REGENERATION & RESILIENCE -
Neighbourhood Futures sets out five complementary capacities to help generate
tailored, scalable strategies for climate resilience and health equity in
cities.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Inspired by work on lunar resource extraction, the Helios Cycle creates zero
direct emissions and uses 30% less energy than traditional methods of extracting iron — offering
transformational potential for the heavy-emitting steel industry.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Mycocycle and Mogu are harnessing mycelium to transform industrial waste into
resilient, circular materials for the construction sector.
REGENERATION & RESILIENCE -
In our VUCA world, the ability to adapt and thrive amid compound challenges is crucial. Here are just a few examples of future-proof models for communities, businesses, ecosystems, technologies and more that have us excited about the growing resilience movement.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Aspen Distillers’ new, carbon-negative facility — the world’s first LEED Platinum-certified distillery — includes a parcel dedicated to regenerative agriculture and pioneering water re-entry processes, and is designed for net-positive energy use.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation outlines six circular strategies to transform
Europe’s built environment that will boost economic activity, increase climate
resilience, and make cities more vibrant places to live and work.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Shah Hemp Innoventures turns typically wasted ‘weeds’ into a resource for
literally building a more sustainable, equitable economy.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
UNIDO and the GCCA have partnered to decarbonize the cement and concrete
industry, with a strong focus on the Global South; while Cambridge researchers
have developed a potentially game-changing cement-recycling process.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
In addition to generating 8% of global carbon emissions, recent studies have
highlighted another negative impact of the world’s most popular building
material — its weight, which is causing a host of coastal cities to sink faster
than sea levels are rising.
FROM PURPOSE TO ACTION: BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE TOGETHER -
Repairs and reconstruction are critical for improving the state of our country’s
infrastructure. Advancements in elastomers and PCR plastics in asphalt can
enhance road integrity, increase roads’ lifespan and pave the way for a circular
economy.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
Focusing on the material footprint of the upcoming summer Games, Paris 2024 is
leaning heavily into recycled materials and plans for reuse of all temporary
infrastructure, furniture and equipment.
MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Shaw’s Kellie Ballew spoke with Stacy Smedley, executive director of Building
Transparency, about the organization’s role in decarbonizing the construction
industry.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Cities and states are incentivizing retrofits because buildings are major emitters — and because retrofit investments offer significant long-term ROI through energy savings alone.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
The retailer argued that a new store would be 25% more energy efficient; but environmentalists say the Oxford Street demolish-rebuild plan would have sent 40K tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Constructing a sustainable built environment requires more than efficient design, equipment and materials — but processes and workflows that say exactly where and how these assets combine to streamline processes as much as
possible.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
In 2021, global construction projects consumed 30B tonnes of cement to make concrete — with every tonne emitting almost a tonne of CO2. The good news is, technologies already exist to reduce the impact of concrete production.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
HOK’s design focus is not only on reducing building emissions, but also the environmental impact of materials and the health of building occupants. The firm's regenerative design studio also explores how buildings can be net positive for the environment.
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS -
Shaw spoke with 'Metropolis' Editor-in-Chief Avinash Rajagopal about how to best tackle the complexity of sustainability, and how the design industry is adopting a more interconnected perspective on the subject.
MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Acknowledging that many textile manufacturers are vague about their products, with little to no proof of sustainability or misrepresenting their claims, can be disheartening. But there are a few key ways to identify a greenwashed product.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
THRIVE Collaborative designed Veridian from an honest look at what is actually required for a housing community to achieve net-zero goals.