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.

The construction industry faces growing pressure to adopt more sustainable practices due to the need to mitigate climate change and protect natural resources. Traditional construction has a significant environmental impact, ranging from the destruction of ecosystems to high energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, sourcing and manufacturing materials contribute to water pollution and hazardous waste generation. However, new products are emerging that offer more environmentally friendly solutions without compromising quality or performance, catering to architects committed to creating sustainable projects.

Indeed, selecting the right materials to help minimize negative impacts on the planet is one of the most effective ways to implement sustainable construction.

As a building material, stone has been fundamental since the dawn of human society, present in various forms throughout our surroundings. From post-and-lintel structures to robust dry stone walls, its deep-seated presence in both our environment and early construction is undeniable. Alvar Aalto highlighted this, asserting that this early architecture could be considered the "genius of discovery," as nature was then the sole provider of building materials.

Over time, as processes for transporting, handling, and working stone have been refined, this material has become far more sophisticated and manageable. While preserving its fundamental characteristics, it is now possible to expand its application as cladding—primarily in bathrooms and kitchens—using smaller stones known as pebbles. This transforms them into a design element that integrates visual interest and a new tactile experience, adding an extra dimension to their use.

The way we perceive a space does not depend solely on its scale or form, but on a series of decisions that shape our experience from within. Certain gestures are decisive: clear height, the organization of vertical planes, or the size of the bed. Others operate more subtly, such as the play of light, the tonality of materials, or the use of color. All these variables influence how a space manifests—whether it feels open or contained, segmented or continuous. Along these lines, the use of large-format flooring becomes a key strategy, reducing visual fragmentation and reinforcing surface continuity.

The design of public restrooms has historically been linked to satisfying a common need for hygiene, health, and well-being in communities. By condensing different spaces, materials, and sanitation elements within their typologies, the architecture of public restrooms has adapted to contemporary demands for hygiene, care, and aesthetics. From sinks, toilets, and drinking fountains to partition systems, showers, changing tables, or lactation rooms, these features shape the dynamics of these spaces. Whether in airports, parks, clinics, hotels, or other sites, these elements aim to provide privacy and comfort, deliver efficient cleaning solutions, and integrate accessibility criteria across all components, supported by contemporary tools and technologies.

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Recognizing the contemporary role of the kitchen as a social, leisure, and experimental hub within the home, the dialogue between technology and architecture becomes increasingly relevant by bringing movement, adaptability, and flexibility to domestic spaces. While kitchens embody the essence of diverse cultures, preserving everything from ancient recipes and techniques to heritage and tradition, their architectural design increasingly integrates innovative material finishes and invisible technologies, seamlessly combining durability, energy efficiency, and design.

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In ancient Greece and Rome, agoras and forums were spaces where merchants and artisans displayed their products. Although they were not showrooms in the modern sense, they already operated as arenas for visual stimulation. The concept we know today took shape centuries later during the Industrial Revolution, when novel tableware began to be presented in carefully designed settings. And therein lies the key: designing. Over time, spaces dedicated to displaying materials, furniture, and objects have been much more than mere showcases; they have functioned as platforms for exploration and experimentation. What we call a showroom today inherits this spirit: spaces where design is not only observed but touched and projected in real time, giving rise to tools such as moodboards.

In its constant quest to create functional spaces that also establish a visual and emotional connection with their inhabitants, architecture has found a source of inspiration in nature. From the golden ratio, present in biological structures, to the use of site-specific materials, the natural environment offers a lesson in shapes and textures that nourish architectural thinking. An iconic example is Fallingwater, where stone acts as an integrating element between the building and its surroundings. While this work demonstrates the potential of stone, its presence and character have evolved into new formats, such as porcelain tile, expanding design alternatives and consolidating the importance of stone textures and tones in contemporary projects.

Water, in addition to being a design resource widely valued for its aesthetics and functional contribution, can become a formidable adversary when it infiltrates through cracks and fissures in built surfaces. Consequently, waterproofing is not merely a protective measure; it is an essential strategy to extend the lifespan of structures, ensure the habitability of spaces, and prevent issues like leaks and premature deterioration. From terraces and green roofs to heavy-duty surfaces, controlling moisture represents a constant challenge for architects, engineers, and builders. This is especially critical in a context that demands increasingly efficient waterproofing materials with greater resistance to adverse environmental factors.

External factors shaping the built environment play a decisive role in building configuration, particularly with respect to facades. These factors can encompass physical phenomena, such as wind pressure or seismic activity, as well as climatological aspects, including precipitation, solar radiation, and temperature changes.

Consequently, facades have evolved to adapt to the design conditions they face, driving the integration of lightweight building envelopes. In this context, the exterior wall solutions by Panel Rey stand out. These systems are used as exterior cladding, incorporating various substrates, profiles, and other components. Together, these provide the facade with lightness and strength.

Year after year, interior design surprises us with new trends in colors, materials, textures, and patterns that take center stage in the spaces we inhabit. Maintaining a balanced dialogue, considering both the needs to be met and the emotions to be conveyed, is central to the design of diverse environments. Ceramic, mosaic, and porcelain coverings allow for the creation of spaces ranging from warm and cozy to elegant and sophisticated.

What role does street furniture play in public spaces? In response to human social behavior, the design of public spaces is part of a complex inquiry. Alongside the analysis of uses, community participation, the study of climatic and geographical conditions, and resource efficiency—among many other factors—it involves selecting appropriate urban equipment and elements to meet the needs of a large share of the population. As the Spanish architect and urban planner Oriol Bohigas Guardiola maintained, architecture is not only an art but also a direct service to society. Consequently, harmony among the multiple disciplines involved should yield tools that improve and facilitate community life. Understanding the role of street furniture—how it supports specific activities depending on its layout, dimensions, materials, and long-term lifespan—is essential to the current and future functioning of urban spaces.

As part of Expo OBRA BLANCA 2024, held from October 15 to 17 at Expo Santa Fe in Mexico City, Porcelana Corona México and Ambiance showcased their latest innovations in sanitaryware alongside a wide range of products for architects, builders, and distributors at booth 224 of the Bathrooms and Fittings Pavilion.

The atmosphere of a home is gradually built through the interaction between architecture, furniture, and materials. Each component contributes color, texture, and depth, making the living experience sensory and immersive. Among these, materials play a decisive role: they define more than just the visual aspect, conveying tactility, light, temperature, and a connection to the environment, thus transforming our perception of the home. When viewed contextually, they reveal new possibilities for designing and experiencing interiors and exteriors, reminding us that every choice influences comfort and functionality.

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After receiving more than 70 submissions from various Argentine universities and cities, our editorial team selected 10 of them, focusing on projects that demonstrated critical thinking regarding contemporary issues, formal execution, and representation. The selection not only highlights projects that delivered the best possible architecture through simple design tailored to their context, program, and users, but also those showing significant attention to human scale, mediation, transition, and new ways of approaching urban architecture.

Discover our 10 highlighted projects below.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD AS A CULTURAL CENTER: Alejandro Asens - Victoria Carbonin - Juan Cardozo Sánchez - Italo Parietti

How many children do we see daily playing in the streets, interacting with elements of urban spaces, running in parks or plazas, or riding their bikes? These scenes can say a lot about a city—not only about how it is caring for its younger generations, but also about the quality of life it offers families; which is to say, for everyone.

When developing an architectural project, regardless of scale or program, architects face a series of decisions regarding the construction method to adopt, considering various aspects—structural, economic, available labor, aesthetics, among others—in pursuit of the best solution.

To address the many questions that arise during design development regarding the choice of structural systems, we have prepared a practical guide to the main types of cast-in-place and precast concrete slabs that designers should know, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Learn more below:

Have you ever wondered how an exhibition design is conceived? Or how it coordinates the staging of the displayed content?

Historically, what we know today as a museum began as a place to gather pieces and objects organized by typology. This is evident when looking at images of the so-called cabinets of curiosities or wonder rooms, which organized a vast array of rare objects and species (animal, plant, and mineral) brought back from the great explorations of the 16th and 17th centuries.

Centuries later, these collections began to gain traction, and former palaces transformed their hallways into long, continuous galleries, to which only their guests and residents had access. Later, in the 19th century, the emergence of pavilions dedicated primarily to the display of artifacts brought us closer to the modern concept of museums. We regularly publish various museum projects. But beyond their architecture, have you ever noticed the crucial role that exhibition design plays? Below, we outline some of the key concepts of exhibition design.

In recent years, we have witnessed the rise of the concept of “citizen participation,” particularly in the political sphere. As is often the case, this surge is not without controversy and carries inherent risks. Much like what occurred with the term “sustainability,” participation can be relegated to a smoke screen used to conceal specific types of political despotism. A clear example of this can be found in the Netherlands; in September 2013, King Willem-Alexander announced “the transition to a participatory society” to justify dismantling the welfare state through neoliberal policies and some of the harshest budget cuts the country has ever faced.

Clearly, urbanism and urban planning have not been immune to this trend. While the development of statutory urban planning instruments (General Plans, Partial Plans, Special Plans, etc.) is legally required to incorporate public participation mechanisms, the reality is that these are often reduced to public comment and exhibition periods. Consequently, actual participation is replaced by mechanisms that belong strictly to the realm of communication and information sharing.

As a subspecies of bamboo, guadua has been used as a construction material from the Spanish conquest to the present day. Its strength, lightweight nature, and flexibility offer numerous structural advantages and applications. Since it is native to the forests of Colombia and Ecuador, it has been widely used in local building projects. Additionally, its ease of cultivation and processing makes it a highly sustainable material.

This selection highlights six projects where guadua has been used as both a structural and aesthetic resource.

Modern and surreal, yet without compromising on functionality and comfort, the bathrooms designed by emerging architects and designers at the current Casa FOA interior design exhibition in Santiago, Chile, seek to rethink a traditional space within an innovative context, aiming to trigger a different experience for both users and spectators.

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Numerous movements are demanding alternatives to current urban mobility—systems designed by and for vehicular traffic, burdened by an outdated planning mentality that centered everything around the car. Their reasons are equally diverse: improving public health, utilizing economic resources more rationally when commuting, lowering pollution levels (both noise and air), and even increasing efficiency by reducing travel times.

Yes, we are referring to the endless and inevitable daily traffic jams we have all experienced. 

If the benefits across all sectors are so clear, why haven't we implemented an alternative mobility system on our streets yet? There are several answers to this question, ranging from public resistance to change and a lack of prioritization in political agendas, to the simple fact that there is no universal, magic formula to solve every issue overnight everywhere. Once we overcome these barriers, we can begin by analyzing who currently uses the streets, who does not, and why.

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Madrid's Gran Vía is illuminated with LED bulbs along 1,300 meters thanks to a light installation by Brut Deluxe. Commissioned by the city council, the installation is inspired by nebulae and galaxies. Set up for this year's holiday season, the display was captured by Imagen Subliminal.

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A breath of fresh air, new colors: A FUCHSIA intervention in the Faculty of Social Sciences (CCSS) at the PUCP. In this faculty's striking garden, students have always sat and lain on the grass to debate their ideas; however, with the increase in “social” activities, more seating, equipment, and shade were needed. Featuring a perforated textile canopy floating between the trees and stacked tires that organically integrate with the garden, this project creates a colorful focal point and an ideal gathering space that INTEGRATES in multiple ways: the students of this program and their ideas, all the campus students with one another, and the various recycled materials that culminate in FUCCSSIA-INNTEGRA.

The emergence of such a project right in the middle of the “tontódromo”—a busy campus street where students from la cato hang out—is highly significant, both for the project's inherent message and for the visibility and accessibility of its location. “Ocupa Tu Calle”, a citizen-led initiative that typically carries out urban interventions in Lima's public spaces, has now intervened on a university's main thoroughfare, partnering with the Faculty of Social Sciences to invite students to help design and improve their own campus through an ideas competition. In addition, the project prompts a reflection on the appropriation of private space using public space principles. The winning proposal reinterprets the Greek agora into a flexible, playful area for students to debate and simply be. Below, we explore the details of the project, from the design process to its construction.

The establishment of an architectural drawing language throughout history is a tool that allows, for instance, a Japanese architect to design a building in Brazil, or makes it possible, by lingering over plans, sections, and elevations, to imagine the spatiality and character of a project that has not yet been built. This means that, despite local singularities, in terms of graphic representation, the field of architecture has successfully established itself as a common, international language.