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Lauren Moss
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Today, architecture finds itself at a crossroads. Building materials and new construction, along with the operation and maintenance of buildings, account for a significant sum of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Faced with this fact, how are architects to responsibly pursue the act (and art) of architecture without further deteriorating the planet’s environmental make-up or depleting its resources? What forms of high and low technology can be developed to curtail the injurious side of building? Can good—or even great—architecture be sustainable?
The answer, of course, is yes. The best buildings have always shown a concern for their immediate environs and how they fit in them, whether they were conscious of “sustainability” or not. Now, all architects and buildings are expected to be engaged with sustainable standards, such as LEED titles, photovoltaic cells, or green roofs—all things that these 10 projects have in common. Check out our favorite projects in architecture + sustainability...
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Lauren Moss
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Iceland is a country filled with lush landscapes, volcanoes, glaciers, geysers, waterfalls. But being an island nation means resources are scarce, something native Icelanders Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir and Tryggvi Thorsteinsson are cognizant of in their architecture practice. “We want our work to represent how we choose to live in this world: maximize materials, minimize waste,” Thorsteinsson says. “We find value in unique materials and find ways to use, reuse and re-reuse.” With their Santa Monica-based firm, Minarc, the husband-and-wife team has taken this idea of minimizing waste as a statement of purpose. By drawing inspiration from the beauty of its homeland, the firm has made a name for itself by exposing clients to their culture of efficiency. “Everything around us is manufactured, from your pen to your car,” Thorsteinsson says. “Nevertheless, homes are still built the traditional way. It does not make sense. Manufacturing homes is long overdue. The future is in the prefabricated homes.”
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Lauren Moss
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As it nears completion, the Shard is already one of London's most recognisable
landmarks. In construction, which began in 2009, the Shard recycled most of the rubble generated by the demolition of the unloved 1970s Southwark Towers office building that stood on the site. Renzo Piano and his team set out to create a structure that is as energy efficient as possible. There is a skin of triple-glazing with integrated sun screens that can automatically shade sections of the tower if it begins to get too warm, cutting down on the need for air conditioning, but also taking advantage of the sun's warmth to reduce heating bills.
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Lauren Moss
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Each year the Municipal Art Society votes on the most innovative architecture and urban design projects in the city. Among the numerous nominees were many of New York’s most visionary architects, and while only five projects could win all contributed to the vibrancy of New York’s cityscape...
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Lauren Moss
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PHOOEY Architects are a young, enthusiastic and progressive design practice from Melbourne, Australia. Their portfolio extends from large scale master planning to small scale furniture design. They explore architecture which advocates for environmental, social and cultural awareness and consideration. PHOOEY Architects genuinely and actively explore the use of recycled materials while minimising consumption waste.
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Lauren Moss
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Charlie Lazor has been designing some of the loveliest modern prefab houses in the country since the beginning of the start of the prefab meme.
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Lauren Moss
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One man’s trash is said to be another man’s treasure, and now old cargo shipping containers are rapidly becoming sought-after treasure in the architecture industry.
The term cargotecture, coined in 2005 by HyBrid Architecture, is used to describe any building partially or entirely built from recycled ISO shipping containers. It may seem strange that such a simple, aesthetically-unappealing box could be so loved by modern architects, but the increased use of reclaimed materials in architecture is starting to show no bounds. In a world dominated by mass production, architects are being forced to find alternative ways of designing buildings that will make the smallest impact on the earth. Extending the life of discarded materials and saving salvageable items from landfill is a completely viable approach. Shipping containers are resistant to fire, termites, hurricanes and earthquakes, proving themselves to be extremely resilient.
Somewhat like stacking blocks of Lego, steel or aluminum shipping containers are a perfectly strong building block...
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Lauren Moss
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Jean Nouvel's giant greenhouse and restaurant called Les Grandes Tables, has been completed and looks like an amazing start to the chic and sustainable island. The massive plan includes a mix of culture, commerce, and green spaces with music halls, artist studios, museums, and even hotels and cinemas. Phase one of this sensational overhaul was recently completed, and a giant greenhouse and restaurant called Les Grandes Tables has sprouted within a set of recycled shipping containers...
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Lauren Moss
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Obsession for the proper adaptation of the project with the topography+the use of durable materials and clear geometries=a simple and useful architecture. mmdm arquitectes is an architecture office founded in 2003 by Frans Masana and Joan Dalmases, based on previous collaborations. The projects that come out of the office have points in common that are the main features of our architecture. On one side, the proper adaptation with the topography to avoid great earthworks and, consequently, an excessive environmental impact. On the other side, the use of durable and not expensive materials that influence both the constructive solutions and the same image of the buildings that we project. Finally, the use of clear geometries in the design of the floor plan and of the volume. The result of this way of projecting is a simple and useful architecture.
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Lauren Moss
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Stonorov Workshop is a design and building collaborative between husband and wife team Tolya and Otto Stonorov...
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Lauren Moss
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Jerry Tate gave a short talk entitled ‘Why aren’t buildings more like trees? Why aren’t cities more like forests?’. The talk focused on natural systems and how we can mimic them in the built environment, citing the work of Grimshaw Architects and Michael Pawlyn at Exploration Architecture...
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Lauren Moss
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Catalyzed by the Great Recession, American architecture is going global—and global architecture is going green. Writer Matt Alderton talks to six firms that have seen success abroad about navigating differences in design, business, and culture.
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A curated collection of (relatively) recent sustainable building projects that highlight innovative approaches to environmental design and green building, with links provided for additional information and details.