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.

What has architecture done for democracy in Portugal—and what has the democratic era done for Portuguese architecture? These are the questions guiding the exhibition O que faz falta. 50 anos de arquitetura portuguesa em democracia [What is Needed: 50 Years of Portuguese Architecture in Democracy], organized by Casa da Arquitectura, which celebrates the fifty years since the 1974 Carnation Revolution.

Curated by Jorge Figueira with co-curator Ana Neiva, the exhibition highlights the intimate relationship between architecture and the democratic regime in Portugal, exploring how Portuguese architects contributed to democratic consolidation by transforming the country's public and private spaces over five decades.

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The history of building materials is a journey of innovation and adaptation to environmental demands. In their most rudimentary forms, for example, the earliest adhesives were made from natural sources, such as mixtures of tree resins, lime, and water. Later, cultures like the Egyptians refined these methods, using starch and casein (a milk protein) to bond elements in their structures. This evolution reached a milestone during the Industrial Revolution, when industrialization and the introduction of synthetic compounds laid the groundwork for the advanced products we know today. The production methods of these materials have transformed construction, optimizing processes and driving significant progress toward sustainability.

"Perhaps in other times knowledge was a secret, which held back progress. As knowledge is made public, knowledge advances." - Juan Baixas

This micro-documentary by HOLDER is the result of an initiative dedicated to bringing visibility to contemporary Latin American design through its histories and creations. In this first episode, Juan Baixas offers a first-person account of the creation and development of his Puzzle Chair, a piece that was added to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York in 2015, highlighting its significance in modern design.

When the Minergie sustainable building standard was established in Switzerland 25 years ago to reduce energy consumption and improve indoor comfort, it was hard to foresee that it would become one of the country's most sought-after certifications. Today, it boasts a significant footprint with over 50,000 certified buildings. It was equally difficult to imagine its future in present-day Latin America: how could a system developed for the specific demands of one nation respond to the needs of another region with such diverse geography and culture?

What role do glass surfaces play in connecting contemporary architecture, nature, and the experience of those who inhabit interior spaces? The evolution of the glass envelope has accompanied the development of contemporary architecture, with the transmission of natural light serving as one of its defining qualities. Furthermore, the material's versatility and transparent character blur the boundaries between indoors and outdoors, while evoking a range of sensory and psychological experiences, among other virtues. In its constant search for innovation, Glasstech offers a wide range of glass solutions, providing end-to-end support from initial project design to final installation. To illustrate these diverse applications, we examine Casa Bosque in Chile as a prime example of architecture in harmony with its natural surroundings.

Offering a balance between aesthetics and comfort, designing wooden decks for outdoor spaces such as patios, terraces, walkways, balconies, gardens, or swimming pools represents an excellent alternative for creating outdoor areas for relaxation, entertainment, and recreation. When paired with swimming pools, fountains, or water features, decking in various dimensions, colors, and finishes combines the warmth of wood with the clarity of water, provided it is treated and maintained to maximize durability and optimize long-term performance. Indeed, Leaf Panel's Forta Deck offers a renewable, recyclable, and high-quality solution for outdoor flooring, highlighting the importance of reducing the carbon footprint of building products and leveraging the properties of acetylated wood to improve outdoor performance.

Nicolás Valencia speaks with Venezuelan architect Betina Rincón, research coordinator at ⁠re:arc institute⁠, about the work of the Danish philanthropic organization in supporting and funding community-led solutions to address the climate crisis worldwide.

This week on the TERRAZA podcast, Nicolás Valencia talks with Chilean designer Karla Silva about the book ⁠Viña del Mar Moderna⁠, published in 2022.

A cada ano, a equipe de Curadoria de Projetos do ArchDaily rememora a vasta gama de obras publicadas ao longo desse período, apresentando retrospectivas que permitem não apenas identificar tendências e variações na produção arquitetônica, mas também reconhecer de que forma impactam a nossa audiência. No ArchDaily Brasil, a seleção anual de melhores casas – que ano após ano, segue permanecendo como nossa categoria de projeto mais popular – representa uma amostra das variadas soluções, estratégias, técnicas e materiais encontrados na arquitetura residencial dos países de língua portuguesa.

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The Fundação Bienal de São Paulo has announced the curatorial team for the Brazilian Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, scheduled to open on May 10, 2025. The task will be led by the group Plano Coletivo, composed of architect Luciana Saboia and architects Eder Alencar and Matheus Seco. The selection of the group reflects the Foundation's commitment to highlighting architectural practices that foster positive social and environmental impact.

Plano Coletivo is recognized for its collaborative and multidisciplinary approach, integrating architecture, urbanism, and design with a focus on sustainable and inclusive solutions. The team has carried out significant projects across various regions of Brazil, always seeking to engage local communities in the design and implementation process.

The Architects Association of Chile and the Ministry of Cultures announced the results of the competition for the XXIII Chilean Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism. The winning proposal, "Double Exposure: reprogram, revitalize, rebuild", by Sebastián López, Ángela Carvajal, and Óscar Aceves, addresses interventions in disused heritage spaces, merging old and new works. In addition, awards were presented to "Urban Amusements" and "Weaving Territories". The event reflects on historical architecture and its revitalization.

The curatorial team for the XXIII Chilean Biennial of Architecture comprises Sebastián López Jeldes, Ángela Carvajal Fernández, and Óscar Aceves Álvarez, and the jury is composed of Fernando Pérez Oyarzún, Amarí Peliowski, Cristián Izquierdo, Macarena Cortés, Pablo Rojas, Beatriz Buccicardi, Fernando Miranda, Martín Urrutia, and Vicente Burgos.

The Council for Architecture and Urbanism of Amazonas (CAU/AM) announced the winners of the ATHIS Ideas Competition - Arquiteto e Urbanista Zezéu Ribeiro Award, which sought to promote technical assistance projects for social housing (ATHIS). The initiative's main goal is to address the housing challenges of vulnerable communities in the state through affordable, innovative, and socially responsible architectural solutions.

The winning projects stood out for their sensitive and contextualized approach to local needs, incorporating principles of sustainability, community participation, and the efficient use of resources. Focusing on housing improvements, land tenure regularization, and the upgrading of urban spaces, the proposals align with the objectives of the ATHIS program, established by Federal Law 11,888/2008, which guarantees free technical assistance to low-income families.

Seeking to reflect on the contemporary city invariably runs up against the limitations imposed by the methods of the Modern Movement. Classical sciences and their deterministic methods, which guided—and still guide—the urban planning of this era, describe world phenomena through strict causal relationships and, consequently, define them by reductive universal laws that exclude contradictions and uncertainties. The frequent result of these perspectives is an idealized, mechanistic world that denies the complex, actual nature of phenomena such as cities.

Most architecture schools in Brazil also focus on the study of the city. This is only logical, considering that architecture and urbanism can be seen as the same discipline viewed from different scales. However, career opportunities at the urban scale may not always be clear. Consequently, Anthony Ling shared an article on ten ways to work in urbanism.

“Whatever is repeated endures, and is eternal, therefore, is sacred. That is why Sunday soccer is sacred; that is why sex is sacred; that is why having dinner with my mother on Saturdays is sacred. This builds within me a bond with the permanence of everything—all human beings, all dreams, all lives that, at this moment, cross my existence.”

Taking the opportunity of our participation in the 9th Architecture and Urbanism Week of the Architecture and Urbanism program at the Centro de Ensino Superior de Juiz de Fora (CES/JF), we at Arquicast recorded this biweekly episode based on the event's theme: Scales and Places. Held in May, the week-long event was organized by the program's students and featured a series of lectures and activities, including this special episode. We address the relationships regarding the importance of scale and place in design education and practice across their various dimensions. Our guest was architect and professor Frederico Halfeld, who shared his experience as an educator alongside other insights on the topic.

Casa Lacerda, one of the main architectural heritage sites in the Lapa region (Paraná), will soon be revitalized. Currently operating as a museum and Heritage House—with rooms styled to recreate the home of a traditional local family—the space will be expanded with the construction of an annex. On Wednesday (18), the National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute (Iphan) and the Paraná Department of the Institute of Architects of Brazil (IAB-PR) announced the winning proposals of the national design competition for the new building.

The complex is located on Santa Cruz Street in Vila Mariana, near Gregori Warchavchik's Modernist House, and consists of 23 three-story blocks sited on a triangular plot of 61,900 m². Most of the blocks were oriented with their facades facing east-west, spaced to ensure adequate sunlight for the apartments.

The National Secretariat of Housing of the Ministry of Regional Development and the Council for Architecture and Urbanism of Brazil (CAU/BR) agreed, during a meeting this week in Brasília, to create methods that will allow architects and urban planners to participate directly in real estate financing throughout the country. However, the agreement has not yet been finalized, and the procedures will be developed jointly with financial institutions.

Between 1985 and 1989, the city of Olinda (Pernambuco) served as the pilot site for a federal program that was to be implemented in 48 other Brazilian cities. Among other goals, this program sought to provide social housing in built environments and preserve local memory and ways of life by ensuring the permanence of traditional residents. Though still little known in the history of cultural heritage and social housing policies in Brazil, this plan points the way toward managing territories based on the social and cultural practices of their inhabitants.

Videos

The School of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of São Paulo (FAU USP), one of the most prestigious architecture schools in Latin America, recently launched its YouTube channel—an initiative that continues efforts to highlight its community's work and democratize knowledge. Featuring student projects, lectures, documentaries, and expert perspectives on a wide range of topics, the channel offers diverse and relevant content.

Videos

The film “Melting Souls” by François-Xavier Destors won the Best Documentary award at the 7th edition of the Arquiteturas Film Festival, which took place from June 4 to 9 at Cinema São Jorge in Lisbon.

Inverse City uses the urban morphology of central São Paulo and its adjacent districts as its primary structure and raw material, providing a foundation for the creation of a new space-time. This space-time allows us to explore and deconstruct the city we know.

The design for the Fiat factory in the Lingotto district of Turin, Italy, was developed by engineer Giacomo Mattè-Trucco in 1915. Construction began the following year and was carried out in stages until its completion in 1923. Inspired by Fordism, a manufacturing model that emerged in the United States in the 1910s, the factory was designed with an upward-moving assembly line. Upon reaching the roof, the completed cars were ready to be tested on a track approximately 1 km long.