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.

+ 11

Construction shores, which typically support formwork for pouring concrete, have been used to structure a temporary chapel in Bogotá. These elements, usually relegated to construction processes, combine with zinc sheets and exposed structural trusses to define the project's spatial experience. Designed to be mobile, the chapel can be easily disassembled, ensuring its components can be reused in future projects.

Discover the project, born from a collaboration between SCA and Colab-19, designed to meet the desire of Bogotá's faithful to celebrate Easter.

Organized by the Jujuy Association of Architects and sponsored by the Argentine Federation of Architects' Organizations (FADEA), the National Ideas Competition for the Former Penitentiary Site in the city of San Salvador de Jujuy is based on reimagining a new purpose for this walled, self-contained architectural and urban complex. Once located on the city's outskirts, the site now occupies a central position within the urban fabric. The goal is to transform it into an urban element that revitalizes and links degraded sectors.

The jury awarded first prize to architect Edgardo Barone, alongside collaborators Valentín Augusto De la Fuente, Juan María Mandalari, Joaquín Mortatti Perez, and Tomas Smachetti, and traffic engineering consultants Eng. Tomás Daels and Eng. Franco P. Di Biase. Discover the project below.

+ 16

Redecorating the Oval Office is not just a statement of presidential taste; yet, as all spaces reveal principles that extend far beyond the visual, it is ultimately a statement of control. It is here that the president meets with international dignitaries and addresses the cameras to deliver messages of great importance, which is why he (or, one day, she) does not want it to look as though their predecessor still claims ownership of the space.

An issue frequently raised by our listeners is the uncertainty that looms after graduation. Gone are the days when finishing school meant entering a relatively stable professional environment with the immediate possibility of putting a structured career plan into action. Today, a far less predictable reality awaits recent graduates, bringing both good and bad news. 

The Rio de Janeiro City Hall has announced the expansion of vegetable farming on municipal land along the Madureira Park railway line. In 2022, the area will host what is set to become the world's largest urban garden, covering 110,000 square meters.

The primary objective is to generate income and food security for 50,000 low-income families per harvest by 2024. The initiative will also establish a green corridor of vegetables running along Madureira Park to Guadalupe, in partnership with Embrapa and the utility company Light, as part of the crops will be located under the company's power transmission towers.

Arquis, the new HBO Max series about the life and work of six of Latin America's most renowned architects, has premiered. It is no surprise that the first one-hour episode features Alejandro Aravena, the Chilean architect who won the Pritzker Prize in 2016.

The winners of the LafargeHolcim Awards Next Generation for Latin America have been announced. The winning projects from Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Colombia address key aspects of sustainability. The winners of the LafargeHolcim Awards (Gold, Silver, and Bronze) and Acknowledgements for Latin America will be announced at a hybrid event on November 13, 2021, as part of the 17th International Architecture Biennale in Venice, Italy.

Every year, our curatorial team presents a retrospective of house projects that stood out over the period. This collection, a small selection of the more than two thousand projects published on ArchDaily Brasil this year alone, comprises a series of residences with specific design solutions that address, each in their own way, factors such as materials, construction techniques, structural systems, building processes, and programs.

+ 46

+ 2

It might seem that the concept of “urban gardens” emerged alongside the gentrification of Mexico City—a model of food autonomy that not only provides us with fresh, organic, ready-to-eat produce, but also beautifies the urban landscape and reconnects us with nature. However, nothing could be more mistaken than viewing urban agriculture as a mere trend.

This episode of Arquicast discusses how the sustainability agenda directly influences architectural projects, particularly interior design. Over the last few decades, transformations in production methods and lifestyles have taken a negative toll on our relationship with planet Earth. Sustainability intersects with multiple layers of these issues, and the same holds true for architecture, design, and the construction industry.

Today, the passing of architect and academic Erich Coufal Kieswetter (Vienna, Austria; May 11, 1926 – Guadalajara, Mexico; January 31, 2021) was announced. He settled in Mexico in 1950 and was one of seven European architects who arrived in Guadalajara in the 1950s to found the first School of Architecture at the University of Guadalajara. He was responsible for teaching the freehand drawing class, aiming to improve students' skills and introduce technical drawing to the profession.

Oficina Nómada de Arquitectura (ONA) is an Argentine studio established in 2017 in the province of Mendoza. Specializing in architectural design, project management, coordination, and business management, ONA operates through a collaborative cloud-based virtual work platform. This digital, nomadic framework enables the interaction of various disciplines and trades, allowing team members to carry out their work from anywhere in the world. Additionally, seeking to expand their design reach, the studio operates two parallel initiatives, ARCINECTURA and ONALAB, where they experiment with the intersections between architecture and cinema, and develop new representation and visualization techniques.

With the aim of getting to know the architects, projects, and stories behind Portugal's landmark architecture, Sara Nunes, from the architectural film production company Building Pictures, launched the podcast No País dos Arquitectos, where she talks to key figures in contemporary Portuguese architecture.

In this week's episode, Sara talks with architect Camilo Rebelo about the project for the Côa Valley Museum of Art and Archaeology. Check out the other interviews from the No País dos Arquitectos podcast and read the transcript of the interview with Rebelo below.

+ 16

On December 13, the groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) building, one of the first projects to kick off the transformation of the hospital campus into a new "research city" concept, designed by architecture firms BAAS Arquitectura and Espinet / Ubach.

We all know that architecture is a complex field that requires input from many disciplines to be realized. While design lies at the core of every project, without technical expertise, many would not be what they are today. What would Brasilia be without Roberto Burle Marx's landscape design? Would OMA's CCTV Headquarters in Beijing stand without ARUP's structural calculations? Would ELEMENTAL's housing projects be the same without the contributions of their future residents?

We want to give you the opportunity to openly share your thoughts and experiences on this particular topic. Tell us what you think multidisciplinary design in architecture is, and share your story. Selected responses will be featured in an upcoming article.

The National University of Rosario, one of the most prestigious universities in Argentina, will award an honorary doctorate (Doctor Honoris Causa) to Spanish architect Alberto Campo Baeza on June 24, 2021, during a public online ceremony.

The Nemesio Antúnez Commission in partnership with the Architecture Directorate and the General Directorate of Concessions of the Ministry of Public Works (MOP), held two open calls for national artists and architects to create public art pieces for the "Boulevard Poniente" and "Boulevard Oriente" at the New Arturo Merino Benítez Airport in Santiago, Chile.

Pilar Mackenna, Domingo Arancibia, and Gonzalo Peña have been named the winners for the east sector with their work "Sonitus," a steel volume designed to become a temple of sound. Read on to learn more about the project below.

The latest data from SICCAU reinforces the importance of architects and urban planners during times of crisis and necessity. With the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainty and business restrictions caused demand for projects and construction to drop drastically in the first months of last year. However, after this initial shock, the architecture and urban planning market showed a strong recovery. In the final three months of 2020, the number of activities registered by architects and urban planners grew by 12% compared to the same period in 2019. 

In recent years, wood has gained traction as a renewable, versatile, and aesthetically appealing building material. Its strength, ease of handling, and insulating properties give it advantages that other materials cannot match, making it an increasingly popular choice among designers, architects, and builders. However, while it offers multiple benefits, it is also susceptible to degradation and decay, requiring preservation care to withstand the passage of time and other external threats.

Historically, to address these durability issues, there were two options: applying chemical treatments or using tropical hardwoods. While the former generates harmful toxins, the latter drives deforestation in the context of climate change. Consequently—and driven by an increasing demand for the material—alternative methods have been developed to protect it. One of these is acetylation, a non-toxic process that, in addition to offering high performance, significantly reduces environmental impact.

The National Cultural Heritage Service (SERPAT), with technical advisory from the Ministry of Public Works' Directorate of Architecture and sponsorship from the Chilean Association of Architects and the Association of Architecture Offices (AOA), launched the Los Ríos Regional Infrastructure Design Competition for the Library, Archives, and Collections Repository. The initiative aimed to select the best design proposal to deliver a distinctive and iconic public building for the region while fostering discussion on contemporary local architecture.

This article is a collaboration with Colectivo RE and was originally published on August 2, 2020, in the second edition of Huevo de pato, a publication that aims to share thoughts and experiences as a strategy toward the democratization of knowledge and practice.

In April 2021, the A8 Design Center in Chengdu presented "2-Kilometer Lakeshore: 2021 Luxelakes Cross-disciplinary Exhibition of Independent Architects from Southwest China." The exhibition invited 31 independent architects to build experimental, interactive, and experiential micro-spaces along the Luxelakes waterfront, offering 31 distinct perspectives on the world. Operating under a tight budget of 30,000 RMB, the architects infused their creations with self-reflection and their own understanding of publicness. By facilitating dialogue among the architects and between the architects and the public, the exhibition sought to further stimulate public engagement with design.

Through the works of these 31 local young architects with global perspectives, we witness the diverse values of a new generation and their multi-dimensional thinking on architecture. Limu Architectural Lab deconstructs architecture into columns, plinths, roofs, and envelopes, dissolving pure form; Uyoung Architects boldly deploys pink walls to establish relationships of "seeing and being seen" and "hearing and being heard" with the environment; Bai Yang uses 70 hemlock logs to support an "iron hat"; TEKTONN ARCHITECTS uses 150 bamboo poles to construct an accessible rest area; Fanzhu Design uses iron to create three continuous arched spaces that offer shelter and passage; 00Group creates an enclosed, mirrored space; MUDA-Architects builds a "periscope" by the lake, featuring a bubble wrap facade that invites tactile interaction.

According to the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB), the construction industry is the largest consumer of natural resources. To minimize environmental impacts, the concept of sustainable construction has emerged, employing techniques that ensure greater efficiency and responsibility from the beginning to the end of a project.

The first consideration is the layout of the rooms, as each space has an ideal location based on the local climate. “The layout of rooms in a residence can establish baseline conditions for comfort or discomfort. It is the role of the architectural design, through the organization of the floor plan, to ensure the appropriate level of sunlight and natural ventilation for each space,” states the free sustainable renovation guide published by the Ministry of the Environment.

Citymakers is working with ArchDaily to publish a series of articles, conversations, and interviews with different actors in urban co-production, who are behind the Citymakers Barcelona Lab 2021, a program returning to Barcelona between November 8 and 12, 2021.

CityMakers is the global platform of experts in urban co-production best practices, seeking to connect city co-producers and influential leaders from around the world to inspire each other and drive transformation in their cities.

For this edition, Albert Santasusagna del Riu – IdRA – Barcelona Water Research Institute, presents his article "Towards a Globalization of Water Landscapes? Context Matters!".