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 International Award for the Commission of Architecture “Dedalo Minosse” promoted the Italian association for professional Architects returns after three years on hold, to tribute worldwide architects. Firms like ODDO architects, Ryuichi Ashizawa, and The Kresge Foundation - Detroit are some of the winners for their promotion and contribution to the discipline. The Anniversary is also de 12th edition of the Dedalo Prize, which will be held From September 16 to October 2, 2022, in Vicenza, Italy. The event will host forums and workshops about and around the city, opening with the spectacular award ceremony at the iconic Teatro Olimpico, and continuing with a Multimedia exhibition at the Basilica Palladiana.

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“We should admit nature as an immense multitude of forms, including each part of us, who are part of everything”, says Ailton Krenak, renowned indigenous leader, in his book Ideas to Postpone the End of the World. The culture of native peoples does not understand humanity and the environment as things that are separate or superior to each other, but rather as parts of a whole. Through this particular understanding of the universe, these peoples are led to a sensitive appropriation of the territory, with structuring beliefs that are also reflected in their architecture, raising the very concept of sustainability to another level, since nature is not seen as a resource to be used, it is thought of as part of the community.

Have you ever thought that practically all the cities in the world, since the dawn of humanity, were and continue to be created and designed by men? From urban design to building projects, from public transport to chairs – women have not been part of the process of creating everything around us.

Hearing – one of the human body’s five senses – enables our interaction with sound, a crucial factor for daily communication and much more. One commonly hears people say a place is noisy, but what exactly is the definition of noisy? Known as situations with unwanted sounds that interfere with daily activities, noisy places also have the potential to negatively interfere in society’s development.

Sound is measured in decibels (dB), and humans are able to resist a maximum average noise level of 85 dB without risking hearing damage. While a conversation usually ranges between 60 and 70 dB, according to the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, workers at a construction site are exposed to an average of 90 dB during eight-hour periods.

Acoustical Surfaces, a company specializing in noise control, has developed a product guide for minimizing the transmission of sound, thus promoting healthier lifestyles.

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It is expected that by 2050, the rapid depletion of raw materials will leave the world without enough sand and steel to build concrete. On the other hand, the cost of building continues to soar, with an increase between 5% and 11% from last year. And with respect to its impact on the environment, the construction industry still accounts for 23% of air pollution, 50% of the climatic change, 40% of drinking water pollution, and 50% of landfill wastes. Evidently, the construction industry, the environment, and the human race are facing several challenges that are influenced by one another, but it is the human being who is at the greatest disadvantage.

As a response to global challenges such as climate change, discrimination, and physical vulnerability, designers and engineers from across the world have developed innovative construction materials that put the human wellbeing first in urban, architecture, and interior projects.  

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This week’s curated selection of Best Unbuilt Architecture highlights private villas submitted by the ArchDaily community. From a Mediterranean retreat in Greece to a one-person residence in Iran, this round up of unbuilt projects showcases how architects design private villas that combine contextuality and functionality in structures that promote comfort, privacy, and connection to nature. The article includes projects from Indonesia, Greece, Iran, and Jordan.

Carolina Maria de Jesus and Clarice Lispector are among the most prominent Brazilian writers of the 20th century. This essay analyzes the representations surrounding them and, above all, offers an approach that complexifies the comparison between the two, reflecting on body and city from an intersectional perspective.

History shows that when struck by crises and disasters, cities generally recover and emerge stronger and more resilient than before. The Great Chicago Fire famously gave rise to skyscrapers. Contagious disease outbreaks contributed to public health policies and modern sanitation practices. The devastation of World War II catalyzed unprecedented investments in housing and infrastructure.

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With the onset of the 2020s, Gen Z is noticeably claiming their place in the world with bold perspectives and even bolder aesthetics. Gen Z proudly experiments with their identities, having grown up on an opinionated internet and through confusing lockdowns. They're bringing in a culture shift with organic shapes, colorful elements, and clashing patterns dominating art, media, fashion, and interior design. The trend is pushing away once-reigning minimalism, shouting Venturi's Less is a Bore.

In a time where housing prices are unattainable and residents are looking to downsize their homes more than ever, enter the concept of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). These small and highly customizable homes are taking backyards across the United States by storm, enabling homeowners to build homes on their land, and rent them out to tenants.

Flexibility within a space emerges as an architectural concept that follows society’s transformations. As the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright said, “Architecture is life, or at least as it was lived in the world yesterday, as it is lived today or ever will be lived.” In that sense, changing a kitchen’s layout goes further than its aesthetic adjustments; it reflects the way people are living. Opening the traditional closed kitchen creates a more flexible space in which different activities share a visual connection without structural barriers.

The withdrawal of kitchen walls allows for increased interaction within areas and gives way to fluidity throughout the space. The design of an open kitchen involves using specific types of products - each with their own material, style and use - that adapt to a home’s dimensions and needs. In this article, we provide a selection of products which can be found in Architonic’s ‘Kitchen’ category.

Founded in 2018 and based in Argentina, LINA Plataforma (Laboratory > Intervention + Architecture) presents itself as a global research and experimentation platform linked to cultural heritage, aiming to reflect on the relationship between heritage, sustainability, and design education.

The tiny home trend has been hard to ignore over the last several years. There's an increasingly saturated market of TV shows and Pinterest pictures dedicated to the topic of exploring micro-dwellings where your home is reduced to the size of a walk-in closet and each room takes on a triple-duty programmatic role has only increased its popularity. What looks enticing on reality TV is often much less desirable in real life, and as people continue to long for a lifestyle that frees them of material goods and the ability to travel, what does this mean for the actuality of tiny home construction? Is it just a wanderlust fantasy that no one actually lives and was there ever any promise to its realization in the mainstream world?

The A’ Design Award was "born out of the desire to underline the best designs and well-designed products." The A' Design Award, recognizing the excellent and original talent from across the globe, is both a major achievement for designers and a source of inspiration for award-winning architects, brands, and design agencies. Entry and nomination are open to contestants from every country. Registration for the A' Design Award & Competition 2022-2023 period is now open. Register and upload your design here.

The newly transformed Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts in Little Rock, US, is ready to open to the public on April 22, 2023. Designed by architecture practice Studio Gang in collaboration with Polk Stanley Wilcox and landscape architecture and urban design practice SCAPE, The Museum’s new architectural identity aims to signify its role as a leading arts institution in the region. One of the Museum’s most recognizable features, the folded plate concrete roof, is now complete. The new roofline spans the length of the building, connecting the new construction and the renovated spaces to create a coherent architectural character for the cultural institution.

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The Quadracci Pavilion by Santiago Calatrava and the Contemporary Arts Center by the Pritzker-winner Zaha Hadid are celebrating their 20th anniversary. Both buildings are the first US projects completed by these legendary architects that have contributed to the stimulation of economic development in Midwestern American cities over the past two decades. In fact, for that reason, Milwaukee's mayor declared September 16 "Santiago Calatrava Day" to commemorate the Pavillion's opening.

This article was originally published on Common Edge.

Jim Polshek, who died at 92 last week, was an award-winning architect (AIA Gold Medal, 2018), designer, public advocate, and educator (architecture dean at Columbia, 1973–1987). He was a Midwesterner, born in Akron, Ohio, who went on to open his own practice in 1963, when he founded James Stewart Polshek Architects. Ultimately, the practice became internationally recognized as Polshek Partnership Architects. In 2010, the partners renamed the firm Ennead Architects, and he remained involved as a design consultant.

There is an unusual story involving railings during World War II. To meet the demand for ammunition, ships and vehicles for battle, various fences and railings in the city of London were removed for repurposing. The real fate of these pieces, however, is unclear: some say they ended up being dumped into the Thames river or became ballasts for ships, as they couldn't be recycled. The reason was that they were all made of cast iron at the time, making them difficult to reuse; unlike the large amount of materials and designs available today. Their functions, however, have not changed: railings provide protection to occupants and can be prominent elements in architecture. In this article, we explain how to specify and design different types of railings, according to the different materials available.

The concept of social housing in Chile began to emerge in the late 19th century, driven by population growth following rural-to-urban migration. At the time, people lived primarily in conventillos (tenements) and ranchos (shacks) under precarious living conditions. Facing a severe housing deficit, Chile took its first state measure in 1906 with the “Workers' Housing Law” (Ley de habitaciones obreras). Over the years, this policy framework evolved, leading to the creation of the Ministry of Housing and Urbanism (MINVU) in 1965, followed by the Housing and Urbanization Service (SERVIU) around 1980—institutions that continue to manage housing policy to this day.

Kuwait is planning a 1,600-hectare development that will provide residential units, jobs, and amenities for 100,000 residents. Developed by URB, the ambitious project aims to promote a sustainable lifestyle with high standards of living, yet a low impact on the environment. The masterplan for the smart city is designed to optimize density and amenities distribution to create a walkable city, while also optimizing the green space ratio. This will help mitigate the effects of rising temperatures and the urban heat island effect. The green transportation systems and dedicated cycling tracks will make this a car-free city, apart from a ring road that allows for limited vehicular access. The city also promotes a circular economy that aims to provide food and energy security for the residents.

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The Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC has revealed the five anonymous design proposals for The Bezos Learning Center, and they are now awaiting public feedback. The transformation of the National Air and Space Museum represents an unprecedented moment in the conservation and preservation of thousands of artifacts and a remarkable revival of space exploration and space tourist travels. With a record-breaking $250 million donation from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and leaders in the aerospace industry, the Smithsonian Institution is undergoing a massive multi-year renovation, which began in 2018.

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The marquee-busting title says it all: Joseph Giovannini’s Architecture Unbound is an ambitious attempt to explore the wilder shores of design and explain how and why maverick architects have dared greatly. It’s also a wide-ranging introduction to artists who laid the groundwork for architectural innovation a century ago; to the philosophers and theorists who mapped new ways of thinking, and to the complexities of chaos theory, parametric and software programs that have shaped exceptional buildings over the past few decades.

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The Petition for Just Cities and Dignified Housing is now available online in support of the proposals from the manifesto Brazil Needs More Architecture and Urbanism, an open letter to the candidates in the 2022 elections launched by the Council of Architecture and Urbanism of Brazil (CAU/BR) and the member entities of the CEAU (IAB, FNA, ABEA, AsBEA, ABAP, and FeNEA).

Chilean valleys and their development around winemaking are a cultural heritage that currently lacks recognition, according to Pablo Lacoste, the historian leading the initiative to highlight the heritage dimension of Chile's vineyards and designate them as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.