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 November 2021, the Mayor Bruno Covas Augusta Municipal Park opened in central São Paulo. Despite the celebrations, the outcome could have been better. The decision to turn the area into a park was the result of a process that dragged on for years between developers planning to build residential and commercial towers on the site, and residents and activist groups advocating for a park on the same plot of land.

This second year of the pandemic offered a tremendous opportunity to continue reflecting on and debating the most urgent issues in architecture. To this end, we wanted our readers to actively participate by contributing their experiences and knowledge. Throughout the year, we invited them each month to share their comments and insights on a wide range of topics—from the future of cities, automation, and multidisciplinary design, to green infrastructure, adaptive reuse, migration, equity, and well-being.

After reading and compiling all the submissions received—from construction professionals and students to architecture enthusiasts—it is now time to present the key perspectives. Thank you very much for sharing your opinions! 

Dear readers, with your companionship, ArchDaily has journeyed through 2020. Throughout this past year, we have continued our daily mission to report on and share global architecture, growing along the way while earning the recognition of architects and the invaluable support of our readers. 2020 has been an extraordinary year. At a time when we cannot gather or meet in person, we rely on the digital realm to send holiday wishes, sharing warmth and connection through online greeting cards. We have compiled the holiday cards we received this year to share with you, our dear readers. Let’s take a look at these creative designs from architects worldwide as we welcome 2021 together.

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This year marked the 10th anniversary of the release of the first episode of Black Mirror. A dystopian, character-driven science fiction anthology series that explores twisted, high-tech metaverses where, according to IMDb, “humanity’s greatest innovations and darkest instincts collide.” For this reason, the British series, created by Charlie Brooker for Netflix, sparked a wide range of reactions among viewers. While it presented future scenarios, their proximity ended up creating a distinct sense of paranoia, fear, and uncertainty.

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March 9 marks the birth anniversary of one of the most globally significant Mexican architects, a pioneer of the Modern Movement in Mexico whose work has transcended geographical boundaries to be studied by generations of architects who have rewritten his teachings to make them their own. Luis Barragán, the Guadalajara-born architect and 1980 Pritzker Prize laureate, left a timeless legacy that continues to pave the way for new research and discoveries today.

"Domingos Libro" is hosted by Carmelo from Enorme Studio. Every two weeks, he delves into forgotten architectural publications, books, and architecture magazines from the '60s, '70s, and '80s that carry the most fascinating backstories.

This new episode is a holiday special focusing on the December 1971 issue of Architectural Design magazine and the "12 Cautionary Tales for Christmas" proposed by Superstudio.

Following the release of "Architectural Classics," a series of iconic architectural classics depicted in axonometric views, Diego Inzunza—the Chilean architect and visual artist behind Rosamente—now shares a collection of 22 drawings created in 2021 in collaboration with 16 architects from five countries, including Cristian Danke, David Carcamo, Anita Catricura, Roberto Ibáñez, Rodrigo Ortiz, Charlotte Bazonnard, Javiera Muñoz, Sofía Montealegre, Juan Pablo Santamaría, Tom Gardner, Joel R, Sergio Pita, José Tello, Francisco Guerrero, José Tomás Infante, and Camilo Carrascal.

The title of this new series is “Abstract Architecture,” featuring conceptual drawings that revolve around architecture, nature, and alternative graphic narratives.

An architectural award acts as a legitimizing mechanism, indicating which approaches, materials, and strategies are taking center stage in the discipline's discourse. By bringing together projects with diverse programs, scales, and constraints, these initiatives bring emerging priorities and directions in the field to light. Accordingly, the Shaw Contract Design Awards has established itself as a global platform of recognition in interior design and a barometer of the transformations sweeping the discipline, fostering reflection on the role of design in creating more responsible, inclusive, and sustainable environments.

Architecture is shaped as much by the materiality of physical spaces as by how they are perceived, discussed, and recorded. Architectural discourse, along with its mediation and representation, is inseparable from the act of design, as it defines a project's reach and longevity over time.

Driven by this understanding, Vestigare Agency emerged not only as a social media agency tailored to architecture and design, but also as a platform for architectural curation and a bridge between architects and the wider public. Founded and led by Luiza Giurni, the platform has established itself as a new communication vehicle in contemporary architecture. Among its various partnerships, it highlights a collective effort built on collaboration with female architects.

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Nicolás Valencia talks with Chilean architect Romy Hecht, Dean of College UC and author of El alma del verdor de Santiago⁠, (Orjikh Editores, 2025), where she explores the nature of the landscape in Chile's capital, examining its origins and identifying the key figures responsible for cultivating exotic species and designing planting geometries that, once rooted, shaped Santiago's identity and character.

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In the quest to find innovative solutions to achieve carbon neutrality in construction, identifying, addressing, and managing emissions is of vital importance. Doing so enables a deeper understanding and analysis of each stage of the production process and the life cycle of materials. Optimizing construction processes, minimizing fossil fuel use, adopting renewable energy, and recovering recycled materials are just some of the many strategies available to advance this transformation. Melón has taken the initiative to develop a Product Carbon Footprint calculator to deliver more sustainable products and construction solutions, actively contributing to the fight against climate change.

Architecture will never cease to pursue functionality, as it lies at the core of its essential principles. Alongside this condition are factors such as aesthetics and operability, which also influence how contemporary design is valued. Over time, the concept of functionality has evolved, extending beyond problem-solving and efficiency to connect with the creation of experiences. As a result, the quality of an environment depends as much on its design as on how its elements and systems articulate to generate an overall experience of inhabiting. In this sense, innovation means conceiving fluid and intuitive environments where every component helps make the experience natural and safe—something especially relevant in everyday spaces such as bathrooms.

Over the past few decades, the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operations (AECO) industry has been undergoing an unprecedented digital transformation. Since the days when designs were drawn exclusively on paper—a reality that lasted until the early 1980s—the field has passed significant milestones, first with the adoption of CAD (Computer-Aided Design) and, more recently, BIM (Building Information Modeling). Now, a new transition is underway, promising to be even more profound. Artificial Intelligence (AI), which until recently seemed confined to laboratories or futuristic concepts, is beginning to play a practical and strategic role in how we design, build, and manage our buildings and cities.

Today we live in a post-pandemic world, where human connections and our awareness of the fragility of existence have been subtly redesigned. More than just habits, it was urban and architectural space itself that learned to breathe differently, striving to accommodate an uncertain era. Today, we walk in the serenity of the "almost normal," yet the scars of that time still whisper through the streets, shapes, and silences—delicate survivors of a recent past that insists on remaining.

For millennia, clay has been the foundation of walls, facades, and claddings. There is likely no other human-made material with as extensive a history as the brick. Its enduring presence in architecture is explained not only by its technical attributes but also by its social impact, construction efficiency, and deep-seated cultural role in how cities are built.

In Chile, the brick-making tradition has historically shaped residential development, becoming a material associated with stability, permanence, and security for families. Against this backdrop, Cerámica Santiago celebrates 45 years in business, establishing itself as a leading national benchmark in the development of ceramic building products, driven by a vision that recognizes the social role of housing in the country's urban development. Since its inception, the company has sought to integrate traditional ceramic craftsmanship with modern industrial processes, innovative design, and evolving technical demands.

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Every regulation is born with a clear intention: to establish a starting point. It is a way of setting a minimum baseline, bringing order to what was perhaps previously assumed implicitly or lacked a common framework. However, like everything involving architecture—and especially our way of living—these frameworks also evolve: they expand, adjust, and become more detailed around new sustainable housing models. This is precisely the case with the new thermal regulations in Chile, which do not emerge from scratch but rather as part of an ongoing process that has steadily integrated new energy efficiency criteria within the General Ordinance of Urbanism and Construction (OGUC).

Nicolás Valencia speaks in Lima with Peruvian architects Mariana Jochamowitz and Nicolás Rivera about Revista A of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú and their participation in the 2024 Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism with the workshop "Climax, Fanzine for a Community in Crisis."

We are pleased to announce the finalist projects for the ArchDaily Brasil 2025 Building of the Year Award. Following two weeks of nominations, the projects that received the most votes were selected from hundreds of works built in Portuguese-speaking countries. Our jury, comprised of thousands of readers, once again played a fundamental role in curating this selection, resulting in a shortlist of 15 remarkable projects.

From today until April 9 at 11:59 PM (GMT-3), you can vote once a day for the finalists—exemplary representations of contemporary Lusophone architecture. The winners will be announced on April 10.

In construction, every task requires specific tools and every need calls for a unique solution. Factors such as building typology, construction requirements, waste generation, execution times, and context directly influence the quality and complexity of the work, making it essential to base specification decisions on these criteria. Traditional methods can hinder this process due to their rigidity and limitations, necessitating more efficient and flexible approaches that adapt to the specific demands of each project. This is especially common in residential, hotel, and hospital projects, where speed and performance are essential. In these cases, lightweight dry-construction solutions—using Volcanita boards or fiber cement over lightweight metal framing—offer an effective, high-performance alternative, enhancing functionality and, consequently, the user experience.

We invite you to participate in ArchDaily en Español's Building of the Year Award. In its sixteenth edition, we give our readers the responsibility of recognizing and rewarding the projects that have had the greatest impact on the profession. By voting, you become part of an unbiased network of jurors recognizing the most relevant projects built in Latin America and Spain over the past year. Only a few days remain before the closing of the nomination stage, which will select the 15 finalists for ArchDaily en Español's 2025 Building of the Year Award.

Registered users can vote for their favorite project once a day. The nomination stage ends on April 1 at 23:59 (GMT-3).

For many households in Latin America, fossil fuel- and biomass-based stoves and heaters, such as natural gas or wood, are an affordable and accessible option. However, these appliances present significant challenges: they are a source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, contribute to indoor air pollution, and highlight the need for policies that promote a cleaner residential energy matrix. These challenges become even more urgent considering that 2024 was the hottest year on record, with a 1.5°C increase over pre-industrial levels driven by record GHG emissions from human activity, thereby underscoring the importance of adopting sustainable solutions across all sectors worldwide, including residential.

Nicolás Valencia talks in Quito with architects Verónica Rosero and Néstór Llorca, who, alongside María José Freire, co-authored ⁠Pioneras de la arquitectura ecuatoriana⁠, published by Trama Ediciones in 2021 and winner of the publications category at the 2022 Pan-American Architecture Biennial of Quito.

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Beyond their aesthetics, materiality, or installation methods, the role of ceilings in contemporary architecture is no longer limited to hiding building structures or internal building systems. By providing functional benefits such as acoustic absorption, thermal insulation, energy efficiency, fire protection, integrated lighting, and ease of maintenance, different ceiling layouts combine flexibility and versatility to meet the diverse needs and uses of their occupants. Offices, restaurants, clinics, retail shops, and other interior spaces take center stage through the use of ceilings designed with clear intentions and narratives.

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The spaces we inhabit are filled with movement, activities, and encounters: the kitchen where we prepare food, the living room where we gather, and the office where we work. Amidst all this, certain elements go unnoticed, yet connect our experience with the environment: switches, outlets, and wall plates. These devices not only distribute power but also structure and facilitate our interaction with space, serving as nodes that link functions and circulation paths while reinforcing the aesthetic identity of interiors.