This guide shows how to use a D5 Render a free live-sync plugin to improve SketchUp workflow.

Atrium Ljungberg unveiled Stockholm Wood City, the world's largest timber urban development project, serving as a major showcase of Swedish sustainability. At around the same time, on the other side of the world, Tallwood Architects' 'Tamango Project' exemplified both the challenges and opportunities of timber construction in Chile, as it is poised to become Latin America's first 12-story building with a prefabricated timber structure.

Atrium Ljungberg recently unveiled Stockholm Wood City, the world's largest timber urban development project—an effort to showcase Sweden's commitment to sustainability. On the other side of the world, Tallwood Architects' Tamango Project exemplifies the challenges and opportunities of timber construction in Chile and could become Latin America's first 12-story building featuring a prefabricated mass timber structure.

Wulff Castle in Viña del Mar is a renowned landmark, celebrated for its appearance and architectural style inspired by Liechtenstein Castle in Germany. The structure features German and French design elements, along with medieval characteristics—qualities that captivate both locals and the thousands of tourists who visit it.

The international architecture and city festival Open House will take place in Madrid from September 21 to 24, 2023, inviting residents to visit and explore some of the capital's most iconic buildings. Extending beyond Madrid to open several spaces in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, this ninth edition will open the doors of over 120 buildings and studios, while also offering 13 outdoor routes and itineraries to discover Madrid's architecture.

About the book: Within the vast kingdom of flora, trees are among the most important living beings; yet, we are still far from uncovering all their mysteries and secrets. They are beautiful, ingenious, and magnificent beings, incredibly capable of occupying space and resisting human control. They are unobtrusive and live longer than any other living creature. In some cases, they can live indefinitely! In this book, Francis Hallé—an internationally renowned scientist specializing in trees and the discoverer of botanical architecture—conveys his passion for these wonders of nature, offering surprising insights into their capabilities and characteristics. Understanding the plant kingdom, the French ecologist argues, requires an "intellectual revolution" and is now, more than ever, an urgent necessity.

Every day, governments, financial institutions, and corporations face a critical decision: continue investing in physical assets that emit greenhouse gases and degrade nature, or prioritize developing green solutions that foster a stable, resilient, and equitable economy. As communities bear the brunt of severe climate impacts, the imperative to build a sustainable future becomes increasingly clear.

The city of Federación, located in the northeast of the province of Entre Ríos, was structured, like most Argentine cities, around “the classic block-by-block grid layout bequeathed by the Laws of the Indies,” taking shape alongside the development of its various economic roles. The evolution of economic functions and the actions of different social forces gradually shaped a unique organization of urban space, in which distinct “neighborhoods” or urban districts clearly reflected the inequalities of the local socioeconomic structure.

On September 7, the exhibition "How to Design a Revolution: The Chilean Road to Design" opened at Santiago's Centro Cultural La Moneda (CCLM), as part of the activities commemorating the 50th anniversary of Chile's civil-military coup. The exhibition showcases graphic and industrial design created during the administration of President Salvador Allende, bringing together over 350 original pieces and featuring a complete reconstruction of the Cybersyn operations room. The show will run until January 28, 2024.

Jointly produced by the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and CCLM, in collaboration with the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation and the Goethe-Institut Chile, the exhibition is curated by designer Hugo Palmarola and architect Pedro Ignacio Alonso—both recognized for winning the Silver Lion for Monolith Controversies at the Chilean Pavilion during the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale. Renowned Colombian science historian Eden Medina of MIT also participated in the project.

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The National Fund for the Arts (FNA) has launched the call for entries for the 2023 National Architecture and Heritage Competition. The initiative focuses on the revitalization of disused industrial or service structures that can be repurposed today, serving as a testament to the past through new uses and functions.

The capacity of trees to naturally cool cities is one of the key benefits of promoting urban planting. In the Federal District, urban afforestation has been studied to guide public policies toward the sustainable use of natural resources. Architecture and Urbanism student Júlia Almeida, from the University Center of Brasília (CEUB), measured the microclimatic influences of vegetation at the residential scale in Brasília, proving the power of greenery to improve quality of life.

Many cities around the world face severe housing affordability issues. One of the primary reasons is highly restrictive zoning regulations. Zoning—the rules that dictate what can be built on any given lot—was originally designed to manage urban issues such as congestion, pollution, and shadow impacts.

Over time, however, planners aligned with property owners to tighten these rules. Planners disliked urban density and were more than happy to reduce it. Homeowners realized that stricter codes could preserve their property values and exclude low-income residents and minorities from their neighborhoods.

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Videos

The 2023 Guatemala Architecture Biennial will take place from November 15 to 17 at the Miguel Ángel Asturias Cultural Center. This regional event is aimed at architects, designers, urban planners, developers, students, and anyone passionate about the built environment.

In this third book of the Urban Sketching series, Stephanie Bower demonstrates, through numerous helpful tips, how the often-challenging concepts of perspective drawing can be broken down into simple, practical steps. She guides readers to think like architects, drawing buildings and spaces through a synthesis of forms and gradually adding layers to eventually enhance their sketches with details, tones, and colors. A deeper understanding of perspective will transform how you see and draw the world—perspectives will begin to reveal themselves to you everywhere.

With this new revised and updated edition, A modernidade superada—a collection of nine essays by Catalan theorist Josep Maria Montaner—reaffirms its role as a fundamental reference for understanding the modern movement in architecture. Through autonomous yet complementary texts, the author reflects on central concepts of the period's production, such as rationalism, the attitude of rupture, expressiveness, and technological, functional, and symbolic paradoxes. The result is a mosaic of arguments demonstrating how the shortcomings of modernity were overcome—particularly in Nordic countries, Mediterranean Europe, and Latin America (with numerous references to Brazilian production), as well as other peripheral contexts—giving way to new lines of thought and forms of expression tied to new contexts.

Short History of Architecture is a dynamic guide to the subject, describing 50 historically significant works—from Egyptian pyramids to sustainable, high-tech skyscrapers—in addition to featuring chapters on the most relevant architectural styles, elements, and materials across all eras. Accessible and concise, the book is organized to connect the content of each chapter, enriching the reader's experience and providing all the tools necessary to understand and appreciate the built environment. The book is part of the Short History series by British author Susie Hodge, which includes two other titles published in Brazil: Short History of Art and Short History of Women Artists.

Part of the Urban Sketching collection and drawing on this graphic universe as a reference, this book by American instructor Stephanie Bower offers a vast collection of tricks, techniques, and practical, fun ideas for sketching wherever you are. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced artist, sketching with pencil, pen, or ink, or working on-site or in a studio, this book provides a wealth of tips to help you improve your technique. The book covers line styles, tonal values, composition, perspective, and shading, illustrating each lesson with drawings by various artists.

As part of a project led by Dutch artist Thomas Kole, a website titled "Portrait of Tenochtitlan: A 3D reconstruction of the Mexica capital" has been launched, presenting a variety of images of what Tenochtitlan once was. This reconstruction is based on historical and archaeological sources, as well as the collective knowledge that yields these images today to continue studying our history. The site offers navigation in three languages: Nahuatlahtolli, Spanish, and English, featuring an overlay of contemporary images where users can compare before and after simply by sliding the cursor across the screen. It was created using open-source software: Blender, Gimp, and Darktable.