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.

As part of the second Model: Barcelona Architectures Festival, local architecture firm H3o Architects—led by Adrià Orriols, Joan Gener, and Miquel Ruiz—presented the temporary installation “Nomad Assembly". As one of the five installations featured in this festival curated by Eva Franch i Gilabert and co-organized by the Barcelona City Council and the Mies van der Rohe Foundation, the project was developed to its full materialization in the public space beneath the canopy of the Mercat dels Encants, serving as the main stage for the event.

Cities worldwide can save thousands of lives every year through fairly simple measures: traffic calming and speed management. Readjusting vehicle speed limits on urban roads is one of the key initiatives highlighted by the UN and the WHO to help countries meet the target of halving traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030.

According to recent data, Brazil's housing deficit stands at 5.876 million households: 5.044 million in urban areas and 832,000 in rural areas. In percentage terms, this figure corresponds to 8.1% of the country's total stock of private, permanent, and improvised dwellings. Aiming to address, either fully or partially, this massive social debt, the Minha Casa Minha Vida (MCMV) program, launched in 2009, began offering affordable housing to low-income families.

Singapore, China, Dubai (United Arab Emirates), London (England), Toronto (Canada), Hong Kong, New York (USA), and Paris (France) are examples of locations that have been verticalizing more intensely in recent years, adopting a series of measures to curb urban sprawl while seeking to meet the demand for more housing and infrastructure. Consequently, these regions have seen a growing number of skyscrapers—or tall buildings, as they are also called—being constructed in their neighborhoods, including central and historic areas.

As part of an initiative by the Federation of Associations of Architects of the Mexican Republic, a national competition was launched to design an affordable housing prototype in Los Pirules, Celaya, Guanajuato. The Municipal Housing Institute of Celaya (IMUVI) currently holds a land reserve in the northeast of the municipality, where it plans to develop a social housing complex. In collaboration with FCARM, they launched this competition to spark architectural reflection on the potential of social housing and the city. The prototype had to adapt to the post-2022 economic reality and living patterns, focusing on providing constructive alternatives and solutions responsive to the housing complex's urban, sociocultural, and environmental context.

This article by Mónica Bustos Peñafiel was originally published in issue 113 of ARQ magazine. It reflects on the Emergency Housing Plan, tracing the history of the deficit and the challenges posed by the various government plans designed to address it.

The satisfaction of living longer is closely tied to opportunities to lead an active life, stay engaged, and feel integrated into society. To this end, the built environment must support these goals through flexible structures that adapt gradually to users' needs, regardless of age.

The real estate sector is beginning to realize the immense potential of architecture focused on health quality and increased human life expectancy. As we look to the future of real estate, we can expect a smarter use of technology, along with innovations and new metrics to establish a better understanding of well-being and its relationship with both the natural and built environments. This quality standard will drive an exponential increase in sales by making properties flexible and adaptable throughout the different stages of their residents' lives.

Nearly one hundred thousand square meters make up the site of one of Brazil's most important industrial heritage landmarks. Opened in 1926 by a Canadian group, the Perus Portland Cement Factory in São Paulo was crucial to the region's growth, leaving a legacy that goes far beyond its architectural remains.

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The Recife Street Design Manual (MDR) emerges as a significant milestone in the city's urban mobility planning and design, focusing on active and collective modes of transportation. Developed as an integral part of the Recife Mobility Plan, which was approved in 2021, it represents an innovative approach to street circulation, establishing new design parameters that benefit all users. With its goal of promoting broad, safe, efficient, sustainable, resilient, and democratic access to the city, the manual seeks to transform how we think about and design streets.

We present a challenge: building with less water. The construction process consumes a massive amount of water resources, and it is time to rethink how we can reduce this environmental impact.

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Earth is the title of Brazil's contribution to the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023, an exhibition curated by Gabriela de Matos and Paulo Tavares occupying the spaces of the Brazilian Pavilion at the Giardini. Divided into two galleries, the exhibition challenges the canons of modern architecture while seeking alternatives for a decolonized and decarbonized future in invisibilized ancestral narratives. Earth is the first Brazilian pavilion to be recognized with the highest award of the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Golden Lion.

In an effort to expand access to the content exhibited in Venice, we present here the texts and images of the first gallery, titled Decolonizing the Canon. The second gallery, Places of Origin, Archaeologies of the Future, can be viewed here. ArchDaily wishes to thank the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo, which generously provided the material from the Earth pavilion for this publication.

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According to data released by the CAU/DF in 2022, more than 82% of the Brazilian urban territory grows informally and through self-construction—a vibrant phenomenon manifested across the country. By "self-construction," we refer to a popular architecture, vividly expressed by people freely building their own homes.

While this scenario showcases a rich building culture, with creative solutions, technologies, and adaptations to local resources and contexts that involve valuable knowledge, it also reveals a high level of housing precariousness. Unsanitary environments and a lack of basic infrastructure expose residents to numerous hazards. 

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Urban mining seeks to explore and recover valuable resources found within the waste discarded in cities. While traditional mining extracts raw materials directly from the earth, this concept focuses on those hidden within products discarded by the population, such as plastic, glass, and ferrous and non-ferrous metals (iron, gold, silver, aluminum, copper, etc.) that can be reused by industry.

Simply put, while traditional mining focuses on virgin minerals, urban mining recycles and recirculates these materials from items returned by consumers after use. When disposed of improperly (in regular trash or the environment), they can end up in open landfills or dumps, harming flora, fauna, and human health.

Campinas has revised its environmental plans, formalizing nature-based solutions (NBS) as a central component of the municipality's environmental policies, actions, and goals. Enacted by municipal decree, this revision strengthens the city's commitment to climate adaptation, resilience, and a long-term vision, while prioritizing sustainable, equitable, and inclusive urban development.

Doors and windows have undergone few changes since their original conception. They are elements designed to meet the basic human need for sunlight, air circulation in enclosed spaces, and ease of movement, all to ensure comfortable living. Consequently, their role in daily life is both constant and crucial. Although their primary function remains unchanged, doors and windows as architectural components continue to serve the role of separating spaces while allowing the entry of light, objects, and landscapes—largely maintaining their original structure. However, significant progress has been made in their manufacturing materials and the technical performance they offer.

In today's context, minimalism has emerged as a trend focused on simplifying down to the essentials, leaving its mark on contemporary architecture, including modern windows and doors. This streamlined approach, characterized by the elimination of elements unnecessary for proper functioning, has become prominent across various countries. In line with this trend, Strugal window and door systems have made significant strides in the construction of architectural elements through technological development in manufacturing processes and new product design. These advancements are reflected in various applications across facades and interior courtyards using sliding windows and doors.

When it comes to facades, there are numerous options to consider to define both the appearance and the message a building seeks to convey. While glazed surfaces bring sophistication and evoke corporate environments, exposed concrete offers sobriety, and wood lends warmth, few materials are as versatile for facades as HPL (high-pressure laminate). With a wide range of dimensions, colors, and textures, these panels easily adapt to different architectural styles, opening up endless creative possibilities. 

Architecture is a business. Whether architects openly admit it or not, running an architecture firm works just like any other company. Businesses—and their founders, leaders, and stakeholders—are influenced by real-world economic forces. You cannot make payroll on a love of the work.

In our current economic system, businesses must prioritize profitability to pay their employees a living wage, operate sustainably and ethically, and continue offering their services.

The sensitivity in selecting new firms and the focus on accessibility and sustainability alone place the latest editions of CASACOR among the architecture events that demand close attention. However, this year's theme, “Corpo & Morada” (Body & Home), goes a step further, showing how the event remains attuned to the profession's emerging and provocative themes.

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On two specific days of the year, June 21 and December 21, if you look up at the sky, you will notice that the sun seems to stand still at its northernmost or southernmost limit before completing its daily path and reversing direction. This impression of a stationary sun led to the event being named the "solstice," derived from the Latin words 'sol' and 'sistere', meaning to stand still. It occurs when the sun reaches its northernmost or southernmost diurnal arc relative to the Equator; thus, two solstices occur annually, marking the beginning of winter and summer in the respective hemispheres.

Historically, this moment has held immense significance for various cultures, marking holidays, rituals, festivals, and ceremonies that, in turn, are tied to religion, agriculture, and fertility. Recognizing the importance of these rituals for cultural heritage and ancient traditions, the UN established June 21 as the International Day of the Celebration of the Solstice to foster mutual respect between different cultures.

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Converting office buildings to residential use is a major topic among developers and municipalities looking to add housing inventory to cities facing housing shortages. And for good reason: office occupancy rates have yet to recover from pandemic-era declines, and many advocates argue that North American cities have far too many office buildings due to their urban planning.

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More People, Fewer Trees? In the face of the climate crisis, tree-lined streets—once merely desirable—have become an essential attribute for quality of life in São Paulo. Meanwhile, population density in the infrastructure-rich expanded center seems to be the most efficient path for the capital's growth. But are these two goals truly at odds? Does higher density inevitably mean more concrete and fewer trees? In a recent column for Jovem Pan, architect and urban planner Helena Degreas highlighted the ongoing loss of urban canopy in the city. In her view, this is a reflection of the "unbridled densification resulting from the guidelines of São Paulo's Strategic Master Plan, combined with regulations regarding tree removal along urban transformation development axes." In just four years, the Pinheiros Subprefecture alone reportedly lost over three thousand trees. Indeed, defending the city's "green lungs" is one of the central arguments supporting the historical resistance of residents in neighborhoods like Jardim América, Jardim Europa, Alto de Pinheiros, and Pacaembu to any changes in zoning laws that would encourage population density in these areas. On the other hand, according to research conducted by the Coalition for Urban Transitions, an initiative of the New Climate Economy, and the Urban Land Institute, evidence shows that increases in urban density are linked to declines in both local and per capita carbon emissions and energy consumption. This reduction in emissions is driven by factors such as decreased private vehicle use, greater energy efficiency in buildings, less built infrastructure, and fewer land-use changes on urban fringes. Consequently, dense cities are greener cities. These factors underpinned the argument made by architect and urban planner Anthony Ling in defense of proposed changes to the 2015 Zoning Law in his article "The Struggle of São Paulo's Elite to Exclude the City," published in Caos Planejado. To mark World Environment Week (June 5 to 9) and contribute to this controversial debate, I cross-referenced the number of street trees per square kilometer (vertical axis) with inhabitants per square kilometer (horizontal axis) across São Paulo's 96 districts, sharing the analysis in a LinkedIn post. If it were true that population density and green density in São Paulo necessarily move in opposite directions, we would see a clear negative correlation between the two variables. However, as the chart below shows, that is not the case. As the chart demonstrates, several districts have both green and population densities above the city average—such as Jardim Paulista, Vila Mariana, Consolação, and Perdizes. In Jardim Paulista, however, part of this high green density is due to the leafy neighborhood of Jardim América, where heritage preservation and zoning laws restrict construction and high-rises—consequently keeping population density low. The same occurs in the Perdizes district, which includes part of the Pacaembu neighborhood. In fact, focusing on the top of the chart, where districts with above-average green density are located, we do observe a slight negative correlation between green density and population density. Alto de Pinheiros has low population density but boasts the highest number of street trees per square kilometer in the city. As we move to the right on the chart toward districts with higher population densities, we see a drop in green density, as in Santa Cecília, República, and Bela Vista—though it is worth noting that even these districts remain above the city average. It is also true that higher population density, even in green areas, can mean fewer trees per capita. Bela Vista and República, for instance, despite their above-average green density, are among the districts with the lowest number of trees per inhabitant (highlighting the relevance of developments like Cidade Matarazzo in Bela Vista). Conversely, Butantã, despite having a green density close to the average, is one of the districts with the highest number of trees per inhabitant. However, it is when we factor price into the analysis (represented by circle size) that São Paulo reveals its segregated nature once again, as previously identified by Properati, the consultancy that compiled the green density and price data—while population density data was sourced from the City Hall website. Broadly speaking, the districts with the highest green density are also among the capital's most expensive. Furthermore, wealthy areas concentrate most of the city's parks, such as Ibirapuera Park (Vila Mariana), Parque do Povo (Itaim Bibi), Trianon Park (Jardim Paulista), and Augusta Park (Consolação). In other words, the benefits of green spaces in São Paulo also appear to be a privilege reserved for the few. The contrast between the two "Itaims" is particularly striking: on one hand, Itaim Bibi is green, wealthy, with below-average population density and nearly 150 street trees per thousand inhabitants; on the other, Itaim Paulista is low-income, densely populated, and has few street trees (just 25 per thousand inhabitants). To be clear, I am not suggesting that the construction of new buildings along the urban transformation axes is not leading to tree removal—I myself deeply regretted the removal of a massive, century-old tree on a plot on Avenida Pompeia, near my home, to make way for a new building. The issue, however, may not be high-rise development and population density in themselves, but rather a lack of oversight and strategic planning to preserve existing trees—or to promote urban reforestation. As Helena Degreas herself points out, "in the city of São Paulo, tree planting is carried out by subprefectures on a compensatory basis—meaning that for every tree removed within a subprefecture's territory, another must be planted anywhere else in the city. It is at this point that issues related to local microclimate, soil permeability, and biodiversity are bypassed solely by the logic of real estate density." Her proposal to plant trees in the exact location where they were removed makes perfect sense. "Removing a tree from my street and planting it elsewhere makes no sense when it comes to local microclimate and resident well-being," she rightly argues. Furthermore, urban greening or even creating small garden beds on sidewalks almost always falls on property owners, without proper planning or public sector incentives. Structured, coordinated initiatives could significantly improve the microclimate and quality of life for those who use these public spaces. When properly planned, population density tends to create more resilient, efficient, diverse, and prosperous areas, both socioeconomically and environmentally, as evidence suggests. Thus, what the resistance to density in certain areas seems to reveal, rather than a legitimate defense of the city's green spaces, is the old, disappointing defense of established privileges. Extremely well-located, close to high-paying jobs and major cultural and leisure facilities, areas with high green density and low population density are among the most expensive in the city. "What they want to maintain is the quality of life in their own neighborhood—the silence, the greenery [...] but to call that public interest? No," stated Flávio Villaça, one of Brazil's most prominent urban planners, quoted by Ling in his article. Via Caos Planejado.

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Year after year, organizations, government authorities, and other global entities face the challenge of implementing regulations and measures to address rising water scarcity: as of 2017, according to the World Health Organization, roughly 3 out of 10 people lacked access to safe drinking water at home, while 6 out of 10 lacked access to safely managed sanitation.

Theater is composed of multiple elements that help convey a desired concept. One of these is set design, which integrates various objects and techniques to build an atmosphere aligned with the narrative universe. In an interview with Erika Malo, Mexican set designer Jorge Ballina notes that the setting is not just a visual resource for the audience, but also helps actors step into their characters' shoes to effectively convey the intended message.

Virtual reality, alongside the metaverse, is playing an increasingly important role in helping both people living with dementia and their caregivers and families cope with the symptoms of this neurodegenerative condition.

There are currently 50 million people living with dementia worldwide. This number is expected to double in the next 10 years and more than triple by 2050. Consequently, the global cost of dementia is projected to reach $2 trillion by 2030.