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.

How can we transport ourselves to natural environments when we find ourselves in entirely urban contexts? The materiality of spaces is one of the factors that determines the atmosphere we inhabit. In this regard, the incorporation of natural materials in interior architecture can help introduce textures, colors, and qualities inherent to nature into our daily spaces. In this article, we explore the specific use of cork as a resource in interior design and the different ways it can transform the experience of a space. Cork is the bark of the cork oak, a tree species that, when harvested without harming the tree, can be transformed into a material suitable for multiple applications in architecture and design.

Tactile paving tiles are designed to ensure that everyone can fully utilize urban spaces, navigating all the architectural and everyday variables present in contemporary cities. The "Tactile Path for the Visually Impaired," presented below, was specially designed for people with visual impairments.

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These architectural elements are used for different reasons almost everywhere, because they have a visual permeability that promotes the much desired dialogue between interior and exterior, which most architects seek, while being able to maintain the privacy of the users of a building. However, in tropical climates, they gain even greater importance as they allow constant natural ventilation, shade areas with large amounts of sunshine, and provide natural lighting and thermal comfort. 

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Prefabricated systems have become an effective option for completing projects that require standardized modular solutions, such as hotels, hospitals, residences, and residential buildings. The primary advantages of using ready-made modules are reduced labor time, optimal control, and project traceability. While the functional value of these systems—in terms of their quick and easy execution—is significant, the use of quality materials provides additional value. However, to understand how these modules function and are applied, it is first necessary to understand their origin and process.

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Sustainability and the efficient use of natural resources have become fundamental requirements for every architectural project. In this new context, ongoing research and studies have led to the emergence of new materials and construction systems aimed at sustainable development. A recurring example is the ventilated facade, which ensures a building's envelope is safe, efficient, sustainable, and durable by subtly and effectively integrating air renewal. Its ease of installation, contribution to the building's overall structure, and sustainable composition make it a compelling alternative for all types of projects.

Representation is the medium through which architects express their ideas; the better a project is represented, the easier it is to convey its intent to the viewer. In most cases, a simple and concise representation helps to manifest a project's core ideas. However, new technologies provide us with tools that, beyond helping us express and highlight an intent, allow us to convey the quality of the designed environment more realistically.

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.

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.

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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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?

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

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The digital exploration by the experimental architecture and design studio Formosa for an itinerant pavilion in Buenos Aires proposes a blend of digital fabrication and artisanal techniques using a resistant, lightweight, and flexible material.

The project, a pavilion composed of modules made primarily from white corrugated polypropylene pieces—analogous to one another yet each unique—allows for easy assembly through interlocking joints and bolts.

PENTA is the result of the first design studio course from the Taller Danza at the Faculty of Architecture, Design, and Urbanism of the University of the Republic (UdelaR). Each year, the Montevideo-based studio proposes the ephemeral construction of a full-scale project, conceived and built collaboratively by its students.

On this occasion, the pavilion explores the possibilities of computer-aided manufacturing, experimenting with techniques using limited resources and digital production systems.

Learn more about the process in the authors' own words below.

ArqFilmFest and the Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile hosted the preview of the first episode of the documentary series Chiloé yesterday. The series, which premieres this coming Sunday, May 6, at 7:00 PM on La Red TV, consists of five episodes that present stories from the island featuring architects, carpenters, and local inhabitants alike, highlighting the diversity of the local reality and architecture as its form of expression.

Chiloé, a production by Glaciar Films directed by Diego Breit and David Guzmán, is a project that, as the creators note, began by focusing on heritage and ultimately came to represent something greater: a reflection on the island's current identity.

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.

As part of Casa Portal 2018—an Argentine architecture and interior design exhibition dedicated to intertwining art and solidarity—the Emergen Project by visual artist Rocío Moreno and architect Gonzalo Viramonte is presented as a quest to reflect on the state of emergency at the Children's Hospital.

The visual proposal continues the production line associated with light-based work, this time using neon to illuminate children's drawings, thereby incorporating them into the conversation.

A few words from the authors follow:

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The fourth edition of the Arquitectura Film Festival Santiago will take over the Lastarria neighborhood from October 25 to 28, featuring free screenings and activities at various venues, including the Museo de Artes Visuales MAVI, Casa O de Lastarria, the Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral, GAM, the Teatro Ictus, and the Cine Arte Alameda.

This festival, which invites the public to view, experience, and contemplate cities in a new light through film and other activities, will screen over forty films. These include seven titles selected by the festival team for the "showcase," several of which will be Chilean or Latin American premieres.

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Whether you are an architecture student or already practicing in the field, you are likely aware of the growing importance of BIM methodology in the design and construction sector over the last few years. In countries like Spain, efforts are already underway to make its implementation as "natural" as possible, making it essential to provide educational resources so that both public administrations and private firms can make the "leap to BIM" and begin to reap the benefits that these new technologies offer the architectural sector.

In this regard, many experts in the field are doing important outreach work through their YouTube channels, creating and sharing high-quality content. This content is easily accessible and—in most cases—free, allowing both students and professionals to stay constantly up to date.

To continue learning about BIM, we have compiled some of the best YouTube channels to help you either take your first steps or stay current with the latest developments in this new methodology, which is already changing and revolutionizing the way we work and collaborate.

Would you like to help highlight the work of women in architecture? Un día | Una arquitecta invites readers to suggest architects to be featured in the 2018-2019 cycle.