Great design only becomes iconic design when it captures the imagination of a historical moment while also pointing beyond it. That might sound lofty, but how else could one describe the Barcelona Chair? Or, for that matter, how else can one describe Flexform’s transformative Groundpiece seating system, which in 2026 is celebrating its 25th birthday?

Groundpiece by Flexform | Photo by Gabriele Basilico

When it was introduced in 2001, Groundpiece redefined what a sofa could be. It didn’t do so in a loud way, but with a modular concept and subtle changes in proportion and scale that anticipated the needs of the 21st century.

“Aware that changes in lifestyle spark new behaviors and needs, Groundpiece introduced a new dimension to the way the sofa is used, investing it with new functions. On today’s sofas, people rest, watch TV, read, and often work and even have dinner,” outlines Saul Galimberti, Design Center Director at Flexform. Groundpiece addresses these needs in three key ways: it uses generous proportions that invite relaxed, informal lounging; it incorporates practical features like shelves, storage and surfaces that support everyday living; and it offers a highly modular system that easily adapts to different spaces and needs.

Today, these features can be found to some extent in a number of different seating systems. But this wasn’t the case when Flexform was introduced. “From the very first glance, the Groundpiece sofa transcended the moment for which it was created,” explains Galimberti. “It has witnessed shifting habits and changing lifestyles. It watched the kitchen transform — from a once-isolated room to the star player in a new blended living space — becoming, like our modernity, an elegant hybrid. It remained still, but never static. It absorbed every evolution, becoming living proof that true design has no fear of time — it moves with it.”

Groundpiece by Flexform

Groundpiece’s silhouette is defined by low, inviting shapes and generous cushions, which can be ordered in either premium goose-down or durable dacron. It manages to be both elegant and comfortable, transforming chic spaces into authentic homes while complementing the surrounding architecture. The informality of the silhouette in no way compromises its aesthetic unity.

Groundpiece can be specified in a number of different arrangements — or in Flexform’s words, “compositions” — to meet the needs of specific spaces. In some formulations that remove the back cushions, it really isn’t a sofa at all, but more of a chaise, daybed or bench. To put it another way, Groundpiece isn’t a sofa, but a modular system. This means that it can be anything you need it to be.

Upholstery is removable in both fabric and leather versions (a must for coffee drinkers). There are five different types of upholstery — linen, cotton, cashmere and leather — and each is available in several colors. While Groundpiece sofas are best known in muted colors, the Ernest fabric can be ordered in bright orange and green. In the right space — say a midcentury California bungalow – these options would really shine.

Groundpiece by Flexform

The most iconic element of the Groundpiece seating system, however, is the armrest. Well, armrest is really not the right word for these low metal storage elements covered in cowhide that can be inserted in different parts of the structures. In 2001, this simple modular element elevated Flexform from a great sofa into something iconic.

Groundpiece was the creation of architect Antonio Citterio. He recalls that, when he first conceived of the piece, he was not sure it would catch on: “When we designed it, in 2001, it felt like an idea rich in substance but with little chance of success. Too simple, too direct, non-traditional. It wasn’t even clear whether it was a sofa or not. And yet we found the experiment compelling — this encounter between art and a cushion — something extraordinary, almost paradoxical. So, we went ahead with it.”

Preliminary sketches for Groundpiece by Antonio Citterio

Preliminary sketches for Groundpiece by Antonio Citterio

Groundpiece’s legendary armrest was conceived as a tribute to Donald Judd, the most influential and austere American designer of the 20th century. Judd, an artist and art critic by training, designed furniture by searching rigorously for the essence of the object. In Judd’s formula, “a work of art exists as itself; a chair exists as a chair itself.”

Like Judd, Citterio took his cues from the materials he was working with: “In the case of Groundpiece, the leather allowed us to translate proportions and asymmetries — borrowed from art — into a domestic object. That’s the essence of creativity: a chain of references, emotions and perceptions filtered through our own sensibilities.”

At 25, Groundpiece has earned its spot in the annals of design history. But it’s no museum object. It belongs in contemporary homes — in your home.

Truly, there is no other sofa on the market that reflects the needs of our time — the way we live and work in our domestic spaces — more effortlessly than Groundpiece. It is, to paraphrase Judd, simply itself.

Designers looking furnish with Flexform’s modular icon can read more about the sectional sofa, Groundpiece, here.

Cover Image: Groundpiece by Flexform, photo by Maria Vittoria Backhaus

The post Flexform Groundpiece at 25: Portrait of an Icon appeared first on Journal.

The jury is deliberating... stay tuned for the winners of Architizer's A+Product Awards! Register for the A+Product Awards Newsletter to receive future program updates.

In the field of construction, there has been a contemporary obsession — or rather a fascination — with flexibility. Modular systems, adaptable plans, moving components and even demountable walls make buildings that can be “anything, anytime.” Perhaps, one reason may be that architecture is responding to the world’s pressing uncertainty, that being economic, social or environmental. Design enhances impermanence and plasticity to keep up with the rapid cultural shifts, both in terms of construction as well as program, when inhabited. But what if flexible architecture actually masks a deeper desire, specifically, the longing to live in more stable cities, where permanence is the norm and not the exception?

The housing crisis, the rise of the digital nomad lifestyle, short-term leases and an overall tendency for temporary living have resulted in a state of persistent residential precarity. Architecture that proposes lightweight systems that can be easily dismantled, offering more impermanence in an already unstable world. Yet, amidst this temporality of construction, there are products that opt for permanence. They are heavy, materially honest and structurally stable. Architizer’s 2025 product winners feature some of the most notable examples of this counter-tendency, presenting façades, wall finishes and distinct architectural elements that refuse lightness and privilege mass.

Silver City Smooth & Wirecut by Glen Gery Corp | Jury Winner, Building Envelopes, Cladding & Roofing, 2025 A+Product Awards

One example is the Silver City Smooth & Wirecut brick collections, produced by Glen Gery Corp, that can be used for commercial façades as well as residential homes. The collections blend timeless materials with a contemporary edge that delivers a polished, modern finish. The Silver City Smooth design follows clean, smooth lines that can easily complement other, more lightweight materials such as glass, steel and wood.

On the other hand, Silver City Wirecut offers a more tactile texture that creates a dynamic interplay between light and shadow and is used particularly for revitalizing heritage sites, adding a touch of modern craftsmanship to existing architectural structures. Both options are unique examples of masonry envelopes that excel in durability, weather resistance and energy efficiency, showcasing how a single material can reaffirm permanence as an active design choice rather than a passive afterthought.

The Nagomi collection by Mirage, Jury Winner & Popular Choice Winner, Hard Surfacing, Tiles & Stone, 2025 A+Product Awards

Similarly, the Nagomi collection by Mirage, created in collaboration with architect Hadi Teherani, features a ceramic wall cladding option that operates beyond the mere concept of decoration. Instead, it pays tribute to ceramic production practices, incorporating a significant percentage of glass derived from the recycling of cathode ray tubes as the primary material, and showing how recycling and sustainability can become mechanisms for permanence through active reuse.

Additionally, Teherani infuses the collection with a strong cultural narrative, where its form originates from traditional patterns but evolves into a different type of architectural language — one that can be reappropriated to suit different, more contemporary contexts. In the Nagomi collection, permanence resides through the ability of the material to remain relevant throughout time, both in terms of production and cultural identity.

The Silver Sterling Coated Staircase by Marretti, Jury Winner, Best of the Year – Architectural Design, 2025 A+Product Awards

Finally, the Silver Sterling Coated Staircase by Marretti is a rather unique architectural product in relation to permanence. Usually, staircases are considered part of circulation spaces, where movement and transition take place. They are often made of lightweight materials, blending with the immediate space. However, the specific staircase features a box structure crafted from polished stainless steel, coated in silver, while the external railing is constructed from 3/8-inch by 3/8-inch curved ultra-clear structural glass, recessed into the structure. On the internal side, a polished stainless-steel convex helical band, also silver-coated, is complemented by a flat handrail for comfort, while the steps are made from solid walnut wood, with integrated LED lighting on the underside.

Consequently, the staircase no longer functions as a mere circulation device but also takes on the role of architectural anchor, accentuating the act of movement throughout the space. It celebrates physical longevity by using durable, tactile materials that prolong the staircase’s life and enhance its spatial presence. In parallel, this gesture of elevating a simple architectural element into a component that matters suggests a long-term investment in the building itself, making it unlikely to be replaced or dismantled.

Together, these products offer solutions for quiet permanence. They produce a more subtle architecture that avoids being rigid or authoritarian and instead chooses to introduce permanence as care: production through reuse, materials that support the renovation of historic sites and interior components that act as anchors of inhabitation. More importantly, these products suggest a much-needed sense of optimism, “daring” to stay still in an age of constant adaptation and asking what might change if architects started investing in endurance again.

The jury is deliberating... stay tuned for the winners of Architizer's A+Product Awards! Register for the A+Product Awards Newsletter to receive future program updates.

Featured Image: The Nagomi collection by Mirage, Jury Winner & Popular Choice Winner, Hard Surfacing, Tiles & Stone, 2025 A+Product Awards

The post The Return of Mass: How Material Weight Is Reframing Architectural Value Today appeared first on Journal.

The jury is deliberating... stay tuned for the winners of Architizer's A+Product Awards! Register for the A+Product Awards Newsletter to receive future program updates.

In the past couple of decades, “the wall” as a surface has been rather ignored in terms of architectural resolution and interior design. The rise of the open plan space — where circulation was prioritized over enclosure — as well as furniture celebrated as objects that carried spatial identity, led to “the wall” becoming a screen, a background, rather than a tactile surface with material presence. This, in addition to the misapplied legacy of minimalism paired with the need for “Instagrammable” backdrops, encouraged smooth plaster finishes and Farrow & Ball neutrals to become the dominant decoration choices for these vertical surfaces.

And yet, this year’s Product Awards winners display cladding systems and finishes with depth, texture and thickness. It appears that there has been a quiet rebellion amongst architects, who once again elevate the wall into an inhabited element rather than a cosmetic one.

Wanderlust by Jill Malek | Jury Winner, Walls & Wall Coverings, 2025 A+Product Awards 

Starting with Wanderlust by Jill Malek, this mural collection draws inspiration from the designer’s travels: the expansive terrains of Iceland, the undulating, glistening mountaintops of Sedona and finally, the endless textures found in the city of Tokyo. The designer introduces the idea of “functional artwork”, i.e., a wall treatment that responds carefully to its context. To be more specific, apart from their conceptual dimension, the murals can be scaled and composed uniquely, tailored to each space, allowing every installation to respond rather than impose a fixed image.

Wanderlust is a characteristic example of a wall finish that resists easy consumption. Even though such murals might steal the spotlight and photograph poorly, they perform well in real space. The mural’s complexity and customizability form a palpable surface, one that changes with light, proximity or movement. In parallel, the specific collection introduces the “return of the hand” — not via a nostalgic reminiscence of craft but as material presence — regardless of whether that presence is achieved through industrial precision or handcrafted processes.

The Pleat&Weave Collection by Plyboo (Smith & Fong) | Popular Choice Winner, Walls & Wall Coverings, 2025 A+Product Awards 

In contrast to popular opinion, a flat wall is not sustainable; in fact, such surfaces thrive on disposability. A lightweight plasterboard system, for instance, is easy to install, paint and eventually be replaced, offering ease but at the cost of being environmentally inefficient and heavily consumptive. However, the Pleat&Weave Collection by Plyboo (Smith & Fong) suggests a wall finish that is highly durable and ecologically conscious. The design uses bamboo as the primary material to create panels that balance organic texture with engineered precision. Bamboo lasts longer than most wood-type products, while also being biodegradable and contributing to reducing deforestation.

Nevertheless, the specific product’s advantage is not merely its positive sustainable impact. The patterns etched on the panels are inspired by traditional weaving techniques, featuring chevron motifs and accordion pleats that create spatial narratives and rhythm. These patterns, in combination with the use of natural materials, aim to create environments that trigger positive neuro-aesthetic responses. In doing so, the wall shifts from a passive enclosure to an active sensory and spatial agent, playing with light and texture. It ceases from being just a natural backdrop and becomes a performative interface that delivers a heightened architectural experience.

Biowood by BARRISOL | Finalist, Best of the Year – Sustainable Design, 2025 A+Product Awards 

Finally, to push against the wall (rather than accept it as a limit), the Biowood product by BARRISOL expands the wall’s role beyond enclosure. The Biowood range features eco-friendly fabrics – upon which any image can be printed – crafted from up to 92% natural ingredients that can dress up various interior surfaces and particularly ceilings. The product can be installed quickly, producing zero debris or dust and can be easily fitted and refitted without damaging the existing structure. However, apart from their durability and eco-friendly composition, these fabrics are equally functional. They are resistant to water and humidity, thus becoming ideal for high-moisture areas such as bathrooms, swimming pools, etc. and have a high fire tolerance. In that sense, the product does not merely operate as decorative cladding but becomes a form of intelligence, functioning in this case, as a barrier for humidity and water.

These three Product Award winners have signaled a growing discomfort regarding interiors that were designed mainly for instant consumption and digital circulation. They advocate for spaces where the surface is transformed once more into a protagonist, not in a stylistic manner but as a performative agent. Consequently, the wall forms relationships between body and movement, light and shadow, architecture and context, becoming materially as well as sensorily activated. Ultimately, the “death of the flat wall” signifies a change in architectural values, where architects shift from visual neutrality into tactile engagement.

The jury is deliberating... stay tuned for the winners of Architizer's A+Product Awards! Register for the A+Product Awards Newsletter to receive future program updates.

Featured Image: Wanderlust by Jill Malek | Jury Winner, Walls & Wall Coverings, 2025 A+Product Awards 

The post The Flat Wall Is Dead: Designers’ Sensory Revolt Against the Instagram Interior appeared first on Journal.

The judging process for Architizer's 14th A+Awards is now underway. Subscribe to our Awards Newsletter to receive updates about Public Voting, and stay tuned — winners will be announced later this spring.  

Cedrus Studio is a Tehran-based architecture firm that focuses primarily on residential projects. Their work highlights the inextricable link between design and construction, resulting in thoughtful and high-quality architecture. The homes designed by Cedrus are rooted in their context and showcase a sensible attention to local culture and traditions while meeting the needs of contemporary living.

In Iran, where Cedrus operates, mud brick has traditionally been used as a building material. This choice makes sense, considering that the region is mainly earth, sand, and rock. Not only is brick construction a building tradition, but it also offers environmental benefits, including high thermal mass and durability. Structurally, brick performs best in compression, making it an ideal material for vault, dome, arch and load-bearing wall construction without the need for additional reinforcement.

A House Looking to a Cedrus Tree by Cedrus Studio, Vineh, Iran | Popular Choice Winner, Architecture +Brick, 13th Architizer A+Awards

A House Looking to a Cedrus Tree by Cedrus Studio, Vineh, Iran | Popular Choice Winner, Architecture +Brick, 13th Architizer A+Awards

This tradition has stood the test of time, and to this day, brick construction retains its popular appeal. Contemporary brick construction is often combined with other building techniques and materials such as steel and concrete. Rather than diminishing brick’s strengths, these new construction approaches enhance its capabilities while adapting to contemporary structural requirements. Cedrus Studio’s A House Looking to a Cedrus Tree, located in the Iranian village of Vine, epitomizes this modern approach.

The house is the result of a renovation project on a site of around 12,378 square feet (1,150 square meters), featuring a fifty-year-old unfinished building. Cedrus Studio transformed it into the new home for a family with two daughters and their spouses. The natural landscape, including a nearby river and a majestic Cedrus tree on the property, guided the design, creating forms that evoke the vegetation and the movement of water and wind.

While the house is modern, it stays true to traditional Persian architecture, where proportions and geometry are central elements. The north side of the house, facing the mountain, is rigid and rectilinear, while the south side, overlooking the river, is fluid.

A House Looking to a Cedrus Tree by Cedrus Studio, Vineh, Iran | Popular Choice Winner, Architecture +Brick, 13th Architizer A+Awards

Conceptual Diagrams for the brick and shutters’ design: A House Looking to a Cedrus Tree by Cedrus Studio, Vineh, Iran | Popular Choice Winner, Architecture +Brick, 13th Architizer A+Awards

Handmade brick is the predominant material on both the exterior and the interior, creating a sense of comfort and warmth. Even though there is no trace of traditional Iranian architecture in the area, the use of brick acknowledges the strong connection between material, place and culture in the region.

The powerful presence of the Cedrus tree on the property influenced the house design, both spatially and aesthetically. Spatially, it anchors the house to the site and enlivens the construction in various ways: through shadows cast on a staircase, a silhouette through an archway, and its physical presence in the courtyard. It is also a symbolic element, expressing the passage of time, nature, and resilience. Aesthetically,  the scales of the Cedrus cone inspired the design of the brickwork and metal shutters.

A House Looking to a Cedrus Tree by Cedrus Studio, Vineh, Iran | Popular Choice Winner, Architecture +Brick, 13th Architizer A+Awards

Renovation Sequence Diagram: A House Looking to a Cedrus Tree by Cedrus Studio, Vineh, Iran | Popular Choice Winner, Architecture +Brick, 13th Architizer A+Awards

The renovation of the existing unfinished building presented various challenges. It involved reinforcing the bearing-wall structure to ensure stability. The ceiling height on the lower level was insufficient, requiring the lowering of the foundation by 90 centimeters (35 inches) along with the consequent extension of the columns.

Moreover, the overall building height could not be increased per local building regulations. After the removal of unnecessary elements, including the gable roof, the various openings were created at different levels to improve the connection between floors, enhance the sense of spaciousness, and open the interior to the exterior. The upper openings were then covered with steel-reinforced vaulted structures: one located below the existing roof ridge and the other above what would become the living room on the top floor.

A House Looking to a Cedrus Tree by Cedrus Studio, Vineh, Iran | Popular Choice Winner, Architecture +Brick, 13th Architizer A+Awards

Exploded axonometric: A House Looking to a Cedrus Tree by Cedrus Studio, Vineh, Iran | Popular Choice Winner, Architecture +Brick, 13th Architizer A+Awards

The vaulted elements integrate existing and new construction, while capitalizing on the aesthetic richness of brick construction. To meet modern structural requirements, the brick vaults are steel-reinforced. This design honors the traditional Persian craftsmanship of brickwork to create a variety of forms, ranging from simple barrel vaults to diaphragm arches and domes.

These forms, which spanned large spaces in homes and mosques, were self-supporting and ornamental at the same time. The patterns, including radial, herringbone, and corbelled, among others, were adapted to the material’s limitations to create, nonetheless, spectacular spaces.

Exploded axonometric: A House Looking to a Cedrus Tree by Cedrus Studio, Vineh, Iran | Popular Choice Winner, Architecture +Brick, 13th Architizer A+Awards

The pool’s shape replicates the geometry of the house’s front elevation, resembling a reflection in water. The distinctive shape is also reiterated throughout the house interiors at different scales, giving form to architectural and interior design features such as the staircase void, the fireplace, and the wall niches. This abstraction of the house’s front can be viewed as a two-dimensional graphic element, similar to a logo, which gives the architecture a unique identity.

The project’s achievement lies not in revival, but in translation. By treating Persian vaulting as a live construction system rather than a historical reference, Cedrus Studio demonstrates how architectural knowledge can be carried forward through making.

The judging process for Architizer's 14th A+Awards is now underway. Subscribe to our Awards Newsletter to receive updates about Public Voting, and stay tuned — winners will be announced later this spring.  

The post Architectural Details: When Persian Brick Learns New Tricks appeared first on Journal.

Planning to upgrade your workstation for the new year? Looking to invest in a quality device that will assist in all your real-time visualizations, renderings and photo editing? We are back with our annual catalog of laptops and mobile workstations best suited for architects and designers. With work from home continuing to triumph, the necessity for a well-performing laptop remains true. But even more so for architects, who require ample storage, great processors and advanced graphic cards for their dynamic types of work. Luckily, there’s a great lineup of newly released devices to pick from, and there’s something for everyone. 

Without further ado, here are the best picks from this past year:

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Premium Laptops for Architects

MSI Titan 18 HX

Best Desktop-Replacement

The MSI Titan 18 HX is built for architects who want their laptop to behave like a full desktop workstation. This is a machine designed to stay on a desk for long sessions, handling massive models, extended render times and demanding visualization tasks without compromise.

The Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX processor excels at CPU-heavy workloads such as large Revit projects, complex Grasshopper definitions and simulation-driven workflows. Combined with the NVIDIA RTX 5090, it delivers exceptional performance for high-end rendering and scene-heavy environments in tools like V-Ray, Corona, Unreal Engine and Lumion, where lighting, textures and geometry are pushed to their limits.

Its expansive 18-inch 4K Mini LED display gives drawings, material studies and render outputs room to breathe, making detailed review far more comfortable than on smaller screens. With significant memory and storage headroom, the Titan 18 HX is a true desktop replacement, and its premium price reflects that level of performance — aimed squarely at professionals who need the most power available in a single machine.

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Razer Blade 14

Best Portable Gaming Laptop

The Razer Blade 14 is built for architects who want serious performance in a form factor that’s genuinely easy to carry every day. At just 14 inches, it manages to pack an AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 processor and an NVIDIA RTX 5070 into a chassis that feels closer to an ultrabook than a traditional gaming laptop.

This setup works especially well for architects moving between studio, home and site while still working inside demanding 3D environments. The RTX 5070 handles real-time visualization, dense models and live lighting workflows in tools like Enscape, Twinmotion, D5 Render and Unreal Engine, while the Ryzen CPU keeps BIM, parametric scripts and multitasking responsive. The 3K OLED display adds another layer of appeal, offering sharp detail, strong contrast and smooth interaction in both drawings and models.

There are trade-offs to this level of portability. Thermal headroom is more limited than on larger machines, and memory is soldered, so configurations should be chosen carefully up front. For those who want similar performance with more cooling capacity and screen space, a 16-inch Razer Blade variant is also available. Still, for architects prioritizing mobility without giving up real GPU power, the Blade 14 remains one of the most convincing portable options on the market.

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Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7

Best Premium Professional Laptop for Architects

The Lenovo ThinkPad series has long been a reference point for professional laptops, known for reliability, strong build quality and hardware designed to support serious, long-term work. Within that lineup, the ThinkPad P1 sits at the top, combining workstation-grade performance with a form factor that remains practical for everyday use.

The ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 is powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H, a processor well-suited to demanding architectural workloads such as large BIM models, parametric systems and complex documentation sets. Its NVIDIA RTX 3000 Ada GPU prioritizes stability and precision, making it a strong match for CAD, BIM and detailed modeling workflows where consistent behavior matters.

A 16-inch 4K OLED display provides exceptional clarity for drawings, sections and material studies, while 64GB of memory and fast NVMe storage ensure smooth multitasking across large project files. Despite its workstation credentials, the P1 Gen 7 remains relatively lightweight, making it a dependable choice for architects who need professional performance without committing to a full desktop replacement.

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ASUS Zenbook Duo

Best Dual Screen Laptop for Architects

The ASUS Zenbook Duo stands out as a different kind of premium tool for architects who value workspace flexibility over raw graphical power. Its defining feature is the dual 14-inch OLED displays, which change how you organize your day. Drawings can live on one screen while references, schedules or a BIM model sit on the other, reducing constant window switching and keeping your workflow visually connected.

Powered by the Intel Core Ultra 9 285H, the Zenbook Duo is well-suited for CPU-driven tasks such as drafting, documentation, BIM coordination and parametric workflows. The processor handles complex files and multitasking comfortably, while the integrated Intel Arc graphics support lighter 3D work and model review without turning this into a bulky workstation.

This laptop is ideal for architects focused on design development, presentations, coordination and travel-heavy work, especially when portability matters. Lightweight, compact and thoughtfully designed, the Zenbook Duo feels less like a traditional laptop and more like a mobile desk you can open anywhere.

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Best Laptop for Architects by Brand

Lenovo Legion Pro 7i

Best Lenovo Laptop for Architects

The Lenovo Legion series has become known for delivering high-performance hardware in a form that balances power, cooling and long-session reliability. While originally aimed at demanding users, the Legion lineup has proven especially relevant for architects who need strong CPU and GPU performance without stepping into full workstation territory.

The Legion Pro 7i builds on that reputation with a setup apt for complex architectural work. Its Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX processor handles large BIM files, parametric models and heavy multitasking with ease, while the NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti provides the graphical headroom needed for detailed 3D models and real-time visualization. This makes it a solid choice for architects working across modeling, coordination and visualization in a single machine.

The 16-inch WQXGA OLED display offers excellent clarity and contrast, which is especially helpful for reviewing drawings and materials. With generous memory, fast storage and robust cooling, the Legion Pro 7i stands out as a dependable, performance-focused option within Lenovo’s lineup for demanding architectural workflows.

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ASUS ROG Strix Scar 16

Best Asus Laptop for Architects

The ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2025) is a strong choice for architects who spend much of their time inside complex 3D models and real-time scenes. Its Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor is a good fit for to heavy, multi-threaded tasks such as BIM workflows, large parametric models and CPU-based operations that accumulate quickly in professional projects. Paired with the NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti, the laptop remains responsive when working with dense geometry, advanced materials and live lighting previews.

This configuration is particularly effective for real-time visualization and rendering workflows in tools like Enscape, Twinmotion, D5 Render and Unreal Engine, where fluid navigation and immediate feedback matter during design reviews or client walkthroughs. It also performs reliably in modeling-heavy environments such as Rhino, Grasshopper and 3ds Max when scenes grow more complex.

The 16-inch 2.5K display with a 16:10 aspect ratio provides extra vertical space for drawings and timelines, making daily work feel less constrained. For architects pushing larger scenes or higher-quality lighting, an RTX 5080 upgrade is available, offering additional headroom for demanding visualization work.

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MacBook Pro M4

Best Apple Laptop (Macbook) for Architects

For architects who favor Apple’s ecosystem, the 2024 MacBook Pro with the M4 Pro chip delivers professional-grade performance. The M4 Pro’s 14-core CPU and 20-core GPU handle demanding tasks like 3D rendering, large-scale project compilation and intensive workflows with ease. For more advanced needs, the M4 Max chip offers even greater power.

Its 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display provides high brightness (up to 1600 nits) and excellent color accuracy, making it well-suited for precise design work and presentations. Starting with 24GB of unified memory and 512GB SSD storage, it offers configurations for more extensive project requirements. A 14-inch option is also available, offering similar power in a more compact design for those who prioritize portability.

Optimized for macOS, this laptop integrates efficiently with design tools like Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft 365, while Apple Intelligence features improve productivity across devices. With all-day battery life and durable construction, the 2024 MacBook Pro is a reliable choice for architects who value performance and a connected ecosystem.

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HP ZBook 8 G1i 16

Best HP Laptop for Architects

The HP ZBook 8 G1i is a strong choice for architects who prioritize stability, clarity and professional-grade performance over flashy extras. Built around the Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor with vPro support, it handles CPU-heavy workloads such as large BIM models, complex documentation sets and parametric workflows with confidence. With 64GB of RAM, it’s well equipped for multitasking across demanding files without constant slowdowns, while 32GB configurations are also available for lighter professional needs.

Its 16-inch 3840 × 2400 display offers sharp detail and generous vertical space, which is especially useful when working on drawings, schedules or layered plans. An anti-glare finish keeps it comfortable during long sessions, whether in the studio or on site. For architects who value portability, 14-inch variants of the ZBook line offer a more compact alternative with similar professional positioning.

While the Intel Arc graphics are not aimed at heavy real-time rendering, they are up to the task of modeling, coordination, review work and everyday visualization tasks. Overall, the ZBook 8 G1i feels like a dependable, no-nonsense workstation built for architects who value reliability and a clean, professional setup.

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Dell XPS 16

Best Dell Laptop for Architects

The Dell XPS 16 (9640) is a clean, well-balanced option for architects who want a professional laptop that feels refined without stepping into bulky workstation territory. Built around the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, it performs reliably across everyday architectural tasks such as drafting, large documentation sets, BIM coordination, and heavy multitasking.

The NVIDIA RTX 4050 provides enough graphical power for 3D modeling, shaded views, and moderate real-time visualization in tools like Enscape, Twinmotion, and D5 Render, as long as projects remain at a manageable scale. It’s not designed for sustained rendering workloads or extremely dense scenes, but for most day-to-day design and review work, it stays responsive and stable.

The 16.3-inch 1920 × 1200 display offers generous screen space in a slim chassis that remains easy to carry between studio, home, and site. Strong build quality, triple Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI 2.1, and fast storage make it easy to integrate into a professional workflow without friction. Overall, the XPS 16 works best for architects who prioritize portability, clean design, and dependable performance over maximum graphical output.

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Best Budget Laptops for Architects

ASUS TUF F16

Best Laptop for Architects under $1100

The ASUS TUF Gaming F16 is a dependable budget laptop for architecture students and early-career professionals who need stable performance for everyday design work. With its Intel Core 5 210H processor and NVIDIA RTX 4050, it handles drafting, BIM coordination and moderate 3D modeling comfortably, making it well-suited for tools like AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp and Rhino when projects are not overly complex.

The 16-inch FHD+ display uses a 16:10 aspect ratio, which gives you more vertical space for drawings, schedules and documentation. This makes long studio sessions and academic work feel less cramped than on standard 16:9 laptops. Its robust cooling and military-grade durability also make it a practical choice for students moving between studio, home and site.

Compared to the Lenovo LOQ, the TUF F16 leans toward reliability and screen usability rather than heavier visualization. The LOQ is the better fit for real-time rendering and larger 3D scenes, while the TUF F16 works best for consistent, day-to-day architectural work where stability matters more than peak graphical output.

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Lenovo LOQ

Best Laptop for Architects under $1000

The Lenovo LOQ 15 is a solid entry-level option for architecture students and early-career professionals who need real GPU power without stepping into higher price tiers. Built around the AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS, it handles everyday architectural workloads such as drafting, BIM coordination and moderate parametric work reliably, especially when paired with sufficient RAM.

The NVIDIA RTX 4050 makes a noticeable difference compared to integrated or older GPUs. It allows smoother navigation in 3D models and supports real-time visualization in tools like Enscape, Twinmotion or D5 Render, as long as scene complexity stays reasonable. This makes the LOQ suitable for studio projects, coursework and smaller professional jobs rather than large, production-scale visualization.

Its 15.6-inch FHD 144Hz display prioritizes responsiveness over resolution, which works well for modeling and general use, even if it’s not aimed at detailed visual review. One of the LOQ’s biggest strengths is configurability: higher RAM and storage options allow the laptop to scale with more demanding workflows over time. Overall, it’s a practical, cost-effective choice for architects who want dependable performance at a budget-friendly price point.

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Acer Nitro 5

Best Laptop for Architects under $900

The Acer Nitro V 15 is one of the most accessible entry points for architecture students and junior professionals who need real GPU power without stepping into higher price tiers. Built around Intel’s i5-13420H and paired with an RTX 5050, it’s capable of handling everyday architectural workloads such as drafting, BIM modeling and moderate 3D scenes with confidence.

This configuration works well for AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp and Rhino, while also offering enough headroom for introductory visualization and rendering tasks when projects remain at a manageable scale. The 15.6-inch FHD display keeps things straightforward and functional, offering smooth interaction without prioritizing resolution over performance.

Where the Nitro V stands out is flexibility. While the base model ships with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, higher configurations are available with significantly more memory and storage, allowing the laptop to grow alongside more demanding coursework or professional projects. The tradeoff is a simpler build and display compared to models like the ASUS TUF or Lenovo LOQ, but for students focused on capability first, the Nitro V delivers strong value for the work it’s meant to handle.

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HP Victus 16

Best Laptop for Architects under $800

The HP Victus 15.6 is a straightforward, no-frills laptop that works well for architecture students or anyone just getting started with 3D work. The Intel Core i5-12450H is fast enough for everyday tasks like drafting, documentation and working in BIM files, while the RTX 3050 gives you a real graphics card for basic modeling, shaded views and light rendering.

The 15.6-inch FHD 144Hz screen feels smooth to use and is comfortable for long work sessions, especially when moving around models or drawings. With 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, it handles multitasking well and doesn’t feel sluggish when jumping between software.

It’s not meant for heavy visualization or large-scale renders, but for students, early-career architects or anyone on a tighter budget, the Victus 15 does the job reliably without trying to be more than it is.

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Top Laptops for Architects and Designers in 2025

Premium Laptops for Architects

Best High-End Upgradeable Laptop for Architects: MSI Titan 18

Best Extreme Power Laptop for Architects: Lenovo Legion Pro 7i

Best Large Screen Laptop for Architects: Alienware m18 R2

Best High-End Gaming Laptop for Architects: Razer Blade 16

Best High-End Portable Laptop for Architects: ASUS Zephyrus G14

Best Laptop for Architects by Brand

Best Lenovo Legion Series Laptop for Architects: Lenovo Legion Pro 5i

Best Lenovo Thinkpad Series Laptop for Architects: Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 6

Best ASUS Laptop for Architects: ASUS Zephyrus G16

Best Apple Laptop (Macbook) for Architects: Apple MacBook Pro 16″ M4

Best Dell Workstation for Architects: Dell Precision 7680 16″ Mobile Workstation

Best Dell Gaming Laptop for Architects: Dell G16

Best HP Laptop for Architects: HP ZBook Fury 16 G10

Best Budget Laptop for Architects

Best Laptop for Architects under $1000: ASUS TUF A16

Best Laptop for Architects under $900: Lenovo LOQ 15

Best Laptop for Architects under $800: Acer Nitro 5

Best Laptop for Architects under $700: HP Victus 16

Top Laptops for Architects and Designers in 2024

Premium Laptops for Architects:

Best Mobile Workstation for Architects: Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2

Best Gaming Laptops for Architects: MSI 2024 Newest Katana 17 Gaming Laptop

Best Thin / Portable Laptop for Architects: Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Intel (14″)

Best Multi-Screen Laptop for Architects: ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16

Best 2-in-1 Laptop for Architects: Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2

Best Laptop for Architects by Brand

Best ASUS Laptop for Architects: ASUS 2023 ProArt StudioBook 16 OLED Laptop

Best Dell Laptop for Architects: Dell XPS 17 (2023)

Best Lenovo Laptop for Architects: Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 8

Best HP Laptop for Architects: HP ZBook Studio G10 16″ Mobile Workstation

Best Apple Laptop (MacBook) for Architects: MacBook Pro 16 M3

Best Budget Laptops for Architects

Best Laptop for Architects Under $1100: Lenovo LOQ Gaming Laptop, 15.6″

Best Laptop for Architects under $900: Dell Inspiron 14

Best Laptop for Architects under $800: HP Victus 15

Best Laptop for Architects under $700: Acer Nitro 5

Best Laptop for Architects under $600: Acer Swift 3

Top Laptops for Architects and Designers in 2023

Premium Laptops for Architects:

Best Mobile Workstation for Architects: HP ZBook Firefly G9 Mobile Workstation

Best Gaming Laptops for Architects: Dell Alienware m15 R7 Gaming Laptop

Best Touchscreen Laptop for Architects: Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 9i 14’’ Laptop

Best Multi-Screen Laptop for Architects: ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 Gaming Laptop

Best 2-in-1 Laptop for Architects: Microsoft Surface Pro 9

Best Laptops for Architects By Brand

Best HP Laptop for Architects: HP ZBook Fury G8 Mobile Workstation

Best Dell Laptop for Architects: Dell Inspiron 15.6’’ FHD Touchscreen Laptop 

Best Lenovo Laptop for Architects: Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 5 Laptop

Best MSI Laptop for Architects: MSI 2022 GE76 Raider 17.3″ 144 Hz FHD Gaming Laptop

Best Apple Laptop for Architects: Apple 2022 MacBook Pro Laptop with M2 chip

Budget Laptops for Architects and Designers:

Best Laptop for Architects Under $900: Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 Laptop

Best Laptop for Architects Under $800: HP 2023 17.3″ FHD Laptop

Best Laptop for Architects Under $700: Acer 2022 Aspire 5 Slim Laptop 15.6″

Other Considerations

Mac vs. Windows: In terms of hardware and operating system, it all comes down to your personal preference. High-end Apple and PC laptops are well geared to handle the challenges offered by the job. Windows 10 is arguably more user friendly as it supports a wide array of software but is exposed to more viruses than Mac. The Macbook Pro in particular is well perceived by professionals as being great for graphic applications but is considered by many to be overpriced. That said, Apple makes our list this year, thanks to improvements to Parallels, which allows Windows software to be run on Mac. Andy Roehl, architect at Moonlight Design Studio, LLC, asserts that “running parallels on a current Apple laptop is no problem; [it works] much better now than 10+ years ago.”

Gaming laptops: A growing trend within the architecture and design professions is the adoption of gaming laptops, thanks to their powerful specifications. Built to handle incredibly detailed graphics and demanding streaming requirements, the processing power of gaming laptops make them ideal for BIM and architectural visualization tasks, and often cost less than top-of-the-range mobile workstations. Marsha McDonald, Principal Designer and CEO of Seacrest Designs and Decor, sums it up perfectly: “If my kids are fighting me for my system (they are gamers), then I know I am golden!”

Ports and peripherals: “For peripherals,” says Christiana Copper, Project Manager at TyE Bar, LLC, “my favorite mouse is the Logitech G602 – I program canned email responses on the programmable buttons, but you could probably do CAD macros as well. I also bought monitor arms this year, and I am really enjoying them.” Consider how many USB ports, ethernet ports and other specialist ports you might need; this will vary depending on your preference for wired or wireless peripheral such as computer mice, touch pads and external hard drives.

Useful Accessories:

Vertical / Ergonomic Mouse: Allow your hand to rest at a more natural angle on the mouse, easing your muscles.

External monitor: By displaying the screen closer to your eye level, this addition to your home office makes it easier to catch details while reducing neck and back pain.

Laptop Stand: A helpful way to keep your device from overheating, these stands also allow you to adjust your laptop screen to a comfortable height. To maximize the benefits, this stand is best when accompanied by an external keyboard that keep the keys at a convenient level for your wrists.

Portable External SSD: An external hard drive is a high power way to manage archives and keep your laptop storage neat and spacious.

Got your own view on which is the best laptop for architects and architecture students? Let us know at editorial@architizer.com.

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The post 14 Top Laptops for Architects and Designers (NEW for 2026) appeared first on Journal.

Casa da Levada by Tsou Arquitectos, Penafiel, Portugal | Jury & Popular Choice Winner, Sustainable Private House, 13th Architizer A+Awards

Located in a village in Paredes, with the Tâmega River as a backdrop, Casa da Levada by Tsou Arquitectos blends into the rural landscape. A green roof extends the terrain over the house, making it look like it has always belonged to the site. The green roof not only reinforces the connection between the house and the landscape, but it also improves thermal comfort inside by reducing heat gains in summer and heat loss in winter. It also buffers rainwater and supports biodiversity.

This integration of architecture and landscape should be understood as an evolutionary process. In this context, the house, moulded by the terrain, can be interpreted as an organism that emerges from it as part of the land’s transformation over time, resulting in a construction that looks grounded and enduring.

Casa da Levada by Tsou Arquitectos, Penafiel, Portugal | Jury & Popular Choice Winner, Sustainable Private House, 13th Architizer A+Awards

The design concept draws from the action of water on the soil over long periods of time, carving grooves on the terrain and creating new forms. This process evokes a time dimension where geological transformations give rise to erosion and sedimentation. In an architectural context, and in particular, with the Casa da Levada, this process is translated into volumes, openings, spatial sequences, and materials generated by the forces of nature.

Casa da Levada by Tsou Arquitectos, Penafiel, Portugal | Jury & Popular Choice Winner, Sustainable Private House, 13th Architizer A+Awards

Beneath the green roof, the house seems to have been carved out of the terrain. Massive stone walls emerge from the ground, following the topography, while openings add porosity to the solid forms. The walls are dry-laid granite wall constructions that draw on a Portuguese building tradition of agricultural terraces and boundary walls. This technique, so beautifully reinterpreted in contemporary architecture by masters such as Alvaro Siza Vieira and Eduardo Souto de Moura, anchors the project to the site and the local culture.

A deep trench, lined by these walls, evokes the water-eroded terrain that inspired the design concept. It’s the pedestrian access to the house that, in reference to the idea of geological transformation, recalls a tectonic fault. Functionally, the path separates two volumes that form the house: one dedicated to social spaces, the other to private ones. Bisecting the house into two volumes, the path ends at the central courtyard. Yet beyond its function as a spatial organizer, the path carries a poetic charge, unfolding as a processional route reminiscent of an approach to an ancient temple.

Roof plan for Casa da Levada by Tsou Arquitectos, Penafiel, Portugal | Jury & Popular Choice Winner, Sustainable Private House, 13th Architizer A+Awards

Floor plan for Casa da Levada by Tsou Arquitectos, Penafiel, Portugal | Jury & Popular Choice Winner, Sustainable Private House, 13th Architizer A+Awards

The house’s design, form, and orientation follow the topography, emphasizing the integration of landscape and architecture. Simple geometric forms, a rectilinear grid, and an orderly arrangement of rooms evoke the rationality and clarity typically associated with modernist architecture, resulting in functional legibility and structural honesty.

All the rooms have direct access to the courtyard. Like a ruined and incomplete Vitruvian patio, the courtyard offers an outdoor space for gathering, mediating between the house and the landscape. It is paved with rectangular granite blocks—one of northern Portugal’s most enduring building materials—laid out to minimize material waste.

The direct access to the courtyard and the generous use of glass enclosures create a sense of openness that contrasts with the heaviness of the building materials and compensates for the compact footprint of the house.

Casa da Levada by Tsou Arquitectos, Penafiel, Portugal | Jury & Popular Choice Winner, Sustainable Private House, 13th Architizer A+Awards

The formal clarity and precise construction make the house look rigorous yet calm, essential yet enduring. Faithful to the modernist principles, spaces — both interior and exterior — are defined by the articulation of independent vertical and horizontal planes rather than by fully enclosed volumes. Overhangs intuitively delimit outdoor rooms and frame the surrounding landscape, while glazed pocket sliding doors enhance the indoor-outdoor continuity.

Alongside this formal clarity and construction rigor, the house has a raw quality that derives from the use of natural materials, further emphasizing the connection between architecture and landscape.

Casa da Levada by Tsou Arquitectos, Penafiel, Portugal | Jury & Popular Choice Winner, Sustainable Private House, 13th Architizer A+Awards

A restrained material and color palette facilitates the integration of the house into the landscape. The exterior walls are clad in cork panels. Cork is a renewable, carbon-negative material with excellent thermal insulation performance. Over time, it weathers naturally without the need for maintenance, gradually acquiring a tone and texture that blends with the region’s yellow granite.

Unlike the irregular stereotomy of the granite walls and pavement, the cork is precisely cut to emphasize the linearity of the house form. The base of the exterior walls is finished in locally sourced granite, offering functional protection against rising damp and mechanical damage.

Casa da Levada by Tsou Arquitectos, Penafiel, Portugal | Jury & Popular Choice Winner, Sustainable Private House, 13th Architizer A+Awards

Sustainability is a guiding principle in all technical and material choices, aligning the building with its natural surroundings and reducing its environmental footprint. Glazing is carefully oriented and protected with external shading devices—such as solar louvers and shutters—to optimize thermal solar gains in winter and mitigate overheating in summer. A strategically positioned skylight with controlled opening enables cross ventilation, allowing warm air to escape naturally and drawing in cooler air through lower shaded openings. This promotes natural airflow, reduces reliance on mechanical cooling, improves indoor air quality, and enhances thermal comfort during milder seasons.

Complementing these passive measures, the interior climate is actively regulated by a water-based radiant floor system powered by a heat pump, providing both heating and cooling. The ceramic floor finish enhances the system’s efficiency by enabling faster and more effective thermal transfer. Additionally, a Controlled Mechanical Ventilation (CMV) system with a heat exchanger ensures continuous air renewal with minimal thermal losses.

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The post Architectural Details: Evolving Portuguese Modernism at Casa da Levada appeared first on Journal.

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Lately, one name has broken the internet: Nano Banana Pro.

While the name might sound playful, the technology behind it is anything but. Officially known as Gemini 3 Pro Image, “Nano Banana” is the viral internal codename for Google’s latest image generation and editing model. Originally a hidden gem within the Gemini 2.5 Flash infrastructure, it has recently been superseded by this “Pro” iteration.

The release has triggered a polarized response. On one side, there is the very thrill of a new creative frontier; on the other, a real fear. The realism capable of being generated raises serious ethical questions regarding deepfakes, non-consensual identity usage, and misinformation. However, beyond the broader societal panic, a specific and highly technical industry is currently undergoing an existential debate, guess, yes, it’s us, architecture.

Can Nano Banana Pro change the way we design buildings? Is it a tool for liberation, or the announcer of the end for the ArchViz profession?

The Community Divide: Excitement vs. Anxiety

The discourse is perhaps most heated on Reddit. In the r/GeminiAI and r/ArchViz communities, threads dedicated to Nano Banana Pro are a mix of excitement and defensiveness. Users are flocking to these channels to share workflows, but they are also asking the uncomfortable question: Does this make the human artist ancient?

One user on the r/ArchViz subreddit offered a nuanced take that caught my attention. They argued that while AI is powerful, it lacks the accuracy required for high-stakes professional work:

“I really don’t think there is any AI out there that can outright replace 3D artists […] The only place where AI is being used heavily is to enhance already done renders […] When you really need to present renders at council hall approvals, stakeholder meetings, or to the municipality, you need to accurately depict the surroundings as is. That level of detail and control is really not possible with AI; it will mess up something in multiple angles.”

So, AI “hallucinations” (where a model invents details that don’t exist) are acceptable in concept art but a fatal problem in construction documents. If an interior designer specifies a particular fabric from a manufacturer, or a specific joinery detail, an AI that “vibes” the answer is insufficient. As the user said, “If you’re an expert, you should be leveraging your skill to create actual renders […] AI is not going to get everything right.”.

The Expert View: Reading the Blueprints

Conceptual Diagram, image generated by the author using Gemini 3 Pro Image

Despite concerns about accuracy, the model’s ability to understand technical input is quite good. Ismail Seleit, an architect and AI advocate, recently shared his experiments on LinkedIn:

“First of all, I am super impressed by the graphical quality […] This is not a vector-based model, (so I have) no idea how it does that.” He pointed out that Nano Banana Pro didn’t just generate pretty pictures; it interpreted plans in a way that created genuine architectural ideation. “Plans also start to give you some interesting ideas; I found this exercise really refreshing in that sense.”

This view also shows some parallels to some reviews I came across on X (Twitter), user @ai_for_success tweeted:

“Nano Banana Pro / Gemini 3 Pro Image is crazy. It turned this blueprint into a realistic 3D image. It did not just create the image, it first read the blueprint properly and then created the final output with every small detail.”

This ability to “read” rather than just “dream” is what sets this generation of AI apart.

The Experiment: Testing the Formula

To truly understand the tool’s capabilities, I decided to run my own experiment. The goal was to move from a raw concept to a render using Nano Banana Pro.

Many users recommend a specific prompt formula to maximize the model’s output: Subject + Action + Environment + Style + Lighting + Details.

Step 1: The Concept

The Main Render (Front View), image generated by the author using Gemini 3 Pro Image

I began by asking Gemini to generate a text-based conceptual floor plan for a museum. The AI proposed a two-story structure featuring:

Ground Floor: A central atrium lobby, a grand staircase, a large exhibition hall, a café, and a gift shop.

Second Floor: A secondary exhibition hall, classrooms, and staff offices.

Exterior: A garden with organic, winding paths.

Step 2: The “Engineer” Pivot

The Side View (Right View), image generated by the author using Gemini 3 Pro Image

When I initially asked for a “front view” based on this description, the model struggled to maintain coherence. I switched tactics, uploading the plan and asking for a render. Interestingly, Nano Banana Pro pushed back. It stated, “I cannot directly generate a render file… but I can act as your prompt engineer.”

This was an interesting moment for me because I thought I had done something wrong, checked the process, re-requested the action, received a similar reply, and then built a prompt again to get a response, which highlighted that the “human in the loop” is still essential. The AI needed me to guide it, to approve the translation of visual data into a descriptive prompt.

Step 3: The Execution

The Aerial View (Bird’s Eye), image generated by the author using Gemini 3 Pro Image

Using the “Prompt Engineer’s” suggestion and the community formula, I constructed the final prompt:

Subject: A contemporary, two-story art museum with a flat white roof and limestone cladding.
Action: Cultural landmark.

Environment: A garden with winding paths and abstract metal sculptures.

Style: Photorealistic architectural render, 8k resolution, cinematic wide-angle.

Lighting: Golden hour, with warm artificial light spilling from the windows.

Details: Weathering on the stone, HVAC units on the roof, and silhouetted figures for scale.

The Result

Interior, image generated by the author using Gemini 3 Pro Image

The output was good.

However, it wasn’t perfect (and I wasn’t expecting it to be perfect). When I requested different angles or specific architectural diagrams (like an isometric cutaway), the model often drifted. It required constant “re-prompting” to ensure the sculpture garden stayed in the same place or that the window mullions remained consistent.

Nano Banana vs. Midjourney vs. DALL-E

Model Comparison – Image generated using the same architectural prompt (at DALL·E) to evaluate consistency in instruction-following performance across models.

With the arrival of Nano Banana Pro, the “Big Three” of AI-generated visuals have finally settled into separate roles.

For years, Midjourney and DALL-E 3 have been the industry standards, but they serve different masters. Midjourney is the “dreamer,” with mostly cinematic lighting, artistic details and mood. DALL-E 3, on the other hand, is the “communicator,” easy to use and mostly loyal to your prompt instructions, but often lacking that final layer of realism.

Nano Banana Pro (Gemini) has carved out a third, more technical niche: the “engineer.”

While Midjourney and DALL-E excel at conceptualizing a project, Nano Banana Pro could excel at visualizing it. Its potential for realistic visualization and detailed edits is significantly higher. It can pull real-world textures (like specific limestone weathering or accurate glass reflections) that feel less like a painting and more like a photograph.

But the true game-changer is blueprint literacy.

Midjourney often treats a floor plan as a collection of abstract lines, creating “artistic” interpretations that don’t make structural sense. Nano Banana Pro’s ability to “read” the blueprint is a massive plus. It interprets the lines as architectural instructions, creating a result that respects the intended spatial logic.

The Verdict: Inspiration, Not Replacement

So, where does this leave us?

For now, designers are safe. The consensus (and my experiment confirms this) is that while Nano Banana Pro is a good engine for ideation, it is not yet a replacement for documentation.

We are likely moving toward a hybrid workflow. In the next five years, AI literacy in construction and architecture may become as standard as knowing AutoCAD or Revit. We will use tools like this to iterate through “moods” and “atmospheres” in the early stages, before moving to traditional BIM software for the precision required to actually build.

There are, of course, the critical questions we chose to set aside for this experiment: the environmental cost of training these massive models and the energy consumption required to generate every “banana” output.

Nano Banana Pro is not an architect or designer. It is a mirror. It reflects our ideas back to us, sharper and brighter than we imagined, but it still requires a human hand to hold it stable.

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The post The Nano Banana Effect: How Google’s Viral AI is Reshaping Architectural Visualization appeared first on Journal.

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You notice the staircase first. Bronze-painted steel, floating in the center of the lobby. Then you look closer and catch the treads: Pietra d’Avola, a rich, chocolatey Sicilian limestone that Salvatori — the Tuscan stone house founded near Carrara in 1946 — has spent decades championing as a warmer alternative to the whites that dominate contemporary interiors. If you know Salvatori’s work, you know the story: Guido Salvatori invented the split-face finish in 1950, the company developed Lithoverde (the first recycled natural stone composite) sixty years later, the staircase isn’t just a staircase.

This is how Hotel AKA NoMad unfolds for anyone with a trained eye. Piero Lissoni’s first New York City hotel, which opened in May 2023 at 131 Madison Avenue, is filled with objects that carry histories, and those histories are legible to anyone who knows where to look.

The sofas, for instance. They’re Living Divani, which means more than fifty years of Brianza upholstery tradition, which means Lissoni’s three-and-a-half-decade tenure as the company’s art director, which means a particular philosophy about proportion and comfort: how seat depth relates to backrest height, how foam densities and frame engineering can produce ease without visual bulk. His Frog chair, designed for Living Divani in 1995, anticipated the low-slung seating that would come to define contemporary interiors. His Extrasoft sofa, launched in 2008, remains a reference point for modular upholstery. To sit on one of these pieces at Hotel AKA NoMad is to sit inside a body of work.

The furniture tells a similar story. Porro, the Brianza manufacturer where Lissoni has served as art director since 1989, built its identity on what the company calls “subtraction” — progressive simplification that strips furniture to essential geometry. That thinking lives throughout the hotel’s guestrooms. It lives, too, in the Fantini bathroom fixtures: a family-owned manufacturer on Lake Orta, founded in 1947, whose collaborations with leading designers have shaped contemporary fixture design. Lissoni’s own Aboutwater collection, co-designed with Naoto Fukasawa for Fantini, brought architectural rigor to the bathroom. These are not anonymous fittings; they are icons of design that have provenance.

Even the art is chosen at this level of specificity. The Poster Club, the Copenhagen platform that curates emerging Scandinavian artists, selected the guestroom works — pieces by Atelier Cph, Estelle Graf, Moe Made It, Nord Projects — for what the hotel describes as “soft, organic, graphic, simple shapes” in dialogue with Lissoni’s interiors. In the lobby, a different register: textile pieces by X+L, the Amsterdam duo Xander Vervoort and Leon van Boxtel, who have worked together since 1996. Their hand-dyed and hand-woven silk compositions, abstract and geometric, carry visible irregularity. They call it “the human touch.”

The through-line is a craft that can be traced. Every element connects to a workshop, a philosophy, a position within the discipline. For visitors who carry that knowledge, the hotel reveals itself. For those who don’t, the coherence still registers with warmth, restraint, the sense that decisions have been made consciously and meticulously.

AKA, the hospitality brand behind the project, built its model on extended stays: weeks and months rather than nights. A division of Korman Communities, a five-generation Philadelphia real estate family, the company operates sixteen properties and positions itself around “livability” and the idea that a hotel should function as a temporary residence rather than a way station. The Lissoni collaboration, which began with Hotel AKA Alexandria, reflects that ambition.

Architizer spoke with Larry Korman, CEO of AKA, about the design philosophy behind the property, the Lissoni partnership, and what it means to create spaces that feel genuinely inhabitable.

You’ve staked your brand identity on creating the “World’s Most Livable Hotels.” What are the non-negotiable design and experiential elements that make a hotel truly livable versus simply luxurious?

The ‘World’s Most Livable Hotel’ means designing spaces that feel genuinely like home, with comfort, functionality and thoughtful design at every turn, intended to welcome guests for weeks or even months at a time. Design sits at the core of AKA’s identity, turning each stay from simply purposeful to truly memorable. Each property reflects its surroundings while maintaining refinement and understated elegance, with intuitive layouts, personalized service and curated business, wellness and lifestyle amenities that bring the ease of residential living into every stay. Art and design have always been central to AKA, and Hotel AKA NoMad is a natural extension of that philosophy. Designed by Piero Lissoni, it showcases cultured, unique artistic flair to match the creativity of downtown Manhattan, offering our discerning travelers the world’s most livable hotel in one of New York City’s premier design destinations.

Hotel AKA NoMad marks Lissoni’s first NYC hotel. What drew you to his work, and how does his Japanese-Scandinavian minimalism align with AKA’s residential philosophy?

AKA has a long-standing creative partnership with Piero Lissoni, whose design philosophy resonates deeply with AKA’s own. Lissoni’s Italian design heritage with Japanese-Scandinavian minimalist influences, where quiet elegance, functionality and calm coexist, mirrors AKA’s residential approach, creating spaces where guests feel truly at home while immersed in thoughtful, sophisticated design. As leaders in long-stay accommodations, we apply our residential philosophies to elevate traditional hotels into more livable, high-quality spaces — a vision strengthened by Lissoni’s work.

Hotel AKA NoMad, Lissoni’s first New York City hotel and his second collaboration with AKA after Hotel AKA Alexandria, brings this philosophy to life. From guestrooms to public spaces, his intentional approach transforms the property into a serene retreat in Manhattan’s Design District, balancing tranquility with the energy of the city. This collaboration highlights the seamless blend of comfort, privacy and style that distinguishes AKA within the hospitality landscape. The property offers a luxury escape that is truly quiet, and people can retreat and feel calm.

You’ve positioned this hotel in Manhattan’s Design District. How does a neighborhood’s creative energy influence this property and indeed the other properties in the portfolio, and how does the hotel contribute back to NoMad’s design culture?

NoMad has become one of Manhattan’s most exciting neighborhoods, and that energy definitely shapes the vibe at Hotel AKA NoMad. Being in the heart of the Design District means we’re surrounded by innovative studios, showrooms and creative projects that are breathing new life into historic buildings and that inspiration shows up throughout the hotel. Our guests get to experience the best of the neighborhood, from the Empire State Building views in our Empire Suite to strolls through Madison Square, and all the furniture and design showrooms nearby.

At the same time, we contribute by creating spaces that celebrate design and craftsmanship. The hotel’s style and programming are all about reflecting the neighborhood’s creative pulse while offering a refined, welcoming place to stay. It’s really a two-way relationship: NoMad inspires us, and we aim to contribute to its reputation as a hub for design and culture.

From that floating origami staircase to custom window seats in the guestrooms — these feel like deliberate investments in moments of pause. How do you think about the role of these human-scaled design gestures in shifting how guests inhabit space?

The signature spiral staircase at Hotel AKA NoMad is more than just a design element; it’s a journey of elegance, form and function. As one of Lissoni’s signature architectural statements, the staircase anchors the lobby and becomes one of the very first elements guests encounter when they walk in, immediately setting the tone for the refined, sculptural design narrative that carries throughout the property.

At AKA, we see every detail as an opportunity to create moments that make guests slow down and engage with their surroundings. These touches help transform a room from simply a place to stay into an experience that feels personal and thoughtful. By designing for comfort, curiosity and discovery, we encourage guests to inhabit the hotel in a more intentional, immersive way. Ultimately, it’s these subtle gestures that make a stay at AKA feel both luxurious and distinctly memorable.

With 16 properties across multiple continents, what is it you do to maintain design integrity while responding to each location’s unique character? What’s the through-line that makes an AKA property recognizable?

Our design process starts by really getting to know each location. Every property reflects its city, from the historic charm of Philadelphia to the relaxed sophistication of West Palm, to the lively energy of New York City, while keeping the warm, residential feel that’s unmistakably AKA. We lean into minimalist design: clean lines, natural materials, uncluttered spaces and understated touches that create a calm, welcoming vibe.

Across all our properties, the goal is the same: spaces that feel like home, where guests can cook in their own kitchen, work from their living room, or just unwind in comfort. Signature details like tailored furniture, a balance of style and functionality, and nods to the local neighborhood make each property feel connected to its city, yet instantly recognizable as AKA. With five generations of the Korman family’s experience in residential real estate shaping everything we do, we aim to offer spaces that are authentic, thoughtful and a little sanctuary-like, no matter where you stay.

How people work and travel has fundamentally changed over the last five years. How has AKA’s residential-forward model stepped up to meet that shifting mindset and reach new guest expectations, and what are you hearing from your visitors about what it is they need from hospitality now?

AKA has been at the forefront of the luxury long-stay market since 2005, offering a unique hotel-home hybrid that anticipates what today’s travelers are seeking. The last few years have accelerated a shift in how people work and travel — hybrid work, leisure trips and longer stays are now the norm. Guests aren’t just looking for a place to sleep; they want a residence where they can truly live. That means spacious accommodations with gourmet kitchens to cook in, living rooms to relax and entertain, and in-residence amenities like laundry to make life easier.

At the same time, they expect a high-level service consistency and thoughtful touches that only a hotel can provide. What we’re hearing from our visitors is clear: flexibility, comfort and authenticity are key. Extended-stay models like AKA have proven resilient and sustainable because they meet these needs, giving guests the freedom to work, live and explore while enjoying the stability and care of a luxury hotel environment.

When AKA entered the hotel space, it did so by reimagining what a stay could feel like, bringing residential warmth and spaciousness into a luxury hospitality framework. Rather than adapting to trends, AKA has consistently shaped them, creating a category where design, comfort and long-term livability coexist.

As you look ahead, what’s the next frontier for livable luxury? Where is AKA — and the industry — heading in terms of how we design for the way people actually want to live?

With Airbnb and other players exploring hotel-focused models, it’s clear the long-stay, hybrid hotel-residence space is gaining renewed attention. Extended-stay and hotel-residence models like AKA have proven resilient because they combine the freedom of a home with high-level service consistency and the flexibility that only a hotel can deliver. Where others have struggled to make longer stays seamless, this model remains sustainable, meeting the evolving needs of travelers who want both independence and reliability.

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Images Courtesy of Hotel AKA NoMad

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Inclusive growth and competitiveness. They seem like oxymorons, until we look at nature itself. The great teacher of how we should develop, walk through any relatively untouched environment, and it quickly becomes clear how these concepts can coexist in harmony.

The forest is a timeless example of inclusive growth. An ecosystem in which all species are given the nutrients they need to flourish, provided they were meant to flourish there. But this doesn’t remove competitive instincts — there’s a reason why trees rise and reach for the sky. Every living thing, from the floor to the canopy, is jostling for a prime spot that offers what they’re looking for.

Humans, or at least modern society, are often less prone to this type of collaboration. Not that the doyens of Big Tech, private equity and venture capital would ever admit their use of ‘collab’ is a misnomer.

True collaboration is open-ended, the journey is the experience, and where we might end up is only clear once we get there. In many ways, it’s a mirror image of the evolutionary process.

How can a building foster this kind of mentality and behavior? In Southern India, the Centre for Inclusive Growth & Competitiveness for Tapmi is a case study for this kind of design, hence picking up the Jury Award in the Community Centers category in the 13th Architizer A+Awards. (The building also graces the cover of the 2026 edition of the World’s Best Architecture book.)

The new canopies at the Centre for Inclusive Growth & Competitiveness for Tapmi by Purple Ink Studio, Manipal, India | Jury Winner, Community Centers, 13th Architizer A+Awards

The namesake town has blossomed from a few thousand to a few tens of thousands of residents in a relatively brief amount of time. 50-60% of those people are students. This reflects a relatively high standard of living in the municipality — poverty levels are below the national average — but academia can present as closed to those not enrolled.

Problems in the original 40-acre campus blueprint included a lack of social spaces for informal and unplanned interactions, promoting isolation within the student body. Purple Ink Studio was asked to overcome separation lines and has done so without resorting to obvious solutions.

Top-down view of the campus at the Centre for Inclusive Growth & Competitiveness for Tapmi by Purple Ink Studio, Manipal, India | Jury Winner, Community Centers, 13th Architizer A+Awards

So, rather than building upwards to facilitate the inclusion of indoor recreation and common rooms, the team opted instead to look at roof terrace options — a challenging approach, given the heavy rainfall this part of India is known for.

As images of the final project show, the answer was found in the forests beyond the campus periphery. Inspired by tree canopies, organic covers have been erected over the new terraces, meaning they can be used in (almost) all conditions.

The fact that these spaces are outside is also highly deliberate, as it opens up opportunities for unexpected interactions and collaborations which would be difficult, if not impossible, if social and community areas were kept behind closed doors. Open in description only, but in reality, closed off.

Centre for Inclusive Growth & Competitiveness for Tapmi by Purple Ink Studio, Manipal, India | Jury Winner, Community Centers, 13th Architizer A+Awards

Purple Ink’s new canopies act as an aesthetic bridge between two worlds — the built and natural environment. In turn, this helps bring the campus outside of its protected, gated comfort zone and into a living, breathing place of unpredictability and open possibility. An achievement that becomes more pronounced with the innovative Angala.

This open-air amphitheater is defined as a “hub for several activities”, and its position means it very nearly dissipates into the main road that runs by the campus.

Rather than dividing life outside from the people within the institution, both are actively invited to take an interest in one another. It might be pushing it to expect game-changing ideas to develop from this loose point of engagement. But it also might not be.

13th Architizer A+Awards book cover featuring Centre for Inclusive Growth & Competitiveness for Tapmi by The Purple Ink Studio, Manipal, India | Photo by Saurabh Suryan | Jury Winner, Community Centers, 13th Architizer a+Awards

We’ve seen before how planning that doesn’t specifically define the use of a space is actually a more human and natural approach to development. There’s not a species on the planet that stands still in evolutionary terms, and humans are particularly listless in their ways of thinking, interests, and socioeconomic structures.

Our built environment needs to represent this and have the ability to facilitate whatever comes next in Tapmi. The studio has responded to very specific elements of a brief, which identified specific things that were missing from the Centre. How interesting that what seems to have been missing was the ability to escape the prescribed and find purpose-made pockets purpose-made to be adapted without prior notice.

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These days, it seems every brand describes itself as “sustainable.” The word appears on packaging, websites and press releases so often that it’s in danger of losing its meaning (architects take note: we’ve written about this before!). But every once in a while, a firm or a company comes along for which sustainability isn’t a tagline; it’s an ethos.

In the world of architectural materials, Cosentino is one of those rare examples. From its base in Almería, Spain, this family-run company has transformed from a local marble processor, founded back in 1945, into one of the world’s leading producers of architectural surfaces. The minds behind designer favorites like Silestone and Dekton continue to innovate; they have recently announced a groundbreaking new material that pushes both performance and sustainability to new heights: Ēclos. The story behind the new product is a microcosm of the brand’s mission. Yet to understand what makes Cosentino different, you have to look beyond its products and dive into its philosophy.

Innovation as a Way of Life

From the mountains of Almería to global design applications, Cosentino’s evolution reflects the fusion of natural stone and advanced technology. | Photo via Cosentino

At Cosentino, innovation and sustainability have always been two sides of the same coin. Each new material the company develops is both a technical advancement and an environmental experiment. When Silestone revolutionized the countertop market in the 1990s, it redefined what engineered stone could be. When Dekton arrived in 2013, it introduced ultra-compact surfaces built to last decades.

Now, with Ēclos, Cosentino has taken another leap — this time by creating an entirely new category of surface technology: the Inlayered Mineral Surface. Developed using proprietary Inlayr® technology, Ēclos fuses multiple mineral layers to achieve realistic 3D depth, veining and texture that extend through the material’s thickness. It’s made with at least 50% recycled minerals, with some colors reaching up to 90%, and it’s completely free of crystalline silica, marking a major health and safety milestone.

A New Benchmark for Architectural Surfaces

Swatches of Ēclos color options, from left, Tajnar; Legnd; Phantome.

Ēclos isn’t simply a new aesthetic — it’s a demonstration of what happens when design, engineering and sustainability converge. The surface offers high impact resistance, thermal tolerance up to 220°C (428°F), and improved flexibility that allows for larger slab formats and finer detailing. In practical terms, that means architects can use it for everything from kitchen islands to interior cladding.

But perhaps its most important innovation lies in its intent: to show that material progress is at its best when undergirded by an ethical approach. By removing crystalline silica and incorporating recycled content, Ēclos embodies Cosentino’s belief that true innovation must sustain the systems — human, environmental — it touches. As a result, Ēclos isn’t just a product launch; it’s a statement of Cosentino’s ethos.

A Global Brand in a Remote Landscape

Cosentino’s industrial park, seen from above. 

Unlike many design companies headquartered in major cities, Cosentino’s story begins far from Spain’s metropolitan centers. Its vast industrial park sits in the arid region of Cantoria, in Almería, surrounded by desert hills dotted with vast expanses of greenhouses. For the company, this geography isn’t a logistical challenge — it’s a defining advantage.

Because the community around Cosentino is small, the company’s success is inseparable from the vitality of the region. In a place where rural flight threatens to drain local populations, Cosentino has invested heavily in maintaining culture and opportunity. On top of being a motor for local employment, it invests in educational programs for local students and cultural initiatives in nearby locales, ensuring that the community sustaining the company can, in turn, sustain itself. This definition of sustainability is as much social as it is environmental.

Sustainability as Survival

Solar panels that power Cosentino’s campus. 

A company based in a remote region can only endure if its ecosystem endures too. In Cosentino’s view, sustainability isn’t a corporate add-on — it’s existential. Cosentino’s facilities run on 100% renewable electricity, reuse 99% of process water, and incorporate recycled minerals into their materials — the impetus for this approach is not simply that these practices look good in a report (to be clear, they do), but actually because they make sound business sense.

Like the greenhouses that cloak the arid earth in nearby regions, Cosentino’s campus embraces the unrelenting sunlight that beats down on the region for over 3,000 hours every year. To this end, over 60,000 photovoltaic panels have been installed to capture this solar energy. Meanwhile, closed-loop water systems conserve resources and lower costs: this investment in water treatment is already paying off in spades while its nearby towns reap the benefits.

Likewise, new circular production models are securing the company’s independence in a resource-constrained world. Why not find ways to make an income on what would otherwise be a by-product? In short, the operation exemplifies that what’s good for the planet can also be good for the bottom line. This pragmatic idealism — the idea that doing right by the environment also means investing in the company’s future — is a long-term strategy that expands commonplace definitions of sustainability.

An Industrial Ideal, Revisited

Another view of Cosentino’s industrial park in the mountains of Spain’s Almería province. 

Cosentino’s approach might feel radical in the 21st century, but its roots reach back to the earliest experiments in socially oriented design. In the 18th and 19th centuries, figures like Claude-Nicolas Ledoux and Robert Owen imagined utopian industrial communities. Ledoux’s City of Chaux placed a saltworks at the heart of a perfectly ordered society. The British model village of Saltaire did much the same, pairing factories with access to education and housing homes to support workers’ well-being.

By the early 20th century, Ebenezer Howard’s “Garden Cities of To-morrow” and Tony Garnier’s “Cité Industrielle” expanded those ideas, merging industry and ecology in self-sustaining settlements. Each vision, in its own way, argued that production and place were interdependent. In Cosentino’s Almería campus, those historic ideals find a contemporary echo. It’s not a utopia, but a functioning model of what an industrial ecosystem can look like when designed with long-term sustainability in mind. From Southern Spain to global outlets, the company’s ongoing evolution proves that this holistic definition of sustainability doesn’t have to be abstract or aspirational; it can be operational, measurable, and even profitable — the logic of a company that plans to be around for generations.

Sustainability as Innovation, Innovation as Sustainability

A kitchen richly detailed with Cosentino’s new Ēclos surface. 

For architects, the connection between innovation and sustainability is increasingly clear: the most forward-looking materials are those designed to endure.  In an era when “greenwashing” can make even sincere sustainability efforts seem suspect, Cosentino’s approach feels refreshingly grounded. The company doesn’t separate environmental performance from economic pragmatism or social responsibility. Instead, it treats them as the same problem to solve — a systems design challenge that architects will immediately recognize.

Architects today talk about regenerative design, buildings that give back more than they take, and Cosentino’s example suggests that manufacturers, too, can operate regeneratively. For architects specifying materials, it offers not just technical assurance, but a story worth sharing — one that aligns with the growing cultural demand for transparency and care in design.

Meanwhile, as global design moves toward circularity and climate responsibility, Cosentino offers a powerful reminder: the future of architecture depends not only on what we build, but on how we make the materials that make it possible. For architects looking to specify surfaces that align performance with purpose, Ēclos marks a new chapter in that story — a material built not just to last, but to sustain.

The jury is deliberating... stay tuned for the winners of Architizer's A+Product Awards! Register for the A+Product Awards Newsletter to receive future program updates.

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