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.

+ 12

On October 5, Design House opened in Mexico City. As in previous years, the event showcases a series of installations integrating disciplines like design, architecture, and interior design. For nine years, across various venues, it has presented cutting-edge proposals from more than one hundred participating firms in collaboration with the showrooms of the Design Route, which provide the furniture and accessories that make up each space.

The Government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires has submitted a bill to the Legislature to create the Sustainable Urban Development Fund (FoDUS), aiming to carry out plans, programs, and projects designed to incentivize urban development in several of the city's neighborhoods through public, private, or mixed initiatives.

On December 13, the groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) building, one of the first projects to kick off the transformation of the hospital campus into a new "research city" concept, designed by architecture firms BAAS Arquitectura and Espinet / Ubach.

+ 26

Elevating a building off the ground using pilotis frees up the ground floor for pedestrian circulation. This solution, identified by Le Corbusier as one of the five points of modern architecture, creates an open area that fosters a stronger connection between the public space of the street and the private space of the building. Today, contemporary projects adopt various strategies to design active ground floors that engage with the city and generously share their plots with the public.

The Rafael Manzano Prize for New Traditional Architecture aims to promote the value of traditional architecture as a proven reference for contemporary architecture in Spain and Portugal. It seeks to do so both in the restoration of historical and artistic monuments and urban ensembles, and in the construction of new buildings that, based on local traditions, integrate harmoniously into these contexts.

According to the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB), the construction industry is the largest consumer of natural resources. To minimize environmental impacts, the concept of sustainable construction has emerged, employing techniques that ensure greater efficiency and responsibility from the beginning to the end of a project.

The first consideration is the layout of the rooms, as each space has an ideal location based on the local climate. “The layout of rooms in a residence can establish baseline conditions for comfort or discomfort. It is the role of the architectural design, through the organization of the floor plan, to ensure the appropriate level of sunlight and natural ventilation for each space,” states the free sustainable renovation guide published by the Ministry of the Environment.

The National Cultural Heritage Service (SERPAT), with technical advisory from the Ministry of Public Works' Directorate of Architecture and sponsorship from the Chilean Association of Architects and the Association of Architecture Offices (AOA), launched the Los Ríos Regional Infrastructure Design Competition for the Library, Archives, and Collections Repository. The initiative aimed to select the best design proposal to deliver a distinctive and iconic public building for the region while fostering discussion on contemporary local architecture.

São Paulo-based firm Hiperstudio has been named the winner of the national competition to redevelop Senac Belo Horizonte, organized by the Institute of Architects of Brazil. With a proposal that emphasizes the spatial quality of the ground floor, characterized by the presence of pilotis, the studio convinced the jury, which was looking for projects capable of "dialoguing with the historical and cultural contexts in which the unit is inserted, while respecting the urban and architectural configuration of Belo Horizonte's downtown area."

+ 16

The latest data from SICCAU reinforces the importance of architects and urban planners during times of crisis and necessity. With the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainty and business restrictions caused demand for projects and construction to drop drastically in the first months of last year. However, after this initial shock, the architecture and urban planning market showed a strong recovery. In the final three months of 2020, the number of activities registered by architects and urban planners grew by 12% compared to the same period in 2019. 

The Council of Architecture and Urbanism of Rio de Janeiro (CAU/RJ) is conducting an unprecedented study to profile architects and urban planners working in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The survey primarily aims to gather data on professionals working outside the capital and those employed in the public sector. The initiative also seeks to gather input for the council's strategic planning for the 2021–2023 triennium.

The National University of Rosario, one of the most prestigious universities in Argentina, will award an honorary doctorate (Doctor Honoris Causa) to Spanish architect Alberto Campo Baeza on June 24, 2021, during a public online ceremony.

Fundación Mi Parque in collaboration with Transelec, has developed a manual focusing on the technical and landscaping aspects of pruning urban trees near power transmission lines. This task is identified as an opportunity to move toward building an integrated and sustainable city image.

The Albeida Tourism Complex, designed by architects Alfonso Salgado Suárez and Francisco Liñares Túñez, and the new Spatial Planning Guidelines of the Basque Country are the winning projects of the latest edition of the 2020 Architecture and Urbanism Awards, presented by the Superior Council of Colleges of Architects of Spain (CSCAE).

Under the agreement between the Government of San Juan and the province's Association of Architects, a preliminary design competition was held for the construction of a new police headquarters. The winning project, designed by ABCH Arquitectura, proposes an urban piece that fosters a relationship between society and the police department as an institution.

Eleven projects were submitted to the competition, evaluated by a jury consisting of an architect from the State Secretariat for Security and Public Order, two architects from the Ministry of Public Works and Services, an architect representing the College of Jurors for FADEA, an architect from the Argentine Federation of Architects' Associations, an architect chosen by the participants, and a representative from the San Juan Provincial Police.

International architecture studio Mestres Wåge has been selected to design Barcelona's future educational and technological hub for the maritime sector. The project, presented last April, stood out for its relationship with the surroundings, its permeability, its integration of public space, and its coherent functional layout.

+ 5

The Federal Government and the Association of Engineers and Architects of Mexico will award the 2020 National Architecture Award to Guadalajara-born architect Fray Gabriel Chávez de la Mora, who at 91 has stood out for his 175 projects over a 65-year career.

+ 8

The results of the ideas competition to rehabilitate the Raixa estate in Mallorca, Spain, have been announced. Organized by the Department of Sustainability and Environment of the Consell de Mallorca with the collaboration of the Official Association of Architects of the Balearic Islands, the call invited participants to design architectural proposals to rehabilitate the existing building complex (a traditional estate of Moorish origin and high heritage value located at the foot of the Sierra de Tramontana) and transform it into an agroforestry training school (Margers) and a mountain shelter that highlights the Dry Stone Route (which begins in Valldemossa, passes through Raixa, and reaches Bunyola, Orient, and Alaró).

The Nemesio Antúnez Commission in partnership with the Architecture Directorate and the General Directorate of Concessions of the Ministry of Public Works (MOP), held two open calls for national artists and architects to create public art pieces for the "Boulevard Poniente" and "Boulevard Oriente" at the New Arturo Merino Benítez Airport in Santiago, Chile.

Pilar Mackenna, Domingo Arancibia, and Gonzalo Peña have been named the winners for the east sector with their work "Sonitus," a steel volume designed to become a temple of sound. Read on to learn more about the project below.

The 2021 National Competition for Undergraduate Projects (CNPP) and National Competition for Thesis Projects (CNPT) by Arquitectura Caliente are open competitions that seek to recognize and reward the best student projects in Chile. In this latest edition, a total of 371 registered projects were submitted, representing 29 schools across the country and 10 different cities.

Planting trees is one of the simplest and most effective ways to combat climate change, and many companies use tree planting to offset carbon emissions. However, when taking this approach, it is essential to ensure that the trees planted will effectively store sufficient amounts of carbon.

Planting location is a key factor. Trees must be planted where they can live for decades and properly absorb carbon from the air.

The 8th edition of the Arquiteturas Film Festival explored the theme Bodies Out of Space through an exploration of the social construction of space, connected by a thread running through its own narratives of domination. These are also narratives of identity, which is often stripped away or forced to represent our bodies.

Videos

The Guatemala Architecture Biennale 2021 begins today, serving as a platform that will bring together the region's most prominent professionals from November 16 to 18 at the Miguel Ángel Asturias Cultural Center through symposiums, lectures, and exhibitions.

+ 8

In July 2020, an ideas competition was held for the design and creation of a Metropolitan Forest in Madrid, Spain. Organized by the Madrid City Council, whose urban planning policy aims for green transformation, the project envisions a global forest belt that seeks geographical continuity by linking established areas with others showing high potential for development.

CAU/RJ has extended the registration deadline for the CAU+Mulheres Awards. Female architects and urban planners now have until November 26 to submit their projects.

Now in its second edition, the CAU+Mulheres Award is one of the Council's initiatives to promote dialogue and increase the visibility of female architects and urban planners across their various fields of work. The award features five categories: Architectural Design; Interior Design; Urban Design; Architectural Design for Emergency Situations; and Theoretical Studies (theses, dissertations, books, and publications).