Post-consumer plastic water bottles, bags, and detergent containers - once slated for overburdened landfills - are instead being recycled into polymer decking, trim and patio materials. By understanding the life cycle assessments (LCAs), sustainable materials management (SMM), and sustainable manufacturing processes, architects, designers and builders will be better equipped to specify sustainable decking materials that are durable and meet a variety of aesthetic needs.
The design of the Chowa Home is focused on balance and harmony, derived from the Japanese meaning of the word. This video shows you how the collaborative effort between Japanese and US Builders created a luxury concept home that provides solutions for creative building through flexible design and better building processes.
MASS Design Group’s Kigali office is increasingly responsible for some of the world’s leading climate positive buildings and large scale developments. How might the methods of highly sustainable construction explored in these projects be a model for the unprecedented construction and urbanization we will see in coming decades - in Africa, the Global South, the West? To realize a more sustainable future, how might we begin to reconsider our approach to materiality, supply chains, labor forces, and the fundamentals of design practice?
This content was produced thanks to funding from the AIA California as part of the CarbonPositive Conference, a partnership between Architect Magazine and Architecture 2030.
Quickly achieving zero carbon in building operations is a critical dimension of a CarbonPositive future. This session covers the recent policies for decarbonizing both new construction and the existing building stock, including the ZERO Code, all-electric new construction, and greenhouse gas emissions performance standards for existing buildings.
This content was produced thanks to funding from the AIA California as part of the CarbonPositive Conference, a partnership between Architect Magazine and Architecture 2030.
Contemporary architecture attempts to maximize daylight, minimize ornamentation, and connect interiors to the outdoors (biophilia). Fenestration plays a great role in achieving this aesthetic. This course will discuss how to fill very large openings with mulled windows, punched-opening window walls, moving walls with large doors, and timber curtain walls. The course will identify window and door styles, design options, and performance measures that must be considered when specifying oversized openings for both residential and commercial projects.
What are the critical levers in policy, manufacturing, design and construction practice for advancing low carbon construction quickly and globally? What are the movement's successes and what challenges still lie ahead? How do we create and sustain collective action?
This content was produced thanks to funding from the AIA California as part of the CarbonPositive Conference, a partnership between Architect Magazine and Architecture 2030.
The climate emergency requires us to act now. What are the challenges of the building sector now and over the next 30 years? What are the critical interim and long term carbon targets? How do we begin to address them through planning and policy, design and practice, building and manufacturing?
Over the next 4 decades, the world is projected to construct 230 billion square meters (2.5 trillion square feet) of buildings, an area roughly equal to the current worldwide building stock, or the equivalent of adding another New York City to the planet every 34 days for the next 40 years.
CarbonPositive outlines an immediate and comprehensive plan of action for rapidly decarbonizing all aspects of the building sector, and strategies for planning, designing, building and manufacturing a future where buildings, developments and entire cities are constructed to use sustainable resources, generate surplus renewable energy, and convert atmospheric carbon into durable materials and products.
This content was produced thanks to funding from the AIA California as part of the CarbonPositive Conference, a partnership between Architect Magazine and Architecture 2030.
The next 10 years are critical to the global climate movement. How far behind are we on delivering on the promise of the Paris Agreement? Why is the building sector poised to make a difference? How can we take action in our cities and local communities? And how can we best support immediate and impactful actions and policies on the international stage?
This content was produced thanks to funding from the AIA California as part of the CarbonPositive Conference, a partnership between Architect Magazine and Architecture 2030.
Titanium-Zinc, as a building material, is consistently chosen as a green alternative to many other materials. It is efficient to produce, has almost no waste, lends itself to a variety of design styles, and requires little to no maintenance once installed.
This course will provide an overview of the Titanium-Zinc alloy used in sustainable architectural applications; a study of the metal’s properties, aesthetics, technical aspects, manufacturing process, and appropriate design applications. An overview of the environmental aspects of zinc and how to choose a manufacturer completes the agenda.
The rapidly rising rate of extreme weather events, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, heat waves, and drought, is plaguing municipalities and building owners throughout the United States. The construction industry, from product manufacturers to architects and engineers, is quickly realizing its obligation to design and build resilient structures that can withstand forces of nature such as high wind, flooding, and wildfire.
Fiber cement architectural wall panels are one such building product that can be installed as a rainscreen and have been proven to withstand these elements. This course will explore the societal, economic, and environmental costs of extreme weather events; the importance of building resiliency; and how high-performance architectural wall panels can help meet this end.