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.

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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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We invite you to participate in the 2025 ArchDaily Brasil Building of the Year Award. Now in its ninth edition, we charge our readers with the responsibility of recognizing and rewarding the projects that have made the greatest impact on the profession. By voting, you become part of an unbiased network of judges, recognizing the most relevant projects built in Portuguese-speaking countries over the past year. Only a few days remain until the end of the nomination stage, which will select the 15 finalists for the 2025 ArchDaily Brasil Building of the Year Award.

Registered users can vote for their favorite project once per day. The nomination stage closes on April 1 at 11:59 PM (Brasília time, GMT-3).

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Historically, architecture is a discipline that for many years was a male-dominated territory, until in 1939, María Luisa Dehesa became the first Mexican female architect. Yet, despite the perception that gender parity has been achieved in the education of architects in Mexico, the concept of masculinity (which can be exercised by both men and women) continues to permeate architecture. This is reflected in design processes, in the figure of the "unreachable architect," in a sense of competitiveness, in hierarchical structures, and, in the most unfortunate cases, in the notion that women design interiors while men design *real* architecture.

This article is part of our new Opinion section, a format for argument-driven essays on critical questions shaping our field.

Before architecture students become authors of space, they are subjected to one. For years, they work inside a building that teaches without announcing itself as a teacher. It organizes their exhaustion, their ambition, their visibility, their solitude, their friendships, their sense of scale, and their relationship to judgment. Long before a student can articulate a position on architecture, the school has already offered one in its implicit built environment.

This is not to suggest that buildings determine architects. The influence is slower and less complete than that. A school building operates more like a hidden curriculum: a spatial discipline that works alongside faculty, syllabi, institutional culture, and student life. It teaches through access and obstruction, program adjacencies, daylight exposures, and scale. It produces habits of attention before it produces explicit beliefs.

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This week on the TERRAZA podcast, Nicolás Valencia speaks with Chilean sociologist and Universidad San Sebastián academic Ricardo Greene, editor of the landmark book "Ciudad Fritanga," published by Editorial Bifurcaciones in 2014.

"Ciudad Fritanga" compiles 34 chronicles of non-metropolitan Chilean cities like Arica, Talca, and Punta Arenas through the lens of poets, artists, and writers such as Lina Meruane, Jorge Baradit, Marcelo Mellado, and María José Navia.

"When people write about cities, they write about London, Berlin, and New York.  That is the urban chronicle. However, non-metropolitan cities are also cities," Greene comments in this interview.

This week on the TERRAZA podcast, Nicolás Valencia speaks with Argentine-Spanish architect Zaida Muxí, author of the book “⁠Mujeres, casas y ciudades⁠” (Women, Houses, and Cities), published by dpr-Barcelona in 2018.

In “⁠Mujeres, casas y ciudades⁠”, Muxí proposes rewriting the history of architecture and urbanism by incorporating the contributions of the many women who have been silenced in mainstream historical accounts.

“If we want to play by market rules, housing will never be a right,” Muxí posits in this interview.

The rise of sustainability and the circular economy is transforming the construction industry, driving a growing demand for new specialized roles. Positions such as sustainability managers or circular economy consultants are becoming increasingly common in contemporary projects.

In 2024, the evolution of porcelain tiles has elevated the tactile experience to a new level, transforming them into true works of art. Produced with mineral texture printing technology, the collections feature striking reliefs in dimensions of 120 x 120 cm, 100 x 200 cm, 120 x 250 cm, 160 x 160 cm, and 160 x 320 cm, designed to awaken all the senses. Behind this advancement is Roca Brasil Cerámica, part of the Mexican LAMOSA Group, leading the Roca Cerâmica and Incepa brands.

"Drinking Caracu is drinking health." This is what read on the massive blank wall of a building in downtown São Paulo on the morning of May 1, 2018. Hidden for decades, the advertisement for the famous beer brand now loomed before a massive heap of concrete, twisted metal, and shattered glass. This was the rubble to which the iconic Wilton Paes de Almeida Building had been reduced—a modernist landmark designed by architect Roger Zmekhol and the subject of the documentary Skin of Glass, directed by his daughter, Denise Zmekhol.

The film transcends traditional architectural documentation by blending a personal narrative with the political complexities of contemporary Brazil, a country shaped by deep inequalities and erased memories. At the heart of the story is the building itself, considered a landmark of Brazilian modern architecture, which collapsed in 2018 after a tragic fire.

Stone and marble continue to establish themselves as essential materials in architecture and design, for both interiors and exteriors worldwide. CHC offers a curated selection designed to create spaces with a timeless, elegant character. Discover how to incorporate marble and stone into your projects to add a touch of modern style.

Choosing between vinyl and laminate flooring is no longer necessary, as resilient hybrid flooring combines the best features of both materials. Kiwi is a natural flooring made of 80% wood, utilizing a premium impregnation technology that makes it 100% waterproof. This product features 80% wood, while the remaining 20% is composed of plant-based resins. Consequently, it is 100% PVC-free, making it an entirely eco-friendly choice.

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On this week's episode of the TERRAZA podcast, Nicolás Valencia speaks with Chilean architect Sandra Iturriaga about the book ⁠Mapocho Aguas Abajo⁠ (Ediciones ARQ), a publication developed by the Mapocho 42K Lab at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile that proposes revaluing the heritage and landscape of the downstream stretch of the Mapocho River in Santiago, Chile.

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This week on the TERRAZA podcast, Nicolás Valencia talks with Venezuelan-American architect Elisa Silva about her book, "Pure Space: Public Space Transformations in Latin American Spontaneous Settlements" (Actar Publishers), an analysis of a series of public space interventions in communities across Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, and Chile.

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Nicolás Valencia talks this week on the TERRAZA podcast with Chilean architect Rodrigo Tisi about his book ⁠Objetos y espacios performativos⁠ (Ediciones ARQ), research that examines key moments to observe, explain, and establish the possibilities of certain performance practices in academia and creative environments.

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This week on the TERRAZA podcast, Nicolás Valencia talks with Brazilian architect and critic Guilherme Wisnik about his book En la niebla (Editorial Bifurcaciones), a series of essays where fog serves as a metaphor for the state of uncertainty in today's world, weaving together contemporary debates on space, art, and politics.

In the face of an unprecedented climate crisis, green roofs are increasingly establishing themselves as a global architectural trend, providing multiple social, economic, and environmental benefits in urban areas. Following the example of pioneering models like Copenhagen's, cities around the world are replacing gray roofs with green ones in an effort to move toward a more sustainable and healthy future. As a result, integrating green roofs has become a recurring practice in projects aiming to address the inherent challenges of the contemporary city.

During the pandemic, team communication, meetings, and work processes rapidly shifted from in-person to remote. Consequently, hybrid methods, work-from-home options, and remote collaboration solutions are increasingly studied and adopted across the labor market. While some believed this would spell the end of physical offices, many companies have chosen to strike a balance that meets employees' new needs while fostering teamwork, corporate culture, and identity. Ultimately, this has materialized in flexible workspaces that foster smart collaboration.

The earliest mosaics date back to the 8th century BCE. Indeed, they were already used as decorative elements and paving in Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. Yet, despite this long history, they remain as relevant as ever, continuing to set trends in contemporary design. Furthermore, in recent years, mosaic techniques have evolved alongside new technologies and advanced manufacturing methods, giving rise to various types of coverings with diverse formats, styles, colors, and properties adapted to a wide range of functions. Among these, glass systems stand out particularly for their beauty, versatility, and physical properties.

In the 1920s, Art Deco emerged as a dominant architectural, industrial, and graphic design style inspired by elegance, luxury, and sophistication. Although it originated in France, it gained momentum in both Europe and the United States during the 1920s, expanding to encompass all elements of decorative art, including furniture, accessories, and interior lighting. Reflecting the Golden Age of Hollywood and epitomizing glamour, Art Deco was primarily characterized by a predominance of straight lines, symmetry, and bold geometric shapes, with a particular fondness for figures like the hexagon and the octagon.

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Reflecting the shifting preferences of each era, the design world has continuously adapted its goals to match contemporary lifestyles. A growing awareness of the benefits of comfort-focused daily design has guided the renovation of home design, evolving from a purely functional role toward incorporating wellness equipment innovations into the overall design strategy.

Amid emerging wellness trends, well-being has become a central pillar of interior design. By analyzing health benefits and offering a guide to selecting and integrating wellness equipment into the home, this article highlights how jacuzzis and saunas—combining advanced technology and ergonomic design—promote relaxation and rest in daily life.

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During this year's Art Week, which took place in Mexico City during the second week of February, there was a vibrant surge of cultural events drawing massive crowds, as extensively documented on social media. Evidence of this was the significant turnout prior to the opening of Zona Maco, as well as at Salón Acme, where guided groups of collectors and prospective buyers packed the rooms. To our surprise, after nearly two years of quarantine, the lineup was filled with new projects already planning their second editions. Here, we share a roundup of events we had the opportunity to attend, which will remain open for the rest of February and March. Read on for the full list.

Before transforming a space, the ability to envision its future aesthetic is essential. Visiting a showroom firsthand offers the opportunity to interact with products and materials, creating a space of visualization and inspiration for architects, designers, and visionary clients ready to explore design innovations.

Depending on user needs, showrooms are categorized into two main specialties: office furniture and storage systems.

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The 1970s shaped many social landscapes that endure to this day. Avant-garde design, fashion, and music are cultural hallmarks that remain in the collective imagination, none more so than the disco scene. However, when speaking of a benchmark that combined these elements and elevated them to their ultimate expression, one must inevitably talk about Studio 54.

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During the last decade we have witnessed how the profession has diversified to work from different trenches, yes out of curiosity, but mainly due to economic factors related to the economic and environmental crises that have hit in recent years. I think that one of the great myths that is lived in architecture universities is to think that, when they graduate, that entire generation will dedicate themselves to building great buildings. The reality is that it is not like that and over the years, it is very common that according to the specific interests of each person, the opportunities are diversified to make them participate in other areas that make up the architecture in an integral way.