Creating a model for rendering does have its own set of rules. To get you up and rendering as quickly as possible, here are SketchUp's top five tips for prepping your SketchUp model for rendering.

Verticality in architecture conveys aesthetic, symbolic and cultural meanings, representing concepts such as elegance, sophistication, modernity, progress and technological advancement. In religious buildings, for example, it symbolizes greatness and a connection with the divine. These strategies are very common in Gothic architecture, as well as Art déco buildings or even the skyscrapers of Mies van der Rohe. But these elements need not be restricted to grandiose constructions. Even in single-family homes, working with elements that refer to verticality can be just as useful, playing with volumes and facades or working with openings, such as windows and doors.

For the 18th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, The Albanian Pavilion set out to respond to the theme “The Laboratory of the Future” with the exhibition “Untimely Meditations or: How We Learn to Live in Synthesized Realities.” The project seeks to introduce and understand new typologies of civic spaces by repurposing the rendering engine as a mechanism for exploration. The curatorial team is composed of architects Martin Gjoleka, and Era Merkuri, exhibiting together with architect Ani Marku and 3D digital artist Geraldo Prendushi.

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The Federal Aviation Administration has chosen the New York-based Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) studio to design the country's newest air traffic control towers. I.M. Pei's iconic mid-century towers will be replaced by PAU's adaptable and highly sustainable prototype, which offers a unique architectural solution that combines form and function for the twenty-first century. The new towers are vital to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's goal to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. aviation sector by 2050. They have been updated to reflect aviation technology, safety development, and changing environmental and climatic conditions.

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The use of light in religious constructions as an element of association with the divine has been present throughout the history of humanity. Historically, a series of temples from various religions have used this technique as an attempt to visually and perceptibly approach humans to a sacred and intangible dimension. Light is often given a spiritual connotation and significant symbolic force, capable of modifying people's relationships, perceptions, and experiences with their surroundings. Thus, it is an element that has been, and still is, used by architecture to create scenarios and effects in many religious spaces, especially churches.

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In the world of contemporary architecture and design trends, the topic of biophilia is ruthlessly spreading itself across floor plans, mood boards, and finished interiors like butter on hot toast. So talk of outdoor spaces with natural materials, fresh air, natural light, and expansive views may seem like a broken record, but sometimes you just want to keep on pressing repeat. Also like butter on hot toast, you can never have too much of a good thing.

These outdoor bathroom spaces open themselves up, both figuratively and literally, to outdoor environments in a variety of worldwide climates, without forgetting their main purpose: to provide a sanctuary of comfortable calm, in a stressful world.

“Can you help me design my residential tower? It's 30 stories and located in Brooklyn, New York.” ChatGPT’s response may be surprising. Given that the bot has no architectural experience, and is certainly not a licensed architect, it was quick to rattle off a list of considerations for my building. Zoning codes, floor plan functionality, building codes, materiality, structural design, amenity spaces, and sustainable measures were just a few of the topics ChatGPT shared information about.

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Visualization and technology have long gone hand in hand. It is, after all, a means of representing architecture that has relied on technological developments to keep up with the demands of a growing audience across multiple industries. But the fact that the two are inseparable does not mean that technology should dictate the way in which visualization is used. As technology advances, so too does its ability to become less obtrusive, allowing technological know-how to take a back seat in favor of the creative process and design exploration.

The new version of Lumion has entered into a visualization landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. The pursuit of photorealism that dominated much of visualization’s technological development has, for the vast majority of its users, been largely accomplished. Effective visualization is now no longer an exception to the norm, but increasingly an expectation. As Remko Jacobs, Lumion Founder and Chief Technical Officer, explains, “photorealism is there, particularly when it comes to imaging the exterior of buildings. It’s much easier to make something that looks good.”

National Museums Liverpool (NML) has revealed a revised version of the redevelopment of the city’s waterfront, led by architect Asif Khan and artist Theaster Gates. The plans include the redesign of the public spaces at Canning Dock, a historical area central to the Liverpool docks. As part of the Waterfront Transformation Project, the interventions aim to create accessible public spaces to better serve the community and to create a link between the surrounding museums. The preliminary proposal is now open for public consultation.

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Playful cities promote play, leisure, and creativity in their public spaces and architecture. It offers opportunities for gatherings that help develop communities socially and culturally, improving the quality of life and providing essential elements for healthier and more balanced habits. They directly influence citizens' cognitive and emotional development by stimulating creativity and imagination through spaces designed for fun.

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Milan Design Week is an annual festival that returned to Milan this April, with as a main event, The Salone del Mobile, which runs from April 18 to 23, 2023, at the Fiera Milano exhibition venue. Over 370,000 people attended the furniture fair this year, while thousands of design studios presented furniture, lighting, appliances, kitchen, bathroom, outdoor and workstation products. To highlight furniture and object design and the broader context of Milanese architecture and culture, many architectural offices collaborated with various businesses to make architect-designed items and construct architectural installations.

Reputable architects participated in the week-long event as they do every year, using products, furniture, and installations to share their expertise, address some of the most pressing issues facing the field, and demonstrate how their work can benefit the environment and society. Many firmly established architecture studios, from Foster + Partners, Mario Cucinella, and Hassell, designed various products. Furthermore, architects such as The New Raw, Snøhetta, and Studio Etienne Bastormagi have designed products focusing on efficient and sustainable systems that can inform future decision-making.

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Architecture has the power to transform cities. Whether through the innovative use of materials, collaboration with other architecture firms to realize neighborhood master plans, or transforming public transportation for an entire population, design can significantly influence and impact how we interact with the places we live. In an exclusive interview with ArchDaily, Alan Pullman of Studio One Eleven talks about his firm’s vision for the future of Los Angeles and its approach to architecture and urban planning.

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Commerce is a human activity practiced by societies since the beginning of evolution. Exchanges were made between products negotiated by entire communities at first. They began to be based on a common currency and practiced individually over time, from family to family. In one way or another, this activity is a characteristic of civilization and even influences our territorial organization. Historically practiced in outdoor spaces, commercial activity defined many spatial configurations.

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The winners of the German Design Awards 2023 approach design in ways that are both clever and sustainable, with a focus on ground-breaking product solutions and visionary ideas. The cradle-to-cradle principle, modular construction methods, sustainable use of materials and energy efficiency have long been mainstays in manufacturing and the construction process. But real estate branding is also increasingly coming into focus and becoming an important instrument in architectural communication and marketing.

Of the 4,200 submissions that the German Design Awards 2023 received, 98 projects in total were honored with the highest ‘Gold’ distinction. The German Design Awards are one of the most well-recognized international design awards, distinguished by its diversity and the quality of the projects. The awards are given to companies whose products stand out in the categories of ‘Excellent Product Design’, ‘Excellent Communications Design’, and ‘Excellent Architecture’. In the three different design disciplines, this year’s winners include companies such as Duravit, Mono and WMF, as well as the architecture firm MVRDV and start-ups such as nevi and X Shore AB.

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Peter Pichler Architecture has been invited to participate in a private competition for the design of a set of Ski Facilities in Ponte di Legno, Italy. The project includes the addition of three new cableway lines for the ski resort, each marked by an architectural intervention designed to provide shelter and dining options. The buildings also include exhibition spaces dedicated to the preservation of the cultural, natural, and historical heritage of the site.

The National Pavilion of Serbia, curated by Iva Njunjić and Tihomir Dičić, has just announced its exhibition at the 2023 Venice Biennale, which explores architecture's futures, presents, and pasts through the lens of an international Trade Fair in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1977. The trade fair was a product of non-aligned cooperation between Yugoslavia and Nigeria.

March 9 marks the birthday of one of the most important Mexican architects worldwide. A pioneer of the Modern Movement in Mexico whose work has transcended geographical limits to be studied by different generations of architects who have rewritten his teaching to make it their own. Every year, this date represents the perfect excuse to rethink Barragan's legacy to architecture not only in Mexico but also in the world, and different projects have been carried out with this intention, awakening the interest of new generations. However, until a few years ago, the record of the architect's work was not very accessible since more than 50% of the projects he built remained anonymous due to the lack of a proper archive of his work.