Can tablets help architects better conceive and execute their designs? If you’re skeptical, you’re not alone. To a certain extent, architects are still unsure if meaningful work can be created on an iPad. As the novel of virtual reality wears off, it’s worth asking if portable augmented reality is the push forward that will combine the best of traditional and digital architectural technology. So beyond their utility as lightweight, untethered screens, what can tablets offer the professional architect?

Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas will give the final keynote lecture today at the World Architecture Festival. ArchDaily will be streaming this keynote from our Facebook page.

Make sure to tune in to our Facebook live streams of today’s selection of lectures. We’ll also be streaming the winners at 19:15 CET. To see the previous day’s streams, click here.

Slum. Shanty Town. Favela. Ghetto. Barrio Marginal. Bidonville. The list goes on. 

We have the foresight to understand and predict that demand for shelter in urban environments will continue to expand, perhaps indefinitely, but certainly until the highly-cited prediction that by 2050, more than two-thirds of the global population will live in cities. With this reality, is it time to reassess the way in which we talk about different forms of urbanization?

Researchers, academics and those with tireless curiosity will know the thrill of chasing down the details of something mysterious or unexplained. In this tweet thread from 2017, Paul Cooper noticed a difference in a nearly 100-year-old photo that led him to uncover the real story behind a strange "appendage" on the top of the Temple of Athenian Zeus. What follows is the Twitter equivalent of an architectural thriller. What is it? Why were depictions of the temple altered? Mr. Cooper takes us on a rollercoaster 18-tweet journey that uncovers the mystery.

Next month, American architect Denise Scott Brown will receive the 2018 Soane Medal, an award given to "architects who have made a major contribution to their field, through their built work, through education, history and theory." A powerhouse jury that included Sir David Chipperfield, Paul Goldberger, Farshid Moussavi, Alice Rawsthorn, Oliver Wainwright selected Scott Brown for the second edition of the award. The 2017 Soane Medal was given to Rafael Moneo.

Sir David Chipperfield, Trustee of Sir John Soane’s Museum, said: ‘The jury considered many outstanding candidates; however Denise Scott Brown stood apart and was the jury’s unanimous choice. Scott Brown’s contribution across architecture, urbanism, theory and education over the last fifty years has been profound and far-reaching. Her example has been an inspiration to many, and we are delighted to honour her with the awarding of the Soane Medal.’

Architects are called upon to build society’s greatest structures. We marvel at the museums, performing arts centers and spaces of worship that dot the globe and represent the peculiarities of the world’s many cultures. Yet, at the core of the roles and responsibilities of the architect lies a calling for a far more elemental human need: shelter.

This doesn’t imply that architects are always involved in the creation of all the forms that shelter takes. However, a deep understanding of how people dwell provides an appreciation of the diversity, resilience, alacrity of the human race. The Human Shelter, a documentary about what people value or “need” in their lives, ties into a fundamental quality that any architect would be foolish not to cultivate: the ability to listen and perceive what makes people feel at home.

What does it mean to be a true architecture lover today? It's probably not too far off to conclude that taking pristine, Instagram-optimized photos ranks high in the assessment. With this in mind, the Fondation Louis Vuitton launched a photo contest to highlight the best photos of the building that were taken by inspired visitors and shared on social media.

I happened to be in architecture school when the laser cutter was still a bit of a novelty for the inexperienced students in their first years of study. Sure, it saved you a lot up-close-and-personal-time with the X-Acto knife, but to unlock the true potential of the laser cutter one had to introduce a level of detail into the design or model that would otherwise be a nightmare to create by hand. 

But here comes Japanese Instagram Fruit and Vegetable Carver gaku carving to make our jaws drop. How?! Why!? And on such an ephemeral canvas?! Who knows. But holy fractal if it isn't a work of geometric perfection. These videos capture levels of patience and precision that many only dream of.

Spoon & Tamago explains,

Japan has a rich tradition of food carving called mukimono. If you’ve ever eaten at a fancy restaurant in Japan you might have found a carrot carved into a bunny, garnishing your plate. But in the hands of Japanese artist Gaku, the art of fruit and vegetable carving is elevated to a new realm of edible creations.

Roses are red, violets are blue; we'd love to receive a valentine from you! In what has become an ArchDaily annual tradition, we are opening a call for our readers to share the love in 2018. <3

Letters of recommendations are strange in that we all know what they are, but save for the people who are actually using them to evaluate a candidate, what happens with the letter is shrouded in mystery. Can a stellar recommendation letter make up for a less-than-stellar transcript? Are you going to be removed from consideration because your recommender didn't make you sound like Captain Awesome? It all depends—but as long as these letters are required for admissions processes and grants and other things, we'll shed some light on how to ask for (and/or write) a letter of recommendation.

Whether you're on the asking end or the writing end, there are some basic tips and rules that should be followed. (Why should you trust me? Because I've asked for letters and written letters and things have worked out pretty well for all involved parties.)

It's time to get into the Holiday Spirit! As we've done for the past few years, we're seeking holiday cards with an architectural spin to feature on ArchDaily. We expect abundant puns and festively decorated classic buildings. :)

Competition Guidelines:

With the 3rd Call for Ideas the Future Architecture platform invites multi-disciplinary emerging creatives who work on transformative projects and ideas for the future of architecture to apply for participation in the European Architecture Program in 2018.

The Future Architecture platform acts as a key platform for exchange and networking for European architecture and integrates some of Europe’s most important architectural events. The platform enables architecture museums, festivals, producers, publishers, agencies, academic institutions and multi-disciplinary emerging professionals to easily connect and build joint projects.