The building and construction center is one of the biggest emitters of carbon emissions. However, increasing awareness of this fact and the necessity to move toward a net-zero future has inspired a wave of sustainable building innovations, including new materials, methods, and priorities from both industry and researchers. This World Earth Day, AZoBuild looks back on some of our interviews and articles that highlight green building.
Interviews
At the end of last year, we talked to Professors Noguchi and Maruyama, from the University of Tokyo, about their research and development of Calcium Carbonate Concrete (CCC), a new material that has the potential to cause a sustainable revolution in the construction industry.
In order to realize a carbon-neutral society by 2050, CCUS technology in which CO2 is used as a resource is required. We thought that if we could produce new concrete from CO2 in the atmosphere and concrete that exists everywhere, we would be able to achieve both carbon neutrality and resource recycling at the same time.
AZoBuild spoke to Carlo Ratti, of Carlo Ratti Associati, about the firm's ambitious plans to build the hydroponic Jian Mu Tower in Shenzhen.
Biophilia is what makes us yearn for green spaces in an urban environment. Through this concept, we arrived at the direction to bridge the natural and artificial worlds, which is the bread and butter of our work.
AZoBuild spoke to Paolo Tringali from selgascano about the Second Home Holland Park project in London. The office space exists in symbiosis with the plant life inside it and utilizes sustainable technologies such as a bubble foam roof for insulation.
Nature is the most important thing, not just in a romantic way but mostly in its relation with our bodies and minds. How to enhance nature and biodiversity when is it already there, how to bring it where it is not present, and how to find equilibrium between the needs of the final users and those of the natural environment - these are some of the recurring themes of the firm.
Earth Day 2022
Video Credit: Earth Day Org/Youtube.com
Articles
More sustainable buildings and building practices – and deciding not to build – are vital if we are to avoid the worst-case scenario consequences of human-induced climate change.
Swedish steel manufacturer SSAB is in partnership with LKAB and Vattenfall to produce the world’s first commercially available fossil fuel-free steel.
This article provides an overview of bioengineered building materials, discussing materials, products, and projects that have been made possible due to research in this area.
Cities trap heat more than surrounding rural areas. Now strategies must be adopted to reduce this rising heat in order to tackle climate change and protect human health. Previously, widespread adoption of available technologies had been slow due to the complexity or cost involved. Cool roofs and cooling islands provide cost-effective and simple solutions that may be fundamental to tackling urban heat islands.
Trying to incorporate nature into buildings and public spaces intends to promote people’s health and wellbeing, as well as create spaces with sustainability built-in.
Image Credit: GoodStudio/Shutterstock.com
Find out more about World Earth Day here: https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2022/