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The A' Design Awards - the world's leading annual international juried design competition - were established to promote and recognize the best design work in all countries and in all creative disciplines. The Award has 100 main categories, including Architecture, Building and Structure Design, Interior Space and Exhibition Design, and Furniture Design, in addition to others related to the world of Lighting, Landscape, Building Materials, and some "Super Categories" such as Good Industrial Design, Good Architectural Design, and more. Next year's edition is now open for entries; designers can register their submissions here.

When building near the sea, a project’s design strategy must pay special attention to the effects of marine corrosion. The salt content in the environment provokes a chemical and physical process which incites a material breakdown or degradation, compromising the durability of the building’s infrastructure. 

As a response to the demands for ocean-side buildings, and the corresponding façade components that go along with them, air-lux has developed a system that aims to perform reliably in maritime conditions. By virtue of its corrosion-resistant materials, improved surface coatings, and technically optimized components, the system withstands marine climates and minimizes salt water damage.

Although we usually think of climate change as something that should be addressed by research institutes, governments or official reports, private companies also play a key role in affecting change, as they are on the front lines of production and innovation. This is especially true in the field of construction, as it is an industry that moves a significant amount of resources and people, but also exerts a huge impact on the environment. Unfortunately, not all companies take on this challenge, although this is slowly changing and can be seen in a number of successful examples. One of these is the case of Rieder, which embarked on a journey to become “Climate Positive” by 2030 and, more notably, set the example when building its new headquarters.

Much more than a merely utilitarian and functional space, the bathroom can be a relaxing place of privacy, solitude and self-care. It can be approached as an oasis of tranquility within one's home, a space to create bold combinations and highlight originality, or even as a room to surprise visitors and escape the usual designs, with different textures, colors and accessories. To achieve the desired effect of each project, specifying the most appropriate parts for each bathroom accessory is essential, which includes toilets, storage devices, walls and fittings such as taps and showers.

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If you're looking to take your SketchUp skills to the next level, learning how to render animations can be a great way to showcase your designs. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to create a professional animation using SketchUp and the photorealistic rendering plugin V-Ray. Our first step will be to create a simple camera animation and then animate the sunlight changing throughout the day. After that, we'll animate the clouds to make a time-lapse sky and learn how to share our final rendered clips with others.

Square shapes convey a sense of reliability and safety, while triangles represent stability, balance and movement. Circular forms, in turn, tend to be more "friendly", as they encompass all other shapes. This is known as the psychology of shapes, a science that studies the influence of shapes on people and their meaning and effects on our minds. In fact, geometric shapes are almost naturally familiar to us, even if we have no formal studies or mathematical references specific to them, as this study showed. In architecture, basic geometric shapes are also widely explored through playing with volumes, subtractions and intersections in floorplans and façades. The shapes may also appear in their truest forms, in interior elements and accessories. This is the case of AXOR Universal Accessories, which comprises three product lines, each representing a basic shape: rectangular, round and with rounded corners, reinterpreted into bathroom accessory products.

The role of a building’s entrance area is critical in a world where first impressions are everything. It anticipates what is to come, marks the starting point to an architectural journey and sets the tone for the rest of the interior. As a practical “passageway” between different places, an entrance connects and unites, but at the same time separates, protects and provides safety for both homeowners and visitors. Thus, every aspect conveys specific formal features to serve that purpose; from the position of the door, to the shape of the threshold, to the structure of the ceiling.

Construction practices across the world, as well as the types and uses of building materials, have been identified as key factors that impact global warming. Studies have shown that the building sector will play a central role in achieving the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) CO2 emissions reduction targets for 2030 and net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.

The construction sector's support for the achievement of these targets must focus on sustainable construction, which entails environmentally-friendly structures that consume less energy and have smaller or even net zero carbon footprints.

Green buildings are structures that, in their design, construction or operation, reduce or eliminate negative impacts on our climate and natural environment. They preserve precious natural resources and improve quality of life.

How does school design influence the process of teaching and learning? Understanding current educational design trends and methodologies is key to designing healthy spaces for students to develop their social and academic capacities.

If we look at the evolution of school design through time, we can see that each period has its own challenges and preferences. Today's main challenge in school design is to create spaces that can integrate open learning environments that incorporate diversity of learning spaces, social interaction and sustainability.

The architecture industry seems to constantly be on the lookout for new materials and methodologies that better incorporate sustainability. One material which has stood the test of time, while also finding space for innovation, is wood. In this context, British Columbia (Canada) stands out as one of the world's largest exporters of wood products, and has successfully applied a number of strategies to maximize its use in sustainable design. One notable example, which will be explored in this article, is the use of wood in schools.

The mystery of color intrigues us from a young age. Mixing paints to make new hues or watching sunbeams and crystals create rainbows becomes a fascinating part of our childhood long before we ever hear of chemistry and optics. As we grow, color continues to play a major role in how we experience the world, impacting mood, emotions, productivity and behavior. This explains why humans are naturally drawn to certain hues; it is hard-wired into their brains. There is a common perception, for example, that red, orange and yellow palettes create a feeling of warmth and cheerfulness, while browns, grays and blacks evoke sadness and melancholy. Of course, the same applies to design and the built environment, as together with texture, light and shadow, the spaces around us are defined by tones and nuances that shape what we see and how we feel. Hence, color ultimately transforms the way we perceive, feel and live architecture.

Windows are usually one of the most striking elements on a building and can be completely transformed depending on how they are detailed and installed. However, with the increased consciousness on thermal insulation, the detailing of windows and their installation has become progressively more complicated. 

Below we will explore a typical masonry cavity wall, the different elements required to install a modern window and how these all come together on site. 

Don't miss out on the opportunity to download the comprehensive Window Detailing Guide PDF complete with full CAD details from the Detail Library.

Bob Dylan's “Knockin' on Heaven's Door” is about arriving to heaven, but it also speaks of the element of the door, which allows one to enter paradise (or not). There is a lot of symbolism related to this constructive component, such as opening, limits, transitions and transformations. Doors have been around since the time of the Egyptian tombs and we can hardly think of architecture without them. While doors play a prominent role and have an unquestionable function, they can also be seen as visual obstructions in certain interior projects, which can be at odds in some spaces, without really fitting in aesthetically.

Site analysis is a crucial first step in creating a viable building design. Considering site location, topography, zoning regulations, traffic conditions, and climate allows a designer to maximize opportunities and anticipate potential issues. The following four factors are crucial in getting the most value out of site analysis.

Looking around, it is clear that the world is developing at a rapid rate, and so are cities. Architects and designers inevitably take on the challenge of building better cities and homes, so time needs to be properly allocated for efficiency. After all, in this industry, time really is money.

For years architects have been accustomed to working in a conventional way: they stick with traditional offline renderers and wait until the modeling part is all done to start rendering from scratch. 

This is where software like D5 Render comes in, to resolve such problems and change the game. The market is growing and shifting, and so should the tools architects use.

Wooden elements have the power to add warmth to a space or building. Through their shades, textures and rustic look, wooden surfaces tend to stand out, especially when used alongside more neutral and sober materials. In the Aldapeta María Ikastetxea School, a project developed by IDOM in the city of San Sebastian, Spain, the architects used the material in a particularly interesting way. Wood panels brought visual comfort and warmth to the building, whose material palette is limited, focusing especially on the use of glass, steel and exposed concrete.

Interior courtyards can be found in various types of traditional architectures around the world, especially in warmer climates. They can be classified as introverted, safe, and even sacred spaces in some cultures. They can also be gathering places and, above all, provide greater contact with nature while providing light and ventilation to home interiors. To properly design these spaces and create a functional relationship between the inside of a house and its courtyard, it is important to use appropriate doors and openings. In this article we highlight 5 projects that use sliding glass doors for the seamless integration of both spaces.

From undulating forms to breathable qualities and sustainable fabrication, the future of façade design is an ever-evolving topic in architecture. designboom and ArchDaily team up with Corian® Design for a webinar to discuss new possibilities of exterior cladding. Experts at leading architecture practices, including Zaha Hadid Architects, M3 Architectes and STARH, join this call on an exclusive yet free webinar - register here.

Hearing – one of the human body’s five senses – enables our interaction with sound, a crucial factor for daily communication and much more. One commonly hears people say a place is noisy, but what exactly is the definition of noisy? Known as situations with unwanted sounds that interfere with daily activities, noisy places also have the potential to negatively interfere in society’s development.

Sound is measured in decibels (dB), and humans are able to resist a maximum average noise level of 85 dB without risking hearing damage. While a conversation usually ranges between 60 and 70 dB, according to the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, workers at a construction site are exposed to an average of 90 dB during eight-hour periods.

Acoustical Surfaces, a company specializing in noise control, has developed a product guide for minimizing the transmission of sound, thus promoting healthier lifestyles.