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.

Growing concern over the use of natural resources in architecture has drawn increasing attention from professionals and researchers, pointing toward a future where architects must not only design but also facilitate the decommissioning and recycling of buildings. Against this backdrop, raising awareness about water waste on construction sites has become a major priority—an issue addressed in a recently launched guide by the São Paulo State Construction Industry Association (SindusCon-SP), Caixa Econômica Federal, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The use of shared e-scooters as a mode of transportation has emerged as one of the major revolutions in urban mobility in recent years. Since launching in September 2017 in the United States, e-scooters quickly became a phenomenon and, within less than two years, a reality in several major cities worldwide.

The city of São Paulo is the first in South America to freely release laser-scanned data covering its entire territory. The files are available for download on the GeoSampa Portal. The technology, known as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), goes beyond standard satellite imagery or aerial photography to provide a high-resolution geometric representation of a city. Consequently, it offers a much more accurate and detailed model of the mapped area.

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Within the scope of The Poetics of Reason, this year's Lisbon Architecture Triennale explores the nexus between Agriculture and Architecture, two complementary fields that emerged around 10,000 years ago during the Neolithic Revolution and, later, in the Anthropocene. Given the current environmental crisis, the core hypothesis of the exhibition Taking the Country's Side: Agriculture and Architecture, curated by Sébastien Marot, is that no consistent thinking can develop in the future of either discipline unless they are once again allied and fundamentally reconsidered together.

The CAU/BR is studying new rules for issuing Technical Responsibility Records (RRT) and Technical Collection Certificates (CAT) by architects and urban planners. The Professional Practice Commission, which is presenting the proposal to the public, aims to improve the registration system to protect both architects and their clients regarding the technical responsibility of architecture and urbanism services.

More than 600 million people lack access to clean drinking water. Droughts affect over 35 million every year. And by 2050, 1.3 billion people will live in flood-prone areas. Many believe that building dams, water treatment plants, and other built infrastructure are the only solutions to these challenges—but that is only because the many benefits of natural (or green) infrastructure have not been considered.

Applications are now open for the 6th Instituto Tomie Ohtake AkzoNobel Architecture Prize. The initiative continues to map contemporary architectural production by highlighting, for the sixth consecutive year, significant projects built in the current Brazilian landscape that demonstrate a commitment to their site and sustainability, as well as design and constructive inventiveness. 

One of Italy's most important culinary hubs, Bologna is aiming to encourage its residents to adopt cycling, public transit, or simply walking as their primary means of transportation—leaving their cars at home. To achieve this, the city has launched an incentive program. 

Led by the Portuguese duo Isabel Ruas and Gonçalo Ruas, the studio Oficina de Mosaicos will create a mosaic reinterpretation of the work War and Peace, the monumental panel painted by Candido Portinari and donated to the UN in 1956. The piece will be permanently displayed at the USP campus in Butantã. The project has the support of the artist's son, João Portinari, and is currently in its fundraising phase.

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Discovering the stories behind architectural projects and urban interventions is the premise of ARQ.DOC, a new series set to premiere in January 2019 on YouTube. Produced in a documentary format, the episodes explore the creative diversity of Brazilian architecture.

On October 19, a workshop on implementing an ecological sanitation system will be held. The event will take place in São Paulo's South Zone and is open to anyone interested. The workshop is organized by the social-environmental project cooperative Sapiência Ambiental in partnership with the UFABC Agroecology Center.

The urban public space between two architectural masses is defined as a street. It is where we establish the relationship between motorized vehicles, non-motorized transport, and pedestrians. In managing this relationship, public space requires a series of systems to guarantee active occupancy, in addition to infrastructure and safety. Consequently, the proper design of roadways and their immediate public surroundings becomes essential. Beyond what meets the eye, water, gas, electricity, and telecommunications networks are laid out beneath our feet, completely unnoticed.

Economic and urban processes are known to drive major modifications in the urban structure. In light of the events of January 25, 2019, with the collapse of the Brumadinho dam, it is clear that environmental negligence by major mining corporations also has the power to produce profound consequences and alter the ways in which people inhabit and utilize the territory.

Metropolis is a word derived from the Greek metropolis, a combination of meter (mother or womb) and polis (city). Thus, the metropolis is the mother city, the most important within a context where several interconnected cities depend on one another to fully function. In most cases, metropolises feature conurbations of multiple urban clusters.

Organized by the Municipality of Ribeirão Preto last October, the competition for the city's Administrative Center has concluded with the selection of three winning projects and two honorable mentions. Discover the selected projects below:

As a result of three months of training in local engagement within the pioneering COURB Ambassadors Program, mobilizers from various Brazilian cities promoted actions in their territories. Aiming for the collaborative construction of inclusive cities, the Articulation Journey—a highly collaborative effort—took place between August and September and featured three types of actions: roundtables, territorial interventions, and collective proposals. The ambassadors mapped and engaged more than 150 institutions in the program, including city halls, universities, collectives, businesses, and organizations.

Imagine Lagos, Nigeria, a city of 22 million people. What was once a small coastal town just a few decades ago has exploded into a sprawling megacity stretching over more than 1,170 square kilometers. This rapid growth has strained municipal services to their limit: less than 10% of people live in homes connected to sewer networks, and less than 20% have access to running water. Many homes are in slums or informal settlements on the city’s periphery.

Now imagine Lagos twice as large.

In May of this year, *The Guardian* recommended in its style guide that journalists and contributors heighten their language when discussing climate change or global warming. Now, the British newspaper announced, it is a climate crisis, emergency, or climate breakdown.

The Government of the State of São Paulo has established the Nossa Casa housing program, which aims to stimulate private investment in social interest housing geared toward low-income populations. The program came into effect through Decree No. 64,388 of August 14 of this year.

Have you already crossed the street out of fear today? As a woman, what is your greatest fear when walking down the street? How would you feel safer? With the goal of reflecting on how we can plan more egalitarian cities for everyone, the firm amb ateliê, in partnership with architects Fernanda Linero and Beatriz Teixeira, launched this initiative across various neighborhoods in Curitiba. The project ci.da.de; substantivo feminino (city; feminine noun) is part of the 3rd Biennial Architecture Exhibition for Curitiba.

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Following the massive success of the last edition, which recorded 32,000 visits, the dates for the 5th Open House Porto (OHP) have been set. On June 29 and 30, a wide range of spaces in Matosinhos, Porto, and Vila Nova de Gaia will open their doors for free, showcasing the excellence of the architectural heritage of the three cities. This itinerary features 70 spaces, 60 percent of which are new additions opening to the public for the first time. Since its first edition in 2015, OHP has welcomed nearly 100,000 visits.

Walking is the simplest, most lightweight, economical, and low-impact way to travel in urban areas, especially for trips under two kilometers. More people walking means a better quality of life for residents and their cities, resulting in reduced government spending on public health. These concepts are universally accepted by urban planners and other contemporary thinkers.

The research project Aurelio Martinez Flores: The Work of the Mexican Architect in Brazil (1960-2015) investigates the life and architectural career of Mexican architect Aurelio Martinez Flores (1929–2015) from 1960 to 2015, aligning with Latin American architectural history and the growing interest in recovering architects whose careers ran parallel to the mainstream movements in Brazil over the last several decades. Although little known, his work exerts a significant influence on one of the most successful currents of contemporary Brazilian architecture.

Trains are not the primary mode of transportation in South American countries, whether for cargo or passengers. The rail networks across the continent are poorly connected and, even domestically, are largely outdated or in disrepair. Nevertheless, from an era when transportation relied primarily on rail, beautiful railway stations remain, still serving cargo and passenger trains today.