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.

Fundación Mi Parque in collaboration with Transelec, has developed a manual focusing on the technical and landscaping aspects of pruning urban trees near power transmission lines. This task is identified as an opportunity to move toward building an integrated and sustainable city image.

The Albeida Tourism Complex, designed by architects Alfonso Salgado Suárez and Francisco Liñares Túñez, and the new Spatial Planning Guidelines of the Basque Country are the winning projects of the latest edition of the 2020 Architecture and Urbanism Awards, presented by the Superior Council of Colleges of Architects of Spain (CSCAE).

Chilean architect and photographer Pablo Casals-Aguirre has documented the Swiss project Kunstmuseum Basel, designed by architects Christ & Gantenbein in Basel. The project was a finalist for the 2018 Simon Architecture Prize in the Collective Places category.

Exploring the relationship between comics and architectural representation, the thesis of Isis Zúñiga Campos invites us on a journey through the “Quebrada Márquez” housing complex, demonstrating how these narratives, built from drawings and images, can convey and represent both ways of inhabiting and the architectural experiences that surround us. Through the use of various graphic tools, drawing characters becomes a fundamental part of understanding how spaces are lived. Indeed, as the author describes, architecture without people is not architecture. While comics still have a long way to go in representing modes of living, in the meantime they reveal the pathways, spaces, and daily uses people create, offering a perspective closer to reality.

Below, the author explains this in detail in her own words.

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It is well known that since its inception, the field of architecture has been predominantly composed of white, cisgender men, who to this day continue to occupy some of the most prominent positions in both architectural practices and prestigious awards. For this and many other reasons, the struggle to bring visibility to women in architecture has always been present, responding to the specific demands of each era and winning increasingly significant battles. However, inequalities persist, making it a challenging profession for women—and even more so for women of color, Indigenous women, Latinas, and those from disadvantaged economic backgrounds.

In a world that is physically more connected than ever, yet socially unequal and fragmented, what should be the contribution of architects in the pursuit of more egalitarian, developed, and humane cities and communities? According to the authors of this book, the subject of our conversation in this episode, our practice must necessarily embrace its political dimension. 

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Architect Martín Luis Gutiérrez Martínez was born in Gómez Palacio—a city in the state of Durango, Mexico—in 1927, and he never left behind his Northern roots or any of his lifelong convictions. During the brief and cherished time I shared with him, our conversations were always filled with his exceptional memory, enlivened by an untiring passion for living and feeling architecture.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic postponed COP26 to November 2021, UN negotiators were still hard at work throughout 2020. Following a series of virtual events in June of last year, more than 3,000 national delegates concluded the Climate Dialogues, a series of 80 virtual meetings in which countries shared, reviewed, and discussed outstanding issues in international climate negotiations.

From the outset, countries agreed that the dialogues would not include the formal negotiations that typically occur at COPs and would not lead to any official decisions. Instead, they addressed events that countries had previously scheduled for 2020, alongside other informal exchanges. The dialogues served as a platform for countries and non-state actors to take stock of overall climate action progress in 2020, offering an informal space for negotiators to better understand outstanding issues as they prepared to resume negotiations in 2021.

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This week's featured career opportunities come from two design firms based in Beijing and Shanghai: IN.X Design and SLT- STUDIOLITE. Specialized in projects of varying scales and themes, both practices are highly active across diverse design sectors and are looking to recruit like-minded design talent to join their teams.

The European Award for Architectural Heritage Intervention, organized by the COAC (Architects' Association of Catalonia) and AADIPA (Association of Architects for the Defense and Intervention in Architectural Heritage), has announced the shortlisted works in Category A (Intervention in built heritage) and Category B (Outer Spaces).

The finalists and winners will be announced on June 17 during the 5th International Biennial of Architectural Heritage Intervention.

Videos

Cars remain one of the primary modes of transportation and a major contributor to the climate crisis, as the vast majority consume fossil fuels and generate emissions—particularly carbon dioxide, which intensifies the greenhouse effect and, consequently, global warming. As such, World Car-Free Day is celebrated internationally on September 22 to encourage people to spend a day without their cars and reflect on car dependency. To offer new perspectives on this issue, we highlight the work of Latvian architect Oto Ozols, who envisions cities designed for people rather than cars through videos that demonstrate how public space can be improved from this perspective. 

Videos

Today, August 13, commemorates two pivotal events in Mexico's history: the approximate founding of Tenochtitlan, capital of the Mexica civilization, around 1325 on an island in Lake Texcoco in the Valley of Mexico; and the fall of this empire in 1521 to the Spanish army led by the conquistador Hernán Cortés.

These are just a few of the many events that shape today's Mexico City, making it nearly impossible to summarize them all. Nonetheless, revisiting some of these milestones helps us understand the very ground we stand on and, above all, reflect on the future of our actions as architecture professionals: from the pre-Hispanic period, colonization, Independence, and the Revolution, to the foreign influences of the Modern Movement and the diverse interpretations that culminate in what we recognize today as contemporary architecture.

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Over the years, driven by research that has brought once-neglected and marginalized issues to the fore, the debate surrounding self-construction and migratory processes has become increasingly vital for exploring the social phenomena reflected in the architecture of underserved, commonly termed "irregular" areas. While a clear polarization remains regarding what a living space should or should not be, we must observe what already exists—not only to contribute to the discussion but, above all, to listen and learn.

ITTI | High Tech Institute aims to pioneer BIM specialization, providing the knowledge to manage projects through its renowned "Learning By Doing" methodology. Its training programs equip BIM managers with the necessary resources to address complex issues from an innovative and revolutionary perspective.

"Domingos Libro" is hosted by Carmelo from Enorme Studio, where every two weeks, he delves deeply into forgotten architectural publications, books, and architectural magazines from the '60s, '70s, and '80s that carry the most interesting stories behind them.

This latest episode focuses on the 1989 double issue 181/182 of the Catalan magazine QUADERNS, specifically examining an unfinished house by Paco Alonso, an architect from the Madrid School who never completed any of his works and was once dubbed "The Builder of Ruins" by a colleague.

An active city is one that encourages its inhabitants to be physically active in their daily lives. This does not mean aiming to turn citizens into Olympic athletes, but rather providing safe spaces for cyclists and pedestrians to move around, as well as adequate infrastructure so that people of all ages can play sports, have fun, and relax outdoors. Consequently, physical activity, at varying levels of intensity, becomes a natural part of the population's daily routine. 

A new edition of the Latin American Architecture Biennial is set to begin on September 28 in Pamplona, Spain. Organized by the AREA association in collaboration with the City Council of Pamplona, the Basque-Navarrese Association of Architects, the University of Navarra, the Government of Navarra, and the Spanish Ministry of Development, this 7th edition will feature 13 emerging architectural practices representing Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

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Luis Antonio Moreno Aguayo—architect and co-founder of Taller Matatipac in Tepic, Nayarit—presents his project: the Bípeda chair, which uses experimentation to simplify concepts to their elemental roots, employing critique as a tool to fuel creativity.

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Under the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future,” Expo Dubai 2020 —held from October 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022— is the first world expo hosted by an Arab nation and the Middle East region. The Spain Pavilion, under the slogan “Intelligence for Life,” synthesizes the idea of preserving a high quality of life on our planet for ourselves and future generations.

Designed by the firm amann cánovas maruri, the building is located in the expo's Sustainability District and stands out for its series of prominent truncated cones that rise above the landscape, evoking the feel of a traditional public square. Inside, the Pavilion houses two complementary thematic exhibition areas designed by the joint venture between External Reference and Onionlab. Here, the Barcelona-based firms have applied a striking blend of design, art, and technology to create a uniquely immersive experience.

Responsibly sourced, wood is a renewable, low-emission resource that, in addition to storing carbon within its composition, features low thermal conductivity and high acoustic absorption, creating comfortable, well-insulated spaces year-round. A well-designed timber building will not only enhance these properties but will also be aesthetically pleasing for its occupants and highly energy-efficient.

Rescuing the invisible, diving into an erased urban memory, and walking on water. Surprising as it may seem, the world has not ended yet. However, those walking through Belo Horizonte, passing the busy intersection of Afonso Pena Avenue and Brasil Avenue, might be able to pinpoint exactly where it does. The “Acaba-Mundo” [World's End] is a creek that crossed the Curral del Rei settlement, the site to which the capital of Minas Gerais was relocated in 1897.

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What role does space play in education? How can we incorporate new learning methods that foster environmental stewardship and introduce sustainability principles to new generations? Located in the Parque Donado-Holmberg neighborhood of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, the Siglo XXI School draws on educational facilities in Finland, the Netherlands, England, and the United States as benchmarks, aiming to integrate the school into the community and maximize the use of open spaces and new technologies.

It is interesting to reflect on the events of a few days ago in Pamplona, which hosted the 7th Latin American Architecture Biennial (BAL) at the Civican Cultural Center. At first, it might seem striking that a Spanish city like Pamplona hosts an event focused on Latin American architecture—a practice that over the years has developed a distinct identity deeply rooted in its own continental context, and which one might think has little in connection with Iberian architecture today. Nevertheless, during these days, the city takes pride in serving as a bridge between Latin America and Spain. It welcomed emerging architecture firms that brought a fresh, driven energy to present work full of potential and promising ideas for the future of the Latin American architectural scene.

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"Domingos Libro" is hosted by Carmelo from Enorme Studio, where every two weeks he takes a deep dive into forgotten architectural publications—books and magazines from the '60s, '70s, and '80s with the most fascinating stories behind them.

In this episode, titled "Just What Is Necessary," he discusses Thomas Gordon Smith's 1988 book "Classical Architecture: Rule & Invention" and how two columns disappeared from his iconic Tuscan and Laurentian Houses just two years after their completion.