The Big Picture

All over, it seems, architects are thinking about how to plan for the realities of climate change. Some designers have risen to that challenge by imagining how conventional forms of architecture might become more adaptive and resilient in the face of high water, as in the Skygrove high-rise concept design by HWKN Architects of New York. Other architects, such as those at the Dutch firm Waterstudio.NL, have embraced the Netherlands’ long history of building barriers to hold back rising water for development in recent years by turning their attention to buildings that float, particularly in the nearly sea-level island nation of The Maldives.

But rising sea levels aren’t the only threats posed by climate change. ArchDaily reports that the Copenhagen-based architecture firm Tredje Natur recently presented plans to develop Saint Kjeld’s Quarter into Copenhagen’s greenest (and most resilient) neighborhood by planning for extreme weather events. This comprehensive urban development project is a case-study in planning for rain — lots of it. In this plan, rainwater is managed in the city’s streets in a more natural and effective way via wide range of pragmatic strategies. A key feature here: 20 percent of the neighborhood’s surface area devoted to streets will be reclaimed, creating more green spaces...

Via Lauren Moss