Finding the right block for your project can be a tedious task; although websites offering blocks are becoming increasingly common, the sheer quantity does not always reflect the quality of the models and textures.

With this in mind, the creators of the platform Arq Online have made a package of blocks and textures available for free on their website, useful for both architects and students. With over 100,000 items available for download, the package caters to users of AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp, 3D Studio Max, VRay, and Photoshop.

The Housing Development Company of the Federal District (CODHAB/DF) continues to release the results of design competitions, establishing itself as a benchmark for institutions across the country by holding competitions to ensure high-quality construction through a clear and democratic selection process for the most qualified technical, scientific, or artistic proposals. This latest edition features the National Public Urban Planning and Architecture Design Competition for the QNR 06 Housing Sector, in the Administrative Region of Ceilândia.

The noias, identified by their abject bodies, evoke and challenge physical, social, spatial, symbolic, and moral boundaries, driving the creation of policies aimed at both their rehabilitation and their elimination. This article, organized by PISEAGRAMA based on the extensive ethnographic fieldwork conducted by the author up to 2012 and published in 2014 in the book Nas tramas do crack, offers an immersion into São Paulo's *cracolândia* (crackland), the most famous in the country, whose conflicts have replicated the term across the many others multiplying in various cities.
There, the *De Braços Abertos* (With Open Arms) program and heavy-handed repression have marked municipal and state administrations in recent years, highlighting the political conflict that emerges at the extremes of the territorial management of crack.

On the evening of November 2, Rem·Koolhaas held a book launch for Elements of Architecture at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA). Hosted by Dean Zhu Pei, the event featured a roundtable discussion with artist Xu Bing, Mohsen·Mostafavi (Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design), and Stephan·Petermann, the book's editor. Koolhaas opened with a brief presentation introducing the book and the journey behind its publication. During the panel, the speakers engaged in an in-depth discussion on architectural details, differences between Eastern and Western book cultures, and the relationship between books and space. Below is a recap of this remarkable event.

The first American Institute of Architects Committee on Design (AIA COD) Conference in South America will take place in the cities of Santiago and Valparaíso, Chile, from October 20 to 27, 2018. The event is organized by the Copperbridge Foundation in collaboration with the Chilean organizations Constructo and Massantiago.

The architecture of Santiago, Chile—inherited from the colonial era but connected to a contemporary design vision—will take center stage at the conference, providing a global perspective on “Blueprint for Better Cities,” the AIA's theme of the year chosen by its president, Carl Elefante.

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In April 2018, the inaugural edition of the Provincia Festival was held, aiming to create an open forum for dialogue and the discussion of civic interest topics, with an emphasis on responsible engagement in regional architectural development.

The festival took place in the city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez in Chiapas, México—a region currently lacking high-quality urban spaces, planning, and a clear vision regarding the impact of architectural projects. Meanwhile, there is a constant drain of local talent, driven by a combination of factors that foster the belief that professional success can only be achieved through large-scale projects in major metropolises. We want to reaffirm the idea that architecture is everywhere, and that the true success of the profession lies in serving everyone, regardless of their gender, social background, or economic status.

On February 15, the exhibition ‘Joaquín Vaquero Palacios. The Beauty of the Colossal. Asturias, 1954-1980’ opened at the Museo ICO in Madrid. Curated by Joaquín Vaquero Ibáñez and organized by the Fundación ICO, the exhibition is sponsored by the Fundación EDP.

Joaquín Vaquero Palacios (Oviedo, 1900—Madrid, 1998) was an architect, painter, and sculptor. He studied at the Madrid School of Architecture (1921-1927), where his professors introduced him to the architecture of the Modern Movement. There, he witnessed firsthand how industrial architecture served as a rich source of inspiration for architects like Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier, offering a promising arena for the application of rationalist principles and concepts.

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Over the last decade, prominent and widely recognized architecture in Peru has slowly moved away from single-family housing, showcasing a promising output of educational buildings, restaurants, offices, and collective housing.

This latter category encompasses a series of private buildings characterized by maintaining a scale appropriate to their urban contexts. They serve as prime examples of architecture that allows for multiple families to live together on the same plot while maintaining a low overall density. Furthermore, their low height is complemented by evocative treatments of their facades and interior spaces, suggesting a conscious effort to create high-quality living environments for their inhabitants.

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As traditional elements of architectural ornamentation, moldings, cornices, and baseboards are present in the vast majority of our projects, regardless of their typology. Created to protect the junctions between walls, floors, and ceilings, these pieces are fundamental to the image and style of a space, helping, for example, to conceal cables, installations, and other unwanted elements.

Although traditionally manufactured from wood, plaster, or PVC, polyurethane and extruded polystyrene moldings offer a series of qualities and innovations that make them excellent options when selecting and specifying these elements. Review their characteristics and some featured models from our partner, NMC Chile, below.

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Recently released, 'La obra secreta' (The Secret Work) is an Argentine feature film directed by artist Graciela Taquini that—recalling 'El Hombre de al Lado' (The Man Next Door)—once again addresses one of the country's most renowned architectural projects: the Casa Curutchet, a work in the city of La Plata resulting from the meeting of Pedro Curutchet, Amancio Williams, and Le Corbusier.

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Have you ever tried building a wooden chair or piece of furniture?

Canal Encuentro offers a series of videos to help you learn the basics of woodworking and achieve the best possible results.

Explore the available chapters below.

After receiving more than 1,500 films for the fourth edition of the "The City is..." competition at the Architecture Film Festival Santiago (Arqfilmfest), taking place from October 25 to 28, the event's organizing team has selected 34 audiovisual productions to compete in various categories: documentary, fiction, experimental, and architectural documentation.

See the feature films and short films participating in the final stage below.

Most of our readers agree that education regarding materials and construction is insufficient—a sentiment that calls for architects to engage with the trade through hands-on practice.

Are you facing your first project—perhaps feeling a bit nervous—and realizing there are some fundamentals you would like to review? This 13-part video series from Encuentro, which focuses on masonry, serves as a valuable resource for brushing up on these skills.

Explore the various chapters below.

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In line with initiatives in other countries to address urban mobility, construction has begun to transform a small but significant section of Buenos Aires' Avenida Corrientes—known for its concentration of restaurants, theaters, bookstores, and heavy traffic—into a nighttime pedestrian zone with dedicated lanes for public transport.

Despite the potential benefits of prioritizing pedestrians, does this intervention fully capitalize on the opportunity? How will daily life be affected while this major artery is obstructed? Does it spark a discussion regarding the management of the construction process?

Between May 12 and 13, the annual architecture festival Open House—which originated in London and is now present in 34 cities worldwide—will hold its first edition in Rosario, Argentina.

Aimed at anyone interested in discovering or rediscovering the city's architecture and urbanism, the festival offers the opportunity to enter and tour a selection of private and public buildings of great cultural, historical, heritage, and architectural value, free of charge, during an open-door weekend.

Below is a list of participating buildings.

Arquitectos: Maestros del espacio is an engaging audiovisual catalog provided by Encuentro, showcasing the work of renowned Argentine architects: Alejandro Bustillo, Alejandro Virasoro, Alberto Prebisch, Francisco Salamone, Mario Roberto Álvarez, Amancio Williams, Clorindo Testa, and Claudio Caveri.

Presented by actor Rafael Spregelburd, the series explores architectural projects that are part of Argentina's collective memory, reminding us of the importance of acknowledging the material history that defines a country.

Explore the available episodes below.

Our readers believe that architects should urgently leave their desks to get out into the field. Building on this, we have shared a series of 13 videos on construction and masonry that Canal Encuentro has made available to the public to promote the practice of the trade.

This time, we are presenting a new series of 8 videos from the same channel focused on plumbing—an interesting resource for brushing up on your knowledge of pipe installation and maintenance.

Check out each of the chapters below.

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Arquitectas. Maestras del espacio [Architects. Masters of Space] is a recent series from Encuentro. Over the course of two months, the weekly episodes built an engaging audiovisual catalog of the historical work of eight Argentine architects.

The second installment of this architecture series is once again presented by actor Rafael Spregelburd, who reminds us of the importance of highlighting the lesser-known creators behind the country's celebrated architectural projects.

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"For me, the first and primordial architecture is geography."
Paulo Mendes da Rocha

Antoni Gaudí will be present in the Valparaíso Region from October 2018 to May 2019, thanks to a traveling exhibition that will visit 12 communes throughout the region.

Today, the project 'A Virtual World: Gaudí Tours the Region' was launched with an inaugural event at the former Los Andes train station. The project begins with traveling presentations in a container equipped with virtual reality headsets in communes such as Viña del Mar, San Antonio, Quilpué, Rancagua, Quillota, and San Felipe, running until February 2019. Subsequently, from March 9 to May 10, 2019, the 'Gaudí in Valparaíso' exhibition will be installed at the Valparaíso Cultural Park.

Estereo(auto)scopio is an ephemeral public art piece co-created by Esteban Pastorino and Nicolás Sáez, funded by the "Chile-Argentina Residencies of the Performing and Visual Arts Exchange Program" grant from the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage of the Government of Chile. On this occasion, the creative residency took place at "Residencia Corazón" in the city of La Plata, Argentina.

The project was first installed in the center of Plaza Moreno, then moved to the Pasaje Dardo Rocha Cultural Center, and finally exhibited at Residencia Corazón, accompanied by a discussion with the authors. The project, with the collaboration of Diego del Pozo, Nahuel Bralo, Ismael Maldonado, Juan Pablo Ferrer, and Rodrigo Mirto, offers visitors an immersive experience through a device that allows them to view aerial perspectives of the city. Using stereoscopic photographs taken by a drone, it provides observers the opportunity to view their current location from above and gain awareness of the urban characteristics.

Learn more about the project in detail through the words of its authors below.

BIM (Building Information Modeling) is a design methodology in which architects create digital design models and manage all information related to a project.

While CAD produces two- or three-dimensional drawings where architectural components or elements lack inherent distinction, BIM incorporates four-dimensional (time) and five-dimensional (cost) considerations. This methodology enables architects to benefit from intelligent information management throughout the entire project lifecycle, facilitating the automation of processes such as preliminary planning, conceptual design, detailed design, analysis, documentation, fabrication, construction logistics, project execution, maintenance, renovation, and demolition.

It is essential to distinguish between BIM technology and design software such as Revit®, ArchiCAD®, and AllPlan®: BIM is a working methodology, whereas these software platforms are tools that enable BIM compatibility. Together, they complement each other to enhance the efficiency of an architect's work.

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Installing wooden flooring may seem basic, or even irrelevant to the work we do as architects, but that is not the case. Understanding the specific characteristics of these materials and their assembly processes helps us design more efficiently and tailor our proposals to project requirements.

With this in mind, we will use EGGER's UNI Fit flooring as an example to explain the step-by-step assembly process. This type of flooring can be laid directly over a subfloor without the need for screws or adhesive. The system uses a "click" locking mechanism, allowing the floor to be installed over any type of subfloor material.

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The title says it all: If you have spent hours scouring the web for clean icon designs for your diagrams and architectural presentations—essential tools for optimizing layout, analysis, and communication—this universal online library from The Noun Project will be an invaluable resource.