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.

Offering a balance between aesthetics and comfort, designing wooden decks for outdoor spaces such as patios, terraces, walkways, balconies, gardens, or swimming pools represents an excellent alternative for creating outdoor areas for relaxation, entertainment, and recreation. When paired with swimming pools, fountains, or water features, decking in various dimensions, colors, and finishes combines the warmth of wood with the clarity of water, provided it is treated and maintained to maximize durability and optimize long-term performance. Indeed, Leaf Panel's Forta Deck offers a renewable, recyclable, and high-quality solution for outdoor flooring, highlighting the importance of reducing the carbon footprint of building products and leveraging the properties of acetylated wood to improve outdoor performance.

Nicolás Valencia speaks with Venezuelan architect Betina Rincón, research coordinator at ⁠re:arc institute⁠, about the work of the Danish philanthropic organization in supporting and funding community-led solutions to address the climate crisis worldwide.

This week on the TERRAZA podcast, Nicolás Valencia talks with Chilean designer Karla Silva about the book ⁠Viña del Mar Moderna⁠, published in 2022.

The Fundação Bienal de São Paulo has announced the curatorial team for the Brazilian Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, scheduled to open on May 10, 2025. The task will be led by the group Plano Coletivo, composed of architect Luciana Saboia and architects Eder Alencar and Matheus Seco. The selection of the group reflects the Foundation's commitment to highlighting architectural practices that foster positive social and environmental impact.

Plano Coletivo is recognized for its collaborative and multidisciplinary approach, integrating architecture, urbanism, and design with a focus on sustainable and inclusive solutions. The team has carried out significant projects across various regions of Brazil, always seeking to engage local communities in the design and implementation process.

A cada ano, a equipe de Curadoria de Projetos do ArchDaily rememora a vasta gama de obras publicadas ao longo desse período, apresentando retrospectivas que permitem não apenas identificar tendências e variações na produção arquitetônica, mas também reconhecer de que forma impactam a nossa audiência. No ArchDaily Brasil, a seleção anual de melhores casas – que ano após ano, segue permanecendo como nossa categoria de projeto mais popular – representa uma amostra das variadas soluções, estratégias, técnicas e materiais encontrados na arquitetura residencial dos países de língua portuguesa.

+ 46

The Architects Association of Chile and the Ministry of Cultures announced the results of the competition for the XXIII Chilean Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism. The winning proposal, "Double Exposure: reprogram, revitalize, rebuild", by Sebastián López, Ángela Carvajal, and Óscar Aceves, addresses interventions in disused heritage spaces, merging old and new works. In addition, awards were presented to "Urban Amusements" and "Weaving Territories". The event reflects on historical architecture and its revitalization.

The curatorial team for the XXIII Chilean Biennial of Architecture comprises Sebastián López Jeldes, Ángela Carvajal Fernández, and Óscar Aceves Álvarez, and the jury is composed of Fernando Pérez Oyarzún, Amarí Peliowski, Cristián Izquierdo, Macarena Cortés, Pablo Rojas, Beatriz Buccicardi, Fernando Miranda, Martín Urrutia, and Vicente Burgos.

Seeking to reflect on the contemporary city invariably runs up against the limitations imposed by the methods of the Modern Movement. Classical sciences and their deterministic methods, which guided—and still guide—the urban planning of this era, describe world phenomena through strict causal relationships and, consequently, define them by reductive universal laws that exclude contradictions and uncertainties. The frequent result of these perspectives is an idealized, mechanistic world that denies the complex, actual nature of phenomena such as cities.

The Council for Architecture and Urbanism of Amazonas (CAU/AM) announced the winners of the ATHIS Ideas Competition - Arquiteto e Urbanista Zezéu Ribeiro Award, which sought to promote technical assistance projects for social housing (ATHIS). The initiative's main goal is to address the housing challenges of vulnerable communities in the state through affordable, innovative, and socially responsible architectural solutions.

The winning projects stood out for their sensitive and contextualized approach to local needs, incorporating principles of sustainability, community participation, and the efficient use of resources. Focusing on housing improvements, land tenure regularization, and the upgrading of urban spaces, the proposals align with the objectives of the ATHIS program, established by Federal Law 11,888/2008, which guarantees free technical assistance to low-income families.

A successful interior design must be paired with a proper lighting design. It is responsible for ensuring that the quantity and wattage of the bulbs are suited to the space based on its dimensions and use.

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As a tribute to Mexico's rich and diverse chromatic palette, the Museo del Objeto del Objeto (MODO) presents its new temporary exhibition: “Mexico in Color,” curated by Ana Elena Mallet and Mariano Marroquín. The exhibition offers a cultural review of color perception in Mexico and its impact on art and design. One of the first experiences visitors will encounter is the conceptualization of color in folk art to forge identity. Subsequently, this element is adopted as a defining feature in the arts and, ultimately, as a driving force for the country's modernization.

To showcase the valuable output of Argentine universities, for the third consecutive year we launched an open call inviting our Argentine readers to submit their final thesis projects, sharing the work that launched their careers as newly minted architects.

After receiving more than 60 submissions from various Argentine architecture schools and cities, our editorial team selected nine projects, focusing on those that demonstrated critical thinking toward contemporary issues, formal resolution, and representation. The selection not only recognizes those projects that delivered the best possible architecture through simple design suited to their context, program, and users, but also highlights those showing a strong commitment to human scale, mediation, transition, and new ways of approaching urban architecture. This edition's jury was composed of Fabian Dejtiar, Managing Editor of ArchDaily en Español; Mónica Arellano, Editor of ArchDaily México; and Delia Bayona, Editor of ArchDaily Perú.

Read on to explore the selected projects in detail.

In this installment, as part of the series of articles by Nikos A. Salingaros, David Brain, Andrés M. Duany, Michael W. Mehaffy, and Ernesto Philibert-Petit, we examine the importance of design sequences and generative codes in social housing in Latin America. Explore all previous publications and the new article below.

According to the executive branch's plans, more than 500 schools will be built in Peru this year to close the infrastructure gap affecting the sector. This represents an investment of 30 billion soles, which also serves as an incentive for the construction industry across the country's various regions.

From September 30 to October 7, Madrid will be the featured capital of the 16th Architecture Week 2019, organized by the Official Association of Architects of Madrid (COAM) through the COAM Architecture Foundation.

Dear readers,

Promoted by the Uruguay River Administrative Commission, organized by the Society of Architects of Uruguay (SAU) and the College of Architects of the Province of Entre Ríos (CAPER) —and sponsored by the Argentine Federation of Architect Associations (FADEA)— the call for entries is now open for the binational preliminary design competition to develop a Control Laboratory for the environmental analysis of the Uruguay River.

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.

Through IMPSOL (Metropolitan Institute for Land Development and Property Management), the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) has begun construction on a new series of social housing (VPO) units on Anselm Clavé Street in Sant Feliu de Llobregat (Barcelona, Spain). Project design and construction management are led by Guillermo López of MAIO Architects.

Founded by architect Marina Canhadas in 2018, the practice [entre escalas] emerged from the intersection of professional practice, academic research, and international experience. With a career shaped by competitions, collaborations, and tenures at firms in Brazil and Mexico, Marina has consolidated an approach that values context and building history, particularly in projects dealing with pre-existing structures—one of the firm's primary areas of focus.

[entre escalas]' work stands out for its sensitivity to time and building memory. Renovations of historic townhouses, such as Casa Saracura and Casa Apiacás, reveal a kind of architectural archaeology that seeks to recover original techniques, materials, and even natural flows, reinterpreting these elements to foster new possibilities of use and connection with the surroundings. The act of removing layers—both physical and symbolic—is seen as a way to reveal hidden histories, connecting past and future.

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What can a cod offer to architecture? Or rather, what lessons about the environment and human settlements can we learn from the history of fishing? This unlikely question lies at the heart of the book Arquitetura do Bacalhau, by André Tavares and Diego Inglez de Souza, published by Dafne Editora and recently released in Brazil.

In the following interview, we speak with Tavares about the infrastructures linked to cod fishing and their relationship with territory, labor, and architectural production. Through an original approach—connecting architecture, ecology, fish physiology, and industrial history—, the authors propose a reading of the built environment anchored in the ecosystems that sustain it. Far from being a nostalgic look at the past, the research points to the urgency of rethinking architecture in the context of ongoing environmental transformations, showing how human constructions shape and are shaped by natural marine ecosystems.

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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).