What is a good room? For this issue, The Architectural Review asked architects, curators and writers to describe a good domestic setting – real, remembered or imagined. For some, the room is one designed by Álvaro Siza or Jean-François Zevaco; for others, it is one depicted in an artwork, from a Berliner Zimmer in an 1845 painting by Adolph Menzel, to a pavilion painted in a 14th-century Chinese scroll by Ni Zan. A few offered reflections on the absence of satisfactory living spaces in subdivided apartments or the disappearance of the living room in London’s overheated housing market. Good rooms are also recognised in the AR House awards, now in their 15th year and continuing to question the possibilities of the house’s form and programme. Read the full editorial

Architecture is a site of exchange, involving countless conversations between architects as well as an ecosystem of clients, craftspeople, builders, manufacturers and more. Sharing knowledge and experience across geographies and generations is central to the AR Emerging awards, which launched 25 years ago and grant early recognition to young architects around the world. Today, each edition brings together judges and finalists in productive in-person dialogue before an overall winner is chosen. This issue features profiles of the 15 finalists of the 2024 AR Emerging awards, whose work tackles the numerous crises facing the profession. Read the full editorial

Concrete is the most consumed material on the planet after water, with more than 10 billion tonnes produced each year. Unlike water, it is a human-made product that is wrenched, crushed and sweated out of the environment. Although architects, planners and developers know that the use of concrete must be reduced across the construction industry, its production is instead increasing. This issue examines the factors that stand in the way of a radical shift away from carbon-intensive building materials such as cement and concrete. Read the full editorial