 2023.

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Greenhouse gas emissions from the operation of existing buildings are significantly higher than those generated by new construction—that is, from materials and their use during construction, which account for 25%, while building operations represent 75% of emissions. And this is without accounting for the vast number of buildings falling under the concept of energy poverty.

Against this backdrop, the 'Proyectar a Conciencia' (PAC) competition continues to advance the debate surrounding "building better versus improving what is already built" in its fifth edition. As always, the competition invited students and architects to present a vision of a better society through the energy retrofitting and partial physical transformation of institutional, private, or public infrastructure.

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Adequate housing, and everything it encompasses in a broader sense, is one of the essential principles of humanity, established by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, according to statistics from the United Nations (UN), 150 million people experience homelessness worldwide, and 1.6 billion live in inadequate housing conditions. The housing crisis is a multifaceted issue faced in different ways and on different scales by many cities across various countries and continents. One of its most difficult and complex aspects is precisely the deprivation of this basic right, affecting people in diverse ways and for different reasons.

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OTROCAFÉ is located on the ground floor of the iconic YWCA building, in the heart of Mexico City's Historic Center—a space steeped in over a century of history. The project was conceived as an integrated architecture and design proposal, a vision reflected in its creative framework. The cafe's design combines several key elements: subtle red accents, wood featured in both the custom furniture and as a continuous envelope wrapping the space, raw walls pigmented with a lime-based plaster, and soft, warm lighting that completes the atmosphere.

'Ecological Design: Strategies for the Vulnerable City' is a publication series produced by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to assess the impacts of the climate crisis on the most underserved areas of our cities, while exploring initiatives to improve their spatial and environmental quality. The first volume, launched in early 2021, recognized the challenges of adapting vulnerable areas of Latin America and the Caribbean to climate change, and the second, released in late 2022, built upon this by presenting urban policies, strategies, and case studies to enhance public space through green infrastructure and nature-based solutions.

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Samira Perez, a longtime resident of Barranquilla, Colombia, used to spend time and money on taxis to take her children to local shopping malls after school and on weekends. There, they would pass the time window-shopping at high-end stores, watching shows, and eating at restaurants.

The central role of the shopping mall in the lives of the Perez family is common in rapidly urbanizing Latin American cities, where, in the absence of accessible outdoor alternatives, malls often provide safe, clean social spaces. In Barranquilla, where malls are ubiquitous, a 2009 perception survey showed that 90% of residents were dissatisfied with the city's green and public spaces.

Every year, the Colombian Society of Architects convenes representatives, experts, and special guests to address pressing issues related to everyday architecture. At this year's Colombian Congress of Architecture and Urbanism, the overarching framework was defined by the concept of "social architecture."

In October 2023, the Mugak International Architecture Biennial of the Basque Country opened its fourth central exhibition in the city of San Sebastián, Spain, the result of a collective dialogue between key figures from the architectural and artistic worlds. Positioned as one of the leading architectural events of the Atlantic Arc, this public meeting point engages with the trends and concerns of our time.

Running through February 2024 with free admission at the Basque Country Architecture Institute, the reflective exhibition "Habitar el Cambio" (Inhabiting Change) is structured around the concepts of "rebuilding, rehabilitating, and rethinking," responding to the current climate of complexity and crisis across economic, health, ecological, and social spheres.

As perimeter walls are dismantled, a new layout is taking shape on the runway of Mendoza's former airfield. This adaptive reuse initiative, driven by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the municipal government, seeks to repurpose the vacant 72-hectare site to explore and develop a more open, inclusive, and carbon-neutral city. The master plan focuses on strategies addressing environmental and climate sustainability, efficient energy, water, and sanitation management, housing, mobility, and accessible public spaces, alongside social inclusion and local development. The plan envisions the integration of infrastructure, parks, green spaces, commercial and dining uses, a technology and innovation hub, and the development of new single-family and collective housing models: "the housing of the future."  

The official presentation of the project to Mendoza government authorities, IDB representatives, students, and other guests took place on the site of the former airfield. For this occasion, renowned Paraguayan architect Solano Benítez was invited to design and construct an entrance pergola for the "city of the future." The structure aligns with the urban project's circular economy framework, blending craftsmanship and prefabrication to "transition from traditional construction dependent on high-embodied-energy systems toward reusing materials with lower energy expenditure," according to IDB architects and urban planners Felipe Vera and Matías Lince. Grounded in exploring the tectonic potential of brick—the quintessential material of Paraguayan construction—Benítez's work focuses on delivering efficient, local architectural solutions that prioritize the intelligent use of materials.