How to visualize architectural concepts in SketchUp using D5 Lite for faster design exploration.

From September 28 to October 2, the 18th edition of the Buenos Aires International Architecture Biennial will take place at the Faena Art Center in Puerto Madero, featuring an exhibition that will bring together the most prominent professionals in contemporary architecture. Designed to serve as a platform for connection and visibility, the event will include a central exhibition and a conference program featuring national and international leaders in architecture and urbanism, alongside a series of special activities and associated programs. Admission is completely free and open to the public.

Anyone who has been writing about design for 25 years has seen many trends come and go. In retrospect, I even have to smile when I think about some of the theories – such as the one that things would ‘disappear’. That was actually predicted a good two decades ago with the advance of digitalisation.

Today, we know that analog hasn’t disappeared – and that we still want to live with things that can be kept and touched. The return of the vinyl record, for example, was unthinkable for many – and yet record players are enjoying great popularity again. Especially because we now have access to millions of songs via our smartphones, there's something special to the ceremony of putting on a record.

Even before the ‘C’ word came to dominate our lives, homes were starting to be viewed as sanctuaries, and our furniture required to work ever harder in form and function to coset us. Straight lines have been warping and chairs starting to envelop, while the soothing textures and patterns of nature are in high demand.

The Rio, an Anti-Racist City congress invites us to rethink the city as a democratic, open, and humanized environment. By developing a city project rooted in the fight against racism, it seeks to promote well-being for everyone, in every corner of Rio de Janeiro.

The 7th {CURA} Prize continues the initiative of hosting ideas competitions with themes aligned with current discussions in architecture, urbanism, and society, aiming to delve deeper into the discourse on contemporary Brazil.

Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed social fragility. While the entire country was subjected to the federal government's incompetence and inhumane cruelty, it is clear that not all segments of the population were affected in the same way.

The new NOA outdoor living centre in Belgium offers boundless inspiration for the realisation of creative outdoor concepts, thanks to the collaboration of 24 high-end outdoor-living brands. Watch the video to find out more.

The story of the memorable curtain brightening up the DAAily bar at Swiss Corner during Milan Design Week is about more than just its colourful, natural patterns. As the Swiss-born artist Douglas Mandry, creator of the work in collaboration with Bally and Christian Fischbacher, explained during his Live Talk alongside the installation at the DAAily bar, "My work is driven by the global change we’re facing, addressing issues of climate change and environmental consciousness through visible elements."

Slow living is a trend inspired by growing interests in mindfulness and sustainability – and our growing cultural need to escape from the negative effects of fast-paced digital living and high consumption. Yet how exactly can the design of our interior and exterior spaces interpret this trend and help us slow down?

As companies rattle their social and environmental consciences and define new goals toward the achievement of absolute circularity, the whole lexicon of furniture design and manufacture is on the move. While exploring ways to limit its impact on the world’s ecological balance to zero, the industry is mobilising a whole army of r’s: from reuse and repurpose, to recycle and repair, remanufacture and replace, and increasingly also rental.

In a world where our understanding of what makes something luxury is being turned on its head, the once humble construction material, MDF, is coming off pretty well. When it comes specifically to the realm of design and architecture, what is now considered luxurious is not so much the shiny, rare resource, but the thoughtfully and sustainably produced. It’s defined not by carat or lustre, but by circularity, durability and adaptability. In the right hands, humble can become noble.

'You'll always find me in the kitchen at parties,' goes the old pop song from the 1980s.

But when it comes to Sven Rensinghoff, the marketing chief at premium German bathroom brand Bette, it's mostly the bath. The first time I met him, a number of years ago, he was in the middle of a photo shoot at the ISH Frankfurt trade fair, lying in one of the manufacturer's latest, high-end tubs. Clothes on, I should add. No water.

The course presents an overview of traditional, modern, and contemporary Japanese architectural production across four independent yet complementary modules. Drawing on cultural and historical contexts, the course analyzes the work of prominent Japanese architects from the 1930s to the present day. It also explores symbolic spatial and temporal relationships grounded in aesthetic principles such as ma, basara, wabi-sabi, yûgen, and mono no aware, among others. The goal is to broaden the repertoire regarding Japanese architecture and culture, offering exposure to new perspectives through lecture-based sessions.

BoConcept‘s Chelsea chair is designed by Karim Rashid, an industrial designer well known for his organically shaped products. With its rounded corners and simple format, it seems utterly natural and basic, almost like a non-design. Yet, obviously, a lot of thought and experimentation has gone into the process of creating such an unambiguous object.

Thirty years ago, a contemporary classic was launched by Dornbracht: TARA. The bathroom series became the brand's best selling offering, as its versatility and timeless modernism allowed for its widespread use. As the German luxury fittings manufacturer celebrates thirty decades of its most popular bathroom series, it's looking ahead and introducing new product variants and finishes to the modern classic.

To start the day in a relaxed state of mind, it is good to have a natural sense of inner calm, or, failing that, a peaceful space to retreat to where stress can be left outside. In their first collaboration, Duravit and designer Sebastian Herkner transform the bathroom into a place of true well-being – for the restorative cleansing of body, mind and soul. Here, there really is nothing to remind one of everyday life, as the Zencha bathroom series transports us away, paying homage to the traditional tea ceremonies of Japan.

The following applies to all creative disciplines: truly unique, high-quality works of design are almost always the result of certain favourable constellations. This is just as true for directors and musicians as it is for architects and designers. Because great creative ideas can often only be realised in a team, in cooperation with collaborators.

Two years ago, the young Swiss singer, violinist and composer Chiara Dubey released an album entitled 'Constellations'. A starry sky adorns the cover – so here, too, it's about a special interaction that is under a good star. But how, you might now ask, do we get from album covers to a company that makes furniture?

Not many architectural projects require maps of the area to be updated. But, then again, not many projects are as sensitively considered as the Lighthouse Hotel & Spa in Büsum, North Germany.

It could have gone so wrong. But local architect Thomas Ladehoff – in close collaboration with hotelier and creative sparring partner Jens Sroka – managed to deliver a 108-room destination that, through its clever voluminal articulation and constructional materials, respects both the scale and the vernacular language of its environs – and most importantly mitigates its partial obstruction of the 110-year-old lighthouse next to which it sits and from which it takes its name.

Avian hazard – and that's hazard to birds rather than some Hitchcockian hazard to you – is an increasing concern for architects and developers. You may not have thought about it much, but build a tall glass building and sooner rather than later an unwitting bird is going to fly right into it. And then more and often with fatal consequences.

In fact, billions of birds collide with buildings every year, especially during migration. And given our insatiable appetite for putting up more and ever taller glass buildings, that tally is only going to rise. To tackle that death toll, more and more cities – including, not surprisingly, New York – have passed or are passing legislation that require architects and developers to install bird-friendly glass.