INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Here, Shaw Industries’ VP of Global Sustainability, Kellie Ballew; and Rachel Hodgdon, CEO of the International WELL Building Institute, discuss game-changing trends in building design — all centered around a new focus on human health and wellbeing.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
At Auburn University’s architectural-training program, “housing is health.” Associate Director Rusty Smith asserts: “As architects, we have a professional responsibility. It's not only an ethical or moral responsibility; it's a professional responsibility, as well, to act when we see people in crisis.”
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
If an organization commissions a multimillion-dollar building or renovation, how can it double or triple the social and environmental benefits from its investment? Many green building standards already exist, but what if it was possible to go beyond them — to design a building process that was transformational in its execution?
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
In our experience, it’s challenging to proceed from knowing your company’s emissions profile to crafting a climate action plan to reduce it. Successful companies will adopt the right mix of strategies for them — which is where the bigger challenge comes in.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Geoship’s bioceramic, climate-resilient dome villages offer a glimpse into a new model of zero-carbon community living and a future-proof world built through regenerative architecture.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
What is 'material'? And how can a slight play on words help brands make more sustainable, healthier material choices in the built environment to reduce risk and benefit all stakeholders — from investors to employees and communities, to the planet?
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Shaw’s Tim Conway recently spoke with the Lab's director, Alison Mears, about how it is raising awareness about building material ingredients and educating the next generation of designers and architects.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
AZEK’s FULL-CIRCLE PVC Recycling program helped it collect approximately 400M pounds of recycled product for reuse in 2020 — with the hope that this entire value-chain approach can disrupt the plastic waste paradigm meaningfully, as AZEK continues to scale up collection and processing.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
An awareness of these circular strategies will identify opportunities for any project team to consider the potential of a more 'constructive' future for the built environment.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Cuningham was commissioned to estimate GHG emissions for a company with $6.6B in annual sales and operations in 14 states, with 305 locations comprising more than 4M square feet. Companies’ real work begins when their GHGs are known and
they can decide how to respond to newfound knowledge about their impacts.
MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Brightworks’ materials scoring methodology distills existing product sustainability standards and attributes into holistic, comparable, numerical scores — making it easier for manufacturers, the design industry and design
clients to create and select more sustainable materials.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
Simply returning profits to investors is no longer a good enough measure of success. If any stakeholder does not see benefits in the design of a capital project, then gaining support is unlikely. Is your organization ready for multi-stakeholder investment and design?
MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
New partner Fortera’s material converts carbon dioxide into cement, reducing CO₂ emissions by more than 60% — and costs 10% less than conventional cement.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Aidia Studio’s pre-Hispanic Mayan-inspired design is a much-needed evolutionary twist on current architecture that will help ensure the survival of the Mexican city’s transport links during increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
As the latest company to use its size and scale to help equip the next generation of workers, SBD’s ‘Empower Makers’ grants aim to advance and accelerate vocational skills training programs in the next five years — and change misconceptions that these careers are not financially rewarding.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Though it will involve substantive changes, the move to net zero is not something companies should dread — and they lose money to inefficient systems every day they wait.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
The online real estate brokerage site now includes data from ClimateCheck to help home buyers and sellers understand the risk for fire, heat, drought and storms in their area over a 30-year mortgage.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
The ongoing pandemic has changed fundamental patterns in our lives, accelerating existing trends and revealing new unmet needs. Since the onset of COVID,
Steelcase has conducted ongoing research to help organizations understand its impact on their people and business.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
The construction industry must adopt technologies that increase productivity while mitigating the impact of our growing housing needs on the climate crisis. Mighty Buildings’ technology may be ‘one of the only in
existence’ that could unlock the needed productivity alongside reduced emissions.