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 Arquia, along with architect Ana Asensio, invites us to reflect on how cities have been designed until recently—spaces of friction conceived without equal participation in decision-making, which consequently leads us to discuss feminism.

The new illustrated version of the Building and Works Code (COE) is now available online. Released by the São Paulo Municipal Secretariat of Urbanism and Licensing (SMUL - PMSP), this edition features graphic design by oitentaedois, making the legislation more accessible to the general public.

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Numerous movements are demanding alternatives to current urban mobility—systems designed by and for vehicular traffic, burdened by an outdated planning mentality that centered everything around the car. Their reasons are equally diverse: improving public health, utilizing economic resources more rationally when commuting, lowering pollution levels (both noise and air), and even increasing efficiency by reducing travel times.

Yes, we are referring to the endless and inevitable daily traffic jams we have all experienced. 

If the benefits across all sectors are so clear, why haven't we implemented an alternative mobility system on our streets yet? There are several answers to this question, ranging from public resistance to change and a lack of prioritization in political agendas, to the simple fact that there is no universal, magic formula to solve every issue overnight everywhere. Once we overcome these barriers, we can begin by analyzing who currently uses the streets, who does not, and why.

To celebrate the diverse groups that built the cultural heritage of São Paulo and helped shape the city's identity, the Municipal Secretariat of Culture will host the Jornada do Patrimônio (Heritage Journey) on August 18 and 19, under the theme "One City, Many Hands."

The event offers a free, diverse program aimed at connecting the public with historical and emotionally significant spaces that define the city's history. In total, 320 activities will take place, including tours, lectures, workshops, building visits, guided tours, and book launches.

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Across nine episodes, the series Proyecto Habitar delves into the privacy of homes to explore the reality of housing in Chile. Through the perspective of its protagonists, the series explores a range of housing-related issues, as directors Joaquín Mora and Verónica Wüst aim to spark a long-overdue discussion.

"Housing is a crucial issue that will soon come to the forefront, as we live within an economic system that raises various challenges we must discuss as a society," Mora comments.

This time, we invite you to watch three new episodes of the series: health, work, and occupation.

On December 20, the final curatorial review of the first National Essay and Research Competition, Written Architecture 2017, took place at the national headquarters of the Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile.

Organized by Grupo Arquitectura Caliente and co-organized by Ediciones ARQ, the competition awarded the 20 best articles out of 87 submissions in the undergraduate and graduate categories, representing 18 architecture schools across 9 different Chilean cities.

The competition was directed by Gabriela García de Cortázar and featured a jury of 30 prominent academics and professionals on the Evaluation Committee.

Below is the article by Universidad de Chile student Pablo Schmidt, winner of the Graduate Category.

The 2022 World Cup takes place in Qatar from November 21 to December 18, promising to amaze spectators with its stadiums. There are eight projects in total—some built from scratch, while others are existing structures undergoing renovation.

The 20th century in Mexico was a period of vibrant artistic and architectural experimentation. This era marked the establishment of the Modern Movement, bringing with it innovative ideologies that nurtured new talent and shaped the frameworks of artistic and architectural production.

For many years, architects worked as multidisciplinary designers, creating both spaces and furniture under a single, cohesive vision. Yet despite this, some of these pieces have faded into obscurity, overshadowed by major architectural works and the fast pace of modern life, where mass-produced furniture renders these unique designs invisible.

Originally published in 1995, Registro de uma vivência is an autobiography by Lucio Costa (1902–1998) composed of critical essays, memoirs, plans, projects, photographs, and drawings specifically selected and arranged by the author.

Out of print for nearly 20 years, the book has been reissued by Editora 34 in partnership with Edições Sesc SP. Fully preserving the original graphic design, this new edition features an introduction by Maria Elisa Costa, Lucio’s daughter, an index of names, and an essay by Sophia da Silva Telles, which seeks to decipher the significance of the work of this great architect and urban planner, who was also one of the most important Brazilian intellectuals of the 20th century.

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The Mictlán Pavilion Competition was established as part of the activities for the 2018 Mictlán Festival, an annual event held in the municipality of Tlajomulco de Zúñiga in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. This event aims to celebrate the Day of the Dead traditions in this municipality, particularly along the Cajititlán waterfront.

For the competition, participants designed an intervention for the San Juan Evangelista pier in Tlajomulco, which served as a transitional space within the Day of the Dead Festival installations.

In May 1999, 17 historic buildings in Santiago opened their doors to launch the very first edition of Chile's Cultural Heritage Day. Nearly two decades after that inaugural event, the upcoming edition will span an entire weekend for the first time, taking place on Saturday, May 26, and Sunday, May 27.

Portuguese architect João Luís Carrilho da Graça has been unanimously selected as the winner of the inaugural Leon Battista Alberti Architecture Prize, awarded by the Leon Battista Alberti Center for Studies Foundation, named after the prominent Renaissance architect and art theorist.

Carrilho da Graça, who heads the eponymous firm Carrilho da Graça Arquitectos, is known for major projects in Portugal and other European countries, such as the Lisbon Cruise Terminal, the Theater in Poitiers, and the Orient Museum.

Architecture is perhaps the built heritage that best expresses a city's history, highlighting major cultural figures whose work enriches the history of its people. The Porto Architecture Guide 1942-2017 follows the Lisbon Architecture Guide 1948-2013; together, they are the first two volumes in the Cities collection published by A+A Books.

To streamline tree mapping, the Secretariat of Environment and Animal Welfare (Sema) is studying the development of an app to record information on tree species in the city's urban forest. If the study proves viable, the software is expected to be ready by the second half of this year.

The system, currently under study, is part of the Urban Forestry Master Plan, mandated by the Public Prosecutor's Office and launched in March of last year. The inventory is the most time-consuming phase of the project; however, the app will make it possible to map urban trees in certain areas of the city, collecting data such as geographical coordinates and tree health.

The results of the public design competition for the Santa Iria da Azóia Health Unit Project in Loures were recently announced. Organized by the Loures Municipal Council with technical support from the Southern Regional Section of the Order of Architects (OASRS), the team from LXM Studio, led by architect João Lisboa, was awarded first place. The jury, consisting of architects João Félix and Carlos Santos from the Loures Municipal Council and architect Victor Neves (appointed by OASRS), noted that of the 35 proposals evaluated, the winning entry stood out for its seamless integration with the surroundings, contributing to an effective visual and landscape revitalization of the adjacent space. The jury also noted that “the solution designed for the exterior openings is innovative and highly functional.”

Santa Iria de Azóia is a Portuguese town in the municipality of Loures, with an area of 7.52 km² and 18,240 inhabitants (2011 data). The site is located in the Pirescoxe area of Santa Iria da Azóia, where the built cultural heritage closest to the intervention area features two prominent buildings: the Pirescoxe Castle, classified as a Property of Public Interest, and the Pirescoxe Convent. The general objectives of the competition were:

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Provincia Festival aims to create an open space for dialogue and the exhibition of civic interest topics, emphasizing responsible participation in provincial architectural development.

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A new renovation project is underway at the University of Guadalajara's Health Sciences Campus, led by Nr24arquitectura. Located at Sierra Mojada 950, Independencia Oriente, 44340 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, the project covers a total area of 10,000 m² and is expected to be completed by 2019.

When one thinks of a “bicycle city,” Paris is certainly not the first to come to mind. Despite ongoing efforts to become more bike-friendly, the French capital is usually remembered for its efficient metro system and walkable streets. Since 2015, however, Paris has been tackling its latest challenge: becoming the “capital of urban cycling” by 2020.

The website Mobilize, Brazil's first platform dedicated exclusively to sustainable urban mobility, has published a list of 30 must-see documentaries on the subject. Divided into feature and medium-length films, the selected titles address urban mobility from various perspectives, ranging from mass transit and non-motorized personal transport to urban culture and the June 2013 protests in Brazil.

Many families working long hours spend more than they can afford on housing and transportation, leaving few resources for other essentials such as food and healthcare. This is a serious problem—one that is, in part, a consequence of public policies that favor expensive housing and transportation options over more affordable alternatives.

The es.BIM commission, responsible for implementing BIM methodology in Spain, has released the findings of the Fourth Report of the BIM Tender Observatory in Spain, following an analysis of public tender specifications that incorporate BIM requirements within their clauses to varying degrees.

On one hand, the report assesses the emergence of public tender documents with BIM requirements. On the other, it analyzes how BIM is integrated into these specifications through various indicators, such as the weighting of BIM in the evaluation criteria and the required levels of information.

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As part of the commemorations marking the 30th anniversary of the passing of architect Luis Barragán, Cosentino and Arquiphilia invited 20 Mexican architecture firms to participate in a group exhibition titled "Inspiración, magia y embrujo 2018" (Inspiration, Magic, and Spell 2018). The initiative proposed an exercise to demonstrate how collaboration and creativity are key to design, challenging participants to create a sculpture using Dekton® by Cosentino to pay tribute to the work of the 1980 Pritzker Prize laureate. The resulting models were subsequently exhibited at the Instituto Cabañas in Guadalajara.

Operational coordination was led by Arquiphilia, represented by architects Bertha Elia Gutiérrez Gómez and Carlos Lassala Mozo, who previously organized the Do It Yourself exhibition in Guadalajara in September 2015. Mónica Urbán, from Cosentino's corporate team, was also part of the coordination team, serving as the liaison between the brand and the architecture firms. Before fabrication, the participants selected their materials from a catalog, evaluating different characteristics to find the ideal match for what they wished to express in their pieces.

I recently learned that the word "testa" means "head" in Italian. It made me think of Clorindo Testa and how fitting his last name was.

Yesterday marked the 95th anniversary of his birth. Possessing infinite creativity and charisma, he was one of those personalities that appear once every century. In him, the intelligence of the architect coexisted with the sensitivity of the artist, the precision of the professional with the joy of a child, and greatness with humility. His hand did not tremble when curving a line or adding color to a plan.

To mark this anniversary, we look back at some of his quotes and anecdotes.

The team consisting of Francisca Méndez, Francisca Campos, and Lucero Arce (Universidad Mayor) has been awarded second place in the XXXII CAP Chile Competition. Designed for Punta Arenas, the project—known as María Behety Park—aims to “bring Chile to Punta Arenas,” an idea that seeks to introduce various plant species from across the country to the city as a tourist attraction, according to the authors.

The competition jury praised the project as one “that takes a bold stance through clear and powerful elements to generate wide spans, where the steel pieces shine to create three volumes that emerge like icebergs along the park. And it is precisely this clarity that demands a high level of structural resolution, which is perfectly adjustable.”