Building Design
Page 2
Designers vs. Climate Change
Like a growing number of her peers, architect Stephanie Horowitz believes in the design community’s inherent responsibility to address climate issues. So much so that her firm works only with clients who want to build or retrofit buildings that aim for net-zero energy use. Read the entire article at Architectural Digest. “When we meet […]
Balancing the Effect of Urban Development on Nature
Cities and the natural world seem to be at opposite ends of a spectrum, at least according to the dominant thinking of city dwellers: Keep the wolves out and the Thai takeout close. Country folks, on the other hand, readily extol the virtues of clean air, water, greenery and birdsong. Read the entire article […]
“Vertical Village” Built of Wood to Rise in Paris
Sou Fujimoto, Nicolas Laisne and Dimitri Roussel have won a competition to design a striking new mixed-use development as a counterpoint to Paris’ urban sprawl. Titled “Vertical Village,” the 164-foot-tall tower will be built almost entirely of timber, and it will serve as a “new gateway” to the east suburb Rosny-sous-Bois. The nearly 400-foot-long timber-framed […]
Apple Now Runs on 100% Clean Energy
The most important thing about the company’s big renewable push is that it’s bringing everyone (from suppliers to local utilities) along for the ride. Read the entire article at Fast Company. You have to see Apple’s Reno, Nevada, data center from the inside to truly understand how huge it is. It’s made up of […]
Tesla Installing World’s Largest Solar Rooftop on Nevada Gigafactory
Tesla is building a massive rooftop solar array on top of its Gigafactory 1 (GF1) outside Sparks, Nevada. Once finished, the 70-megawatt system will be the largest in the world by far. The current record-holder is the comparatively shrimpy 11.5-megawatt array in India that can power 8,000 homes. Read the entire article at EcoWatch. The […]
DFA’s flood-proof towers could survive six feet of sea level rise in Manhattan
New York-based architecture firm DFA just unveiled plans for 19 cylindrical apartment towers that can survive six feet of sea level rise at Manhattan’s Pier 40. The towers are wrapped in lattice facades with lots of vegetation, and they’re designed to address the city’s lack of affordable housing and flood-resistant buildings. Read the […]
Resilient Design Saves $6 for Every $1 Spent
A National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) study determined that every federal dollar spent on disaster resiliency and mitigation can save the U.S. an average of six dollars on disaster recovery. Read the entire article at CITYLAB. NIBS studied mitigation measures such as demolishing flood-prone homes; using hurricane shutters and other wind-resistant strategies; shoring up building […]
Sustainable “Sand Dune” Emerges from the Desert
Located in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, Bee’ah headquarters’ dune-like design is both inspired by, and intended to blend in with, the local desert landscape. It will serve a Middle East environmental waste management company and is slated for LEED Platinum (a green building standard) certification. Read the entire article at New Atlas. Recycled building […]
Renewables Cheaper than Fossil Fuels by 2020
The cost of renewable energy is now falling so fast that it should be a consistently cheaper source of electricity generation than traditional fossil fuels within just a few years, according to a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Read the entire article at Forbes. The organisation – which has more […]
Stockholm Pursues Climate Holy Grail: a Fossil Fuel-Free Future
Stockholm’s clean energy and sustainability measures have been deployed to create two of the city’s most remarkable eco-districts. Read the entire article at The Huffington Post. Stockholm Royal Seaport is known in the city as a “second-generation sustainable city district.” The 650-acre area was the focus of a comprehensive 20-year sustainability program for the area […]
