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.

Among the updates to the new Minha Casa, Minha Vida (MCMV) program, recently launched by the Brazilian Federal Government, is the inclusion of a "housing improvement" modality. This is a necessary addition, as it addresses historically underserved populations—precisely those most vulnerable to the increasingly frequent and severe impacts of climate change. A new path toward sustainable, equitable, inclusive, and low-carbon development must be established. This transition depends not only on access to quality housing, but also on infrastructure and public services.

Spatial perception is the cognitive ability to process visual information related to the position, movement, size, and shape of objects in space. According to Auguste Perret in his work "Contribution to a Theory of Architecture," architecture can influence this perception by delimiting, closing, and enclosing space. When this cognitive capacity interacts with architecture, our brain interprets and processes visual information to determine whether a space feels visually expansive or confined. In interior spaces, certain elements can decisively influence our perception of space, such as color, furniture dimensions, and the materials that comprise it. The latter are particularly important, as their use under specific conditions can alter our spatial perception and the way we experience space, depending on their texture and format.

Project Name
Feasibility Study and Schematic Design for Qianwan Park (Menghai Boulevard to Qianhai Bay Section)

Project Location
Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province

Tendering Platform
Shenzhen Public Resources Trading Center

The Integrated Permanent Site Construction Project of the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART) and Shenzhen Bay Laboratory (SZBL) is located in the northeastern sector of the Science and Education Integration Cluster in Guangming Science City, Guangming District, Shenzhen. Tasked with the core mission of establishing a comprehensive national science center in the Greater Bay Area, the project will establish a strategic scientific and technological institution integrating basic research, clinical research, full-chain industrial translation, and technical innovation in the biomedical field, supporting Shenzhen's development into a pioneering demonstration hub for medical and life sciences innovation.

The Integrated Permanent Site Construction Project of the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART) & Shenzhen Bay Laboratory (SZBL) is located in the northeastern sector of the Science and Education Integration Cluster within Guangming Science City, Guangming District, Shenzhen. Carrying the core mission of establishing a comprehensive national science center in the Greater Bay Area, the project aims to develop strategic scientific and technological institutions that integrate basic research, clinical research, full-chain industrial translation, and technical innovation in the biomedical and life sciences fields, supporting Shenzhen's development into a pioneering demonstration hub for medical and life sciences innovation.

The tender for the schematic design and preliminary architectural design of Bid Section II of the Integrated Permanent Site Construction Project of the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation and Shenzhen Bay Laboratory is about to commence, with the official tender announcement to be released shortly. The tenderee is the Engineering Design Management Center of the Bureau of Public Works of Shenzhen Municipality. Pre-registration and expressions of interest are now open to design teams worldwide.

Tenders for the schematic design and preliminary architectural design of the Integrated Permanent Site Construction Project of the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation & Shenzhen Bay Laboratory (Bid Section II) will launch soon, with the official tender announcements to be released shortly. The tenderee is the Engineering Design Management Center of the Bureau of Public Works of Shenzhen Municipality. Pre-registration is now open to design teams from around the globe.

Tender Project: Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation and Shenzhen Bay Laboratory Integrated Permanent Site Construction Project Design Bid Section II
Project Name: Design for the Integrated Permanent Site Construction of the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation & Shenzhen Bay Laboratory (Bid Section II)
Project Location: Northeastern sector of the Science and Education Integration Cluster in Guangming Science City; situated at the northeastern gateway of Shenzhen, adjacent to Sun Yat-sen University (Shenzhen Campus) and Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology.
Project Location: Northeastern sector of the Science and Education Integration Cluster in Guangming Science City; at the northeastern gateway of Shenzhen; adjacent to Sun Yat-sen University (Shenzhen Campus) and Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology
Pre-registration Deadline: June 4, 2023, 17:00 (Beijing Time)
Pre-registration Deadline: 17:00, June 4, 2023

“The golden rule of our times is to adapt; one shouldn't fight against reality,” said Mathias Goeritz. More than sixty years later, TIEMPO CERO arrives at the Museo Experimental El Eco to prompt a reflection on the Anthropocene and tangential resistance. Based on Gabriela Carrillo’s curatorial proposal, the pavilion's open call targeted urgent futures in the face of time and the environmental crisis, alongside a playful dimension to reflect on “how we spend time” or “how time passes.”

December 2019 marked the first COVID-19 case. By December 2022, the era of strict "Class A control for Category B infectious diseases" officially drew to a close.

Over the past year, stripping away our professional titles, we were simply individuals in endless PCR testing lines, participants in digital group-buying threads, and residents confined behind barricades and seals. We endured scorching heatwaves, grappled with political depression and existential dread, relied on ibuprofen to get by, and ultimately stood as witnesses to a turbulent, fast-shifting chapter of history.

In the world of architecture, this past year was defined by adversity: a generation of pioneering elders passed away during the harsh winter; outstanding design fees went uncollected; architects faced widespread unemployment; firms went bankrupt and dissolved; and university architecture programs struggled to fill their enrollment quotas. Day after day, we oscillated between burning out and checking out, caught in a perpetual cycle of anxiety.

Though some wounds remain unhealed, no one ever promised us an easy era. At this chaotic threshold, all we can do is persist in doing what we believe is right. Every architect is striving to address the challenges of our time through design—pioneering more open spatial concepts, mitigating climate change through sustainable architecture, and leveraging professional expertise to instill spaces with a sense of hope.

Over the past year, ArchDaily has published 4,669 built projects, 2,160 thematic articles, 323 competition announcements, and 258 exhibition listings. Focusing on platform expansion and fresh content, we also embarked on a series of historic firsts:

Thus, ArchDaily’s keywords for 2023 are: Embarking on a Grand Journey, Scaling New Heights

We aim to foster more dialogue, gathering the insights and collective strength of global designers to make our voices heard!

01 Designing Better Architecture, Telling the Stories Behind the Scenes

For too long, the focus has lingered solely on the spectacular “moments” of completed buildings, overlooking the countless days and nights poured into them by architects, contractors, and material suppliers. From the initial conceptual sketches to the final working drawings, and from selecting the perfect materials to the meticulous coordination on-site to ensure flawless execution—ArchDaily takes you behind the scenes of today's most successful architectural projects.

The Story Behind Ascent, the World's Tallest Mass Timber Building
Who Does Architecture Serve Today?
What Defines a Children’s Museum?
Challenging the Impossible: How Architectural Design Drives Technological Innovation
Foster + Partners on DJI Sky City: 8 High-Tech Metrics Revealing the Construction Process
The World's Largest Hybrid Timber Structure: Construction Report on the Swatch & Omega Campus
Step Inside the 'Golden Leaf' Hall with Sou Fujimoto | ArchDaily on the Road
More is More: When the Barcelona Pavilion Meets Timber
More Than Just Tallest Skyscrapers: Dubai's Ultimate Construction Museum

02 Solving Design Challenges

As a responsible design medium, we strive to be more than a mere showcase of projects. Through deliberate curation and thoughtful editorial planning, we voice our stance, prompting architects, industry practitioners, and society at large to reflect on systemic challenges in order to foster a healthier, more progressive industry.

What Challenges is Architectural Design Facing Today?
What Defines Good Interior Design?
In the Era of Urban Regeneration, How Do Pritzker Laureates Respond?
What are the Criteria for Architectural Awards?
22 Projects, 11 Interior Design Styles
Stop Demolition, Start Deconstruction
The Past and Future of Floating Cities
The First 'Disrupt' Architecture Business Symposium: A Gathering of Industry Giants
Winners Announced: 2022 ArchDaily Best New Practices
Best Architectural Collaborations of 2021
What is the Real Purpose of Architectural Biennials?
How Can Educational Spaces Express Equality?
How to Design Gender-Neutral Restrooms

03 Crafting a Better Living Environment

As the world adapts to living alongside COVID-19 and combating urban heatwaves, our dwelling patterns are undergoing a profound evolution. Today's homes must seamlessly balance living, working, and leisure. Consequently, designing greener, healthier, and more human-centric residences and lifestyles remains our enduring focus.

How to Cool Down Our Cities?
Chinese Housing and Lifestyles
Is Modularity the Future of Healthcare? OMA Reveals 'Al Daayan' in Qatar
Living on High: Why Are We Drawn to Altitudes and Rooftops?
Has the Garden Become a Privilege?
How to Design Housing on Complex, Constrained Urban Lots?
Can Everyday Workers Enjoy Green Spaces?
Working from Home: How to Design Transition Spaces?
9 Strategies for Healthier Living in Buildings and Cities
How to Design a Sustainable Home Life
Toward Green Capitalism
How Are World Cup Stadiums Cooled?
Can 3D Printing Reshape the Residential Construction Market?
How Real Estate Giants Shape the Development of New York City
Is Co-Living the Future of Real Estate?
What is the Future of the House?

Much has been said about the dangers that humanity as a whole will face from the effects of the climate crisis. More intense floods, prolonged droughts, hotter summers, and freezing winters are some of the immediate consequences we can already feel.

The cause of these local disasters is a global and historical problem: the growing and systematic emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from anthropogenic activities since the Industrial Revolution. These gases intensify our atmosphere's greenhouse effect, a natural phenomenon that sustains life on the planet. This heightened greenhouse effect disrupts natural cycles, now putting at risk not only our future, but our present as well.

Review the best of architecture from the past week according to our readers and editors, featuring this selection of the most read articles, most visited projects, and most popular products on ArchDaily Brasil.

To make sure you don't miss the best of each week, subscribe to our weekly newsletter and receive these and other updates on architecture, cities, and the built environment directly in your inbox.

+ 3

+ 21

FTA Group (FTA Group GmbH) entered China in 2003, with its headquarters in Shanghai. FTA focuses on the design of offices and industrial innovation districts. Advocating for integrated services that span consulting, master planning, architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture, FTA is committed to integrating global resources, technologies, and teams to build impactful industrial communities and innovation hubs. Having designed over 1,000 office and innovation park projects, FTA has developed specialized product lines tailored to various industrial sectors, such as biopharmaceuticals, the digital economy, information technology, and artificial intelligence—with biopharmaceutical industrial parks standing out as one of its most representative sectors.

In this episode of Arquicast, a conversation with architects Liz Valente and Larissa Fioravante revisits the topic of work environments in architecture, bringing a new perspective to some of the discussions addressed in episode 214. The momentum for this "part 2" came from provocative comments from the audience, which prompted a deeper and more diverse reflection on the daily life of the profession. The participants shared their personal career paths, shaped by internships, experience in offices, the classroom, and even personal ventures.

Bike lanes, with their distinct paths and dedicated signage, have increasingly shaped the urban landscape of many cities around the world. Their impacts range from reducing vehicular traffic to promoting healthier and more sustainable lifestyles. Episode 212 of Arquicast addresses this crucial topic, featuring architect and transportation engineering expert Janaína Amorim, a partner at Metrics Mobilidade. The discussion explored global best practices, design and architectural trends, and the impact of bicycle infrastructure on public health.

No País dos Arquitectos is a podcast created by Sara Nunes, who is also responsible for the architectural film production company Building Pictures. The podcast aims to profile the professionals, projects, and stories behind Portugal's leading contemporary architecture. With just over 10 million inhabitants, Portugal is a highly compelling country regarding this professional field, and its architectural output punches far above its population or territorial scale.

In this episode of the fourth season, Sara talks with Tomás Salgado, from the office Risco, about the Cidade do Futebol, a facility for the Portuguese Football Federation. Listen to the conversation and read part of the interview below.

+ 5

Cities are constantly evolving, and technological innovations play a significant role in this process. So-called "smart cities" have been a major topic of discussion in recent years, but what does this actually mean? How can technology contribute to better urban management? And how can we ensure that these new possibilities do not further deepen social inequalities? 

With an academic background in biological sciences, psychology, environmental engineering, and energy management, Salvador Rueda speaks with ArchDaily in Costa Rica about sustainable mobility, urban planning, and the implementation of superblocks in Barcelona.

In November 2022, the María Luisa Dehesa Gallery of the Faculty of Architecture at UNAM hosted the first exhibition compiling twenty years of the Mexican Architects Archive, showcasing a variety of documents and objects preserved under its care. The AAM was founded in January 2002, and since its inception, it has become one of the most important archives in the country, thanks to donations by the families of some of the Modern Movement's most influential architects in Mexico.

Sérgio Ferro is a Brazilian architect, artist, historian, and architectural critic who, due to his political activism during the military dictatorship, was imprisoned and exiled to France in the 1970s. Throughout his career, he has observed and intervened in the production spaces of civil construction, developing a critique of the production of plastic arts and architecture based on the construction process and its agents: the construction site, technologies, materials, and the builder.

In a historical context dominated by Eurocentric and male references, Ferro, along with architects Rodrigo Lefèvre and Flávio Império, formed Arquitetura Nova, a group that proposed debates centered on architectural production, the social role of the architect, and the relations of production on the construction site, challenging hegemonic thinking and practices, whether in design practice or academia. Following his exile, unable to practice as an architect, he dedicated himself to teaching at the École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Grenoble. 

The history of light has undergone various transformations over the centuries; its intrinsic relationship with architecture itself has sparked expressions and critiques that, beyond serving as a tool to illuminate the inhabited world, directly influence how we perceive it and how the built environment is produced. Every lighting project is directly tied to its own understanding of quality, class, interpretation, intention, and meaning. 

Set in Recife, specifically along Boa Viagem beach, Aquarius (2016) portrays a conflict experienced in many cities worldwide. Unfolding in parts, the film draws a parallel between the protagonist's personal struggles and her fight against a real estate developer seeking to acquire her apartment to make way for a new development.

In this episode, Arquicast talks with the jury of the 9th Tomie Ohtake Akzonobel Architecture Prize about the behind-the-scenes of this prominent national award and the criteria used to select the projects. The conversation also explores the profile of each jury member, highlighting how their individual perspectives shaped the identity of this year's edition.

Agencia Social de Paisaje is a Mexico City-based practice driven by the conviction that landscape is a vital tool for designing new horizons. Drawing on logical and natural systems, they create coherent, functional, and holistic environments that foster a deep connection to place and its inhabitants. They are part of ArchDaily's Best New Practices of 2023.

In the world of architecture, there is much more than drawing plans and constructing buildings. Architecture school offers a comprehensive education that goes beyond the specific technical skills of the profession. In this episode, we explore some of the valuable skills that architecture students learn throughout their academic journey — presented in the article 13 Non-Architecture Skills You Learn in Architecture School — and how these skills can be applied to various areas of life.

In this interview episode, Arquicast sits down with the founder of Sotero Arquitetos, architect Adriano Mascarenhas. A graduate of the Federal University of Bahia, his work spans a highly diverse range of scales and programs.

+ 1

Arquicast sits down with Gustavo Utrabo, a Brazilian architect whose work stands out for its capacity for continuous experimentation and research. Having graduated in Paraná, his career includes academic and professional experiences at Harvard, MIT, Hong Kong, and Escola da Cidade. The episode covers his communication experience on the "Entre Mundos" podcast, the initial challenges of establishing an independent practice, the dynamics and structure of his current office, and notable projects like the Canuanã Children's Village. It also explores his vision for the future of the profession and a discussion on the role of social media.

The topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become ubiquitous across the news, spanning both entertainment and the workplace. This phenomenon also extends to the fields of architecture and urbanism. The emergence of ChatGPT highlighted the transformative potential of this technology, especially regarding language, raising concerns about its potential impact on how we work today.