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.

This article was originally published on Common Edge.

In case you missed it, our world continues, after two years, to suffer cultural spasms in response to unseen, unrelenting, and deadly infective agents that continue to wash over entire populations, spreading fear, illness, and death. 

The U.S. is also suffering a quieter—but equally invasive—architectural plague, metastasizing into every part of the country. This architectural contagion has largely escaped criticism, but not since the raised ranch has an architectural “type” so fully transformed communities. In the 1950s, thousands upon thousands of dumbed-down Prairie Home allusions swept across fallow suburban farm fields like a wildfire. More than style, the half-buried lower level and split floors (one half-stair run apart) were a new way to explore how buildings could house people, especially in rapidly suburbanizing America.

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) has been dubbed the concrete of the future. As a highly resilient form of engineered wood made by gluing layers of solid-sawn lumber together, CLT is reshaping how we understand architecture and design today. As a material with a high degree of flexibility, CLT has to undergo great deformations to break and collapse, unlike concrete. In turn, it's a material chosen for its warmth and natural properties. 

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In recent years, much attention has been given to timber constructions. Being a sustainable and renewable material, which captures a huge amount of carbon during its growth, the innovations related to this material have allowed for increasingly higher constructions. However, when we talk about wood we approach an immense variety of species, with different strengths, nuances, potentials, limitations and recommended uses. While there are extremely hard and heavy woods, with strengths comparable to concrete, there are other soft and soft woods that are suitable for other purposes.

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Beijing Institute of Architectural Design Co., Ltd. (BIAD) is a leading design enterprise whose business scope spans urban planning, investment consulting, large-scale public architectural design, civil architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, smart building systems engineering, engineering budgeting, low-voltage systems, decoration engineering, and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC). Currently, the company holds numerous Grade-A (Class-A) qualifications, including Grade-A Engineering Design, Grade-A Urban and Rural Planning, Grade-A Engineering Consulting, Grade-A Engineering Cost Consulting, Grade-A Tourism Planning and Design, Grade-A Landscape Architecture Engineering Design, and Grade-A Environmental Engineering (Physical Pollution Prevention and Control).

BIAD serves a diverse clientele, including national and local government bodies, public institutions, state-owned enterprises, private corporations, and foreign and joint-venture companies. The value of our design is reflected in the success of our clients' projects. With works spanning the nation and the globe, many of our designs have become iconic landmarks for their cities and the country. BIAD is home to a distinguished cohort of architects and engineers across various disciplines, including 1 academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 9 National Design Masters, 73 experts receiving special allowances from the State Council, 1 expert under the National "Thousand Talents Plan," 12 Outstanding Contribution Experts of Beijing, and 3 members of the Beijing Hundred-Thousand-Ten Thousand Talents Project. Among its over 4,000 employees, 620 hold senior professional titles, and 836 possess national professional registrations. The workforce includes 36 PhD holders, 995 Master's degree holders, and 86 returnees from overseas studies. BIAD has established 13 branches nationwide, with 14 wholly owned and holding subsidiaries and 9 joint-equity companies. Additionally, the institute has established cooperative educational initiatives with renowned domestic institutions, including Tsinghua University and the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA). 

As is obvious to anyone with even a passing interest in demographics, cities are becoming denser—much denser. Rural life continues its steady emptying-out as urban life accelerates its explosive filling-in. The tilt has been apparent at least since the middle of the last century when the French geographer Jean Gottmann invented the word “megalopolis” to describe the continuous urbanization from Boston to Washington, D.C., then containing one-fifth of the United States’ population. But nowhere has the shift from countryside to city been more dramatic than in present-day Asia. 

Barcelona is a city that has been studied countless times—for the blocks of the Cerdá Plan, its chamfered corners, its historic center, the wars waged there, and the architecture of the Modernistas and their monumental buildings. However, there is little record of it ever being studied in depth through the lens of a traditional cladding material and artistic medium like sgraffito.

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On the 24th of February 2022, Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Set to become Europe’s largest refugee crisis and armed conflict in this century, so far, this war has mobilized people across the world in order to exert pressure on authorities and put a stop to the armed hostilities. Individuals, as well as institutions in the architectural field, have taken part in these acts of solidarity, issuing statements, condemning actions, and even halting their work in Russia. From the UIA to MVRDV to Russian Institutions such as Strelka, the architecture world is denouncing the acts of violence and supporting an immediate cease of fire.

Although the term may seem recent, the concept of biophilia has been used for decades in architecture and design. The guiding principle is quite simple: connect people inside with nature to promote their well-being and quality of life. With all the ongoing design trends that have consolidated as a result, the demand has focused on organic materials that emulate outdoor environments. Among all the options, wood is one of the most popular materials to bring nature indoors, not only because of its functionality, but also due to its multiple physiological and psychological benefits.

Architecture may have its roots in sheltering humans from the elements, but that is not to say that architecture is for humans alone. Around the world, there are numerous examples of buildings and shelters designed by architects for other species. Some of these can be whimsical, such as the Dogchitecture exhibit by 10 Mexican architecture firms back in 2013, or the series of BowWow Haus kennels designed by over 80 architects back in 2017, including Zaha Hadid Architects. But others are designed for a more direct impact.

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As revolutionary as the construction sector may seem nowadays, it currently accounts for nearly 40% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, 11% of which are a result of manufacturing building materials such as steel, cement, and glass. Fast forward a couple of years later, after a life-changing global pandemic and indisputable evidences of climate change, CO2 emissions are still on a rise, reaching a historical maximum in 2020 according to the 2020 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction. Although a lot of progress has been made through technological advancements, design strategies and concepts, and construction processes, there is still a long way to go to reduce carbon emissions to a minimum or almost zero in the development of built environments.

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Last year, the International Design Award Baden-Württemberg celebrated its 30th anniversary. For this year's prize, designers and brands are invited to apply until March 18 with designs that are either ready for production or have been on the market for less than two years.

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By 2025, Dubai plans for a fourth of its buildings to be printed in 3D construction methods, demonstrating the potential of a fast-growing technology capable of redefining and pushing the limits of traditional architecture. As the technique emerges as a viable solution in the construction, engineering, and architecture areas, its popularity is quickly increasing. In fact, just between 2021 and 2028, the global 3D construction market is expected to grow by 91%, according to a July 2021 report by Grand View Research. Why this rapid growth? Besides being a faster alternative and having lower construction costs, it can also provide affordable housing solutions and allow countless design possibilities, among many other benefits. Thus, as architects must adapt to a new technological era, where speed and efficiency have become key factors in design and execution processes, the rise of 3D printing shows enormous promise. It could even help reshape construction as we know it.

We are all experienced and we have all done it! I am referring to one's reaction to less than good lighting of course. Think about it.

We have all experienced architectural spaces wherein something about the lighting is not quite right. It could be any of the following issues, to name a few: appearance, color quality, controllability, emphasis or lack thereof, flicker, harshness of shadows, lack of shadows, illumination levels on horizontal and/or vertical surfaces, luminaire placement, proportions, and/or scale. Any of these issues can be perceived as bad lighting.

The floor is one of the largest areas of coverage of an environment, and therefore, its choice goes through several criteria related to both aesthetic and visual identity issues, as well as technical issues of resistance and maintenance. It is common to use different floors for areas with different uses and often this transition is not marked by walls or doors. Next, we will bring you tips on how to make this transition harmoniously when there is no physical boundary between the floors.

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According to a Harris Poll/Lego survey that questioned children across the United States, UK, and China, nearly one-third of children aged eight to 12 want to be a “YouTuber” when they grow up. That’s three times as many children who said that they wanted to be astronauts just a decade ago. The implications of how this generation of future influencers and content creators has a significant impact on the architecture and design profession begs the question- are we on the cusp of experiencing the rise of architecture influencers?

Following the pandemic that began in 2019, many organizations have opted for a new remote working model to protect their workforce. Telecommuting or working from home has proven highly effective; employee productivity is estimated to have risen by up to 45%. Consequently, nearly 64% of companies worldwide consider it highly viable for a large portion of their staff to continue working remotely, while another 30% plan to implement this model in the short term.

As a result, people now require a new space within their homes entirely dedicated to professional activities, with the primary requirement being a distraction-free environment. At the same time, the time saved by working from home—by eliminating commutes—coupled with the rapid growth of digital business platforms, has motivated many to start new ventures or monetize their hobbies. This, in turn, requires dedicating additional space within the home to develop and manage these business projects.

The built environment destined for everyone is still, to this day, not envisioned by everyone. Last year on Women’s day, we stated that “the battle for equality is far from over”. Highlighting continuously women architects and gender-related topics, this year, ArchDaily is turning the tables and seeking guidance from our audience. We highly value our reader's opinions, and now more than ever, we are seeking your input, to reach more realms and shed light on unfamiliar female figures to the international scene.

In your opinion, who are the female architects missing from our platform? Help us put the spotlight on women implicated in the built environment and nominate major female characters from across the globe, so that we can adjust the narratives, feature their work, and share knowledge and tools for a more inclusive world. These women can belong to any part of history: from young upcoming forces to established individuals or firms to figurines that were part of architecture's history. They can also have diverse professional backgrounds, from architects, planners, designers, to builders and decision-makers, all profiles involved in shaping the environment that surrounds us are eligible. 

The early 20^th century saw the birth of Modernist architecture. It brought with it a central architectural movement that in turn birthed off-shoots of its own. A figure often seen as the defining face of this movement is Le Corbusier, whose 1923 treatise Toward an Architecture was influential to his Modernist contemporaries – a manifesto including the phrase “a house is a machine for living in” where good architecture would have to be intrinsically linked to function and the demands of industry.

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Over the last couple of years, terraces have become an important part of urban life, acting as a refuge, a space for enjoyment and gathering, for contemplation or as an outdoor workspace. As a result of periods of confinement around the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, these outdoor spaces where people can exercise, connect with nature, study or work, have become particularly popular with those living in large cities.

Scandinavian interiors and products have had an affinity with design excellence for the better part of a century. Although the local landscape is one of doubtless natural beauty, it remains frustratingly covered in darkness for a large portion of the year.

Tsz Yan Ng is a Michigan-based firm principal, professor, researcher, and artist whose interdisciplinary and collaborative work seeks to challenge and improve upon modern fabrication and manufacturing practices. “We haven’t changed the way we build in so long,” Ng said. “We need to think of it more productively—not just economically—but as a collection of different voices. Architecture is a global ecosystem of people, where the sum is greater than the parts.”

What is success to you might be different to how the architecture industry views success.

One thing is certain: Everyone wants and deserves more. And to have more, you have to learn how.

I am not here to discuss philosophical concepts behind our drive as architects to be better or have more. I am here to promote a better life for architects. More recognition, more clients, more awards, more money.

Maybe you are happy where you are, maybe you struggle, but either way all of us could benefit from knowing what to do to improve the state of our careers.

As the global population increasingly concentrates in urban centers, land in major cities is becoming progressively more expensive. Meanwhile, rising sea levels driven by climate change threaten the housing of millions worldwide—it is estimated that 800 million people will be at risk by 2050.

Living on water could offer a solution to both of these major challenges. This very premise inspired a new neighborhood in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands—a country with a long history of adapting to environmental adversity, where a quarter of the land lies below sea level.

Offsite construction is a fast-growing sector within the global building construction industry. With that growth, many challenges lie ahead for all parties involved, especially architects, who have traditionally remained at arm’s length to the means and methods of construction. Cost challenges have led many firms to want to learn more about optimizing for offsite delivery methods. To help speed up industry transformation, a cooperative and open-source initiative led by the Quebec Wood Export Bureau has been developing a suite of nonprofit and collaborative tools for architects. At www.offsitewood.org, they offer a free Revit plugin, detailed content packs, and a BIM-integrated early-phase embodied carbon estimator called Carbon Fixers.