Studio Olafur Eliasson wants to be "carbon neutral as soon as possible" says head of design

Studio Olafur Eliasson is writing a no-fly rule into contracts, transporting its artworks by train and remote installing them via video calls in a bid to become carbon neutral in the next decade, says the practice's head of design Sebastian Behmann in this interview.

"We're really trying to avoid all air freight," Behmann said from his office in Berlin. "We try to ship whatever possible by train, even to Asia now."

"We put it in our contracts for commissions that we're not going to fly and we're not going to use ships unless there's no other way of doing it."

Top image: Sebastian Behmann (left) and Olafur Eliasson have worked together for more than 20 years. Photo by David Fischer. Above: their collaborative projects include the Ice Watch installation in Paris. Photo by Martin Argyroglo

The studio started using self-built spreadsheets to track all of its emissions two years ago and discovered that transporting people, artworks and materials around the world accounted for the lion's share of its carbon footprint.

By cracking down on team flights as well as air and sea freight, Behmann hopes that the practice can get a head start on its decarbonisation goals.

"We want to become carbon neutral as soon as possible," he said. "We are currently trying to figure out a realistic scenario but we hope to do it in the next 10 years."

Studio pioneered carbon reporting in 2015

Studio Olafur Eliasson has explored humanity's relationship to the planet and its climate since it was founded in 1995, whether documenting melting glaciers, creating low-cost solar lights or suspending a giant fake sun in the Tate Modern.

As a trained architect, Behmann was originally brought on board more than 20 years ago by the practice's founder, Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, to help realise his increasingly ambitious large-scale installations.

But it wasn't until 2015, when the studio displayed 12 blocks of glacial ice in Paris's Place du Pantheon for the COP21 climate conference, that he says the studio really began to consider quantifying its own impact on the planet.

"In our world, in our studio, I think that was the first time," he said. "We wanted to have a precise number. So if we bring in ice from Greenland, what does that actually mean? Because it wasn't very clear."

The studio also installed a giant fake sun in the Tate Modern. Photo by Olafur Eliasson

In a move that was almost unheard of at the time, Studio Olafur Eliasson worked with non-profit Julie's Bicycle to create an independent carbon report for the installation, which formed part of the practice's ongoing Ice Watch series.

In total, it found the project emitted 30 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). The vast majority of this, around 93 per cent, was down to shipping the 80 tonnes of glacial ice from Greenland to Denmark in refrigerated containers and trucking them the rest of the way to Paris.

Travel accounted for another five per cent, namely the four short-haul flights from Germany to France that were taken by the Studio Olafur Eliasson team to set up and launch the installation.

Freight is like a "black box"

This outsized impact of transport – and freight in particular – also became evident when the studio started looking at its overall carbon footprint two years ago.

"Transport is the main factor and is also the one that is the hardest to control," said Behmann, who is spearheading the studio's sustainability strategy alongside Eliasson. "Normally it's a black box. You just say pick up here, delivery there and you have no idea what happens in between."

The exhibition Sometimes the River is the Bridge was on view in Tokyo. Photo by Kazuo Fukunaga

"The only way to change how things are done is to really make a proper breakdown of how your artwork is shipped," he added. "We really had to push a lot to make that happen with our transport companies but it is in fact possible."

Based on this insight, Behmann has created charts for his team showing what modes of transport will generate the lowest emissions depending on the distance and destination, so that each journey can be assessed individually.

"Every transport is different," Behmann said. "It really depends on the possibilities and the timeframe."

In general, long-distance air and sea freight are the worst culprits, as they cannot be easily electrified and sustainable fuels are still in their infancy.

Tokyo exhibition transported entirely by train

Rail transport is the best option, and the one Behmann uses whenever possible. But it also comes with its own set of logistical hurdles, which both clients and insurance companies will need to get used to, he explained.

"It requires some patience from the client because the containers might get stuck for a week and nobody knows where they are," Behmann said.

"And insurance companies get nervous because the train might just stop somewhere where they have no control for a few days, on the border between China and Mongolia or something. But it's an easy thing to overcome, it just has to be done a couple of times."

[

Read:

Olafur Eliasson installs giant blocks of glacial ice across London

](https://www.dezeen.com/2018/12/12/ice-watch-olafur-eliasson-installation/)

The last major exhibition from Studio Olafur Eliasson, 2020's Sometimes the River is the Bridge, was sent all the way from Berlin to Tokyo's Museum of Contemporary Art via the Trans-Siberian Railway, with only a quick boat trip needed to bridge the gap between Japan and mainland Russia.

"None of us actually travelled to Japan," Behmann said. "We did the whole installation and setup via night video conferences and Olafur didn't go to the opening as it is typically done."

Next step phasing out steel

The studio hopes to "meaningfully communicate" its full carbon footprint to the public later on in the year. But until then, this data is already being used to streamline operations internally.

"Basically, everything that we do in the studio now is tracked," Behmann said. "So every project manager, everybody who does something in the studio, has an overview of their personal impact and that gives them some obligation to do better in the next project."

"It also raises red flags in the early design process when things turn out to be just not feasible," he added. "It's the same as working with a budget, things turn out to be too expensive so you change them."

Studio Olafur Eliasson's Seeing Spheres are made of steel. Photo by Matthew Millman

After overhauling transport, he says the next stage in reaching carbon neutrality will involve phasing out emissions-intensive materials such as steel, which is widely used for public art commissions and outdoor installations such as Studio Olafur Eliasson's Seeing Spheres due to its durability.

"Now is not the time to ship hundreds of tonnes of steel sculptures around the world," Behmann said. "So we're working on an artwork for Tokyo right now, where we're actually using zinc. And this zinc is extracted from the chimney filter of a waste burning facility."

Limits to decarbonisation effort

Packaging poses another challenge. Because, unlike food items, artworks are often stored in their crates for a number of years, making biomaterial alternatives to plastic largely unusable.

"Packaging and crating are big things where there are simply limits to what you can do," Behmann said.

"Most sustainable packing materials might only last a few weeks. If you have them in the box for longer, they start to decompose. They just don't have the lifespan and they actually start to damage the artworks."

[

Read:

Olafur Eliasson's AR Earth Speakr app lets children voice concerns about the climate

](https://www.dezeen.com/2020/08/11/earth-speakr-olafur-eliasson-app-ar-design-technology/)

A slew of brands including Dezeen, Danish furniture maker Takt and carmaker Volvo has started setting their own decarbonisation goals in recent years, with more than 5,000 businesses now signed up to the UN's Race to Zero campaign to help limit global warming to the crucial 1.5-degree threshold.

But art, design and architecture studios have so far been slow on the uptake, with a few notable exceptions including the practice of British designer Sebastian Cox, which he says is already carbon negative.

The top image is by David Fischer.

The post Studio Olafur Eliasson wants to be "carbon neutral as soon as possible" says head of design appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #design #interviews #olafureliasson #art #carbonneutraldesign

Studio Gang breaks ground on Populus building designed to be US' "first carbon-positive" hotel

As construction begins on Populus, a Denver hotel designed by architecture firm Studio Gang, developer Urban Villages has announced that it aims to be the "first carbon-positive" hotel in the United States.

Created by Chicago-based Studio Gang, Populus' shape was informed by the aspen tree and the white hotel facade will be covered in windows that resemble the eye-shaped patterns found on the tree's bark.

According to Urban Villages, the hotel will achieve a "carbon-positive" design through "substantial ecological effort offsite, including an initial commitment to planting trees that represent over 5,000 acres of forest".

Studio Gang's in-progress hotel in Denver will be "carbon-positive"

While not a direct feature of the hotel, the developers said that this initiative will "offset an embodied carbon footprint equivalent to nearly 500,000 gallons of gas and [remove] additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere".

According to Urban Villages, the construction process has been planned to mitigate carbon at every stage.

These plans include using low-carbon concrete mixture and "high-recycled" content materials, as well as maximizing structural efficiency and minimizing waste and finish materials.

The lidded openings in the facade were designed to resemble aspen eyes

"Before we started construction on Populus, we calculated the carbon footprint of the entire project," Jon Buerge, chief development officer of Urban Villages, told Dezeen.

"This included the extraction, production, transportation, and construction of every element of the building,"

"Not only will we plant over 700k trees, we are also committed to continually planting more trees to offset the energy we consume every day after the hotel opens," Buerge added.

[

Read:

Studio Gang transforms Wisconsin power plant into Beloit College student union

](https://www.dezeen.com/2020/11/16/powerhouse-beloit-college-student-union-studio-gang/)

The aim is for Populus, which will sit on a triangular block near Civic Center Park in downtown Denver, to become the first carbon-positive hotel in the country.

"Improving the resiliency of our cities has never been more urgent—and it includes reducing carbon emissions as well as strengthening community bonds," says Jeanne Gang, founder of Studio Gang.

"We’ve designed Populus to be a new destination in downtown Denver that combines these environmental and social ambitions," she added.

The structure itself will mirror its triangular site, with the entrance at the slimmest part of the building. The rest of the structure will widen out toward the back of the structure.

A white facade structure wraps the hotel and comes to arched points at street level. Between the legs of the arches will be glazing covering the lobby and ground-level amenities.

Slits in the building's facade transverse floors and serve as lidded windows. They were designed to resemble "aspen eyes", the dark spots on the trunks of aspen trees left by limbs that have been shed.

The "lids" around the windows will provide shade as well as redirect rainwater, according to the studio. Some of the windows near the base will be 30 feet tall (9.1 metres).

"The windows and facade are also tuned for high environmental performance – self-shading, insulating, and channeling rainwater – as part of the architecture’s larger green vision," Gang said.

The rooms inside Populus will be minimal with views of the surroundings

265 guest rooms will fill the 13-storey hotel, which will also house eateries on the ground floor and have conference rooms for larger business meetings.

A staircase in the lobby will extend an "activated street-level experience to the curated second floor," said Urban Villages. The second floor will have large, flexible rooms for gatherings.

On the roof, a stepped cut-out will make room for a restaurant and public garden terrace.

[

Read:

Dezeen's top 10 low-carbon buildings of 2021

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/12/14/low-carbon-buildings-review-2021/)

Renderings of the interiors show minimalist rooms with window seats that curve with the angle of the windows.

"We knew that for Populus to make an impact and be successful as the country’s first carbon-positive hotel, it needs to attract guests visually as well," Grant McCargo, chief executive officer of Urban Villages, told Dezeen.

The team broke ground on the hotel earlier this month.

Studio Gang is led by Jeanne Gang, and its recent projects include a skyscraper with angled facades in St Louis as well as an upcoming extension of the Natural History Museum in New York.

The images are courtesy of Studio Gang.

The post Studio Gang breaks ground on Populus building designed to be US' "first carbon-positive" hotel appeared first on Dezeen.

#hotels #all #architecture #news #studiogang #denver #carbonneutraldesign #colorado #us

Valentino Gareri Atelier designs village made from 3D-printed cacao waste

Valentino Gareri Atelier has unveiled renderings of the Cacao Eco Village in Ecuador for local farmers that will feature 3D-printed buildings made from recycled cacao.

Cacao Eco Village will be located on the coast of Ecuador's Manabi province where cacao farmers live and work to produce chocolate through extracting cocoa butter and solids from cacao beans.

Cacao Eco Village will be located on the coast of Ecuador

Valentino Gareri Atelier designed the project for Ecuadorian chocolate manufacturer Muze, as well as nonprofit organisation Avanti, with construction scheduled to begin this year.

The village will feature various site figurations of three different-shaped modules, all of which will be 3D-printed using cacao shell waste biofilaments leftover from chocolate production.

The Events Center will feature pillars clad in cacao shell waste

Geometric in form, the modules will also include a range of other local materials in their architecture, such as bamboo and wood.

According to Valentino Gareri Atelier, the modules will be designed in order to create a self-sufficient village. For example, decorative water tanks will be integrated into the modules' roofs, which will collect rainwater.

The village will have sea views

"The facades will draw inspiration from the wide range of multi-coloured Ecuadorian houses and from the cacao trees' colourful fruits," said the architecture firm, which has offices in New York and Sydney.

Cacao Eco Village will include a cacao-processing chocolate factory, as well as an educational and research centre and co-working and co-living spaces.

[

Read:

ETH Zurich develops formwork from 3D-printed foam to slash concrete use in buildings

](https://www.dezeen.com/2022/01/10/foamwork-eth-zurich-concrete-casting/)

Also designed as a tourist destination, the village will feature a large network of cycle paths and pedestrianised boulevards that will encourage visitors and residents to experience the various amenities by bike or on foot.

Charging stations for electric cars will also be provided throughout the community, with cars and trucks only being allowed to drive in designated areas around the factory.

Valentino Gareri Atelier has designed three different-shaped modules

Vegetation such as palm trees and large expanses of grass will cover the space between each cluster of modules that make up the village.

"This sustainable and smart infrastructure emerges as a solution for the environmental and social impact of the cacao industry using a circular economy model as a creative solution for reducing environmental footprint, generating increased income, reducing resource dependency and minimising waste," said the architecture firm.

"Cacao Eco Village will be the Silicon Valley for circular economy innovators," it concluded.

The village will be intended as a space to gather

Other communities that have been created using 3D printing include the "world's largest" neighbourhood of houses in Texas that were designed by construction companies ICON and Lennar as well as global architecture studio BIG.

The renderings are courtesy of Valentino Gareri Atelier.

The post Valentino Gareri Atelier designs village made from 3D-printed cacao waste appeared first on Dezeen.

#publicandleisure #all #architecture #3dprinting #3dprintedhouses #ecuador #reclaimedmaterials #circulareconomy #sustainablearchitecture #carbonneutraldesign

McDonald's opens "UK's first net-zero restaurant"

Fast-food chain McDonald's has opened what it claims is the UK's first net-zero carbon restaurant building.

Built using natural or recycled materials and powered by a combination of wind turbines and solar panels, the restaurant, in Market Drayton, Shropshire, was designed to meet net-zero standards in both its construction and everyday operation.

However, McDonald's confirmed to Dezeen that consumption-based emissions associated with its beef-heavy menu have not been taken into account – meaning that the restaurant overall is not net-zero in the strictest sense.

McDonald's said it intends to use the project as a "blueprint" for future restaurants

For a building to be net-zero it must remove as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it emits throughout its lifespan, both in the form of embodied carbon and operational carbon associated with construction, occupation and eventual demolition.

McDonald's said the Market Drayton eatery is the first in the country which fits into the UK Green Building Council's (UKGBC) net-zero carbon buildings framework.

It plans to use the design as a "blueprint" for McDonald's new builds around the UK from 2022, with some of the sustainable measures already being implemented at other outlets.

[

Read:

Dezeen's top 10 low-carbon buildings of 2021

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/12/14/low-carbon-buildings-review-2021/)

The building was designed by Hertfordshire studio Scurr Architects, while Manchester-based AEW Architects handled site design.

"At McDonald's, we believe that our food needs to be served in restaurants that are sustainable for the future," said Beth Hart, McDonald's vice president of supply chain and brand trust.

"Market Drayton is a big step towards making that a reality, enabling us to test and put into practice what a net-zero emissions building, both in build and use, really looks like."

The drive-thru lane was built using recycled tyres

The restaurant's walls are insulated with wool from British sheep instead of man-made materials, while the cladding is crafted from recycled IT equipment and white household goods.

Signs are made from used McDonald's coffee beans, in what the chain described as an example of its action to introduce "circular waste solutions".

In the car park, more than 1,000 kerbstones were made from 182 recycled plastic bottles each, which McDonald's said reduced carbon emissions by 25 kilograms per kerb compared to conventional concrete examples.

Designed to have "McDonald's look and feel"

The drive-thru lane was constructed from recycled tyres, producing less greenhouse gas than tarmac and reducing the amount of water washing down the drain by being more absorbent.

Power is provided by two on-site wind turbines and 92 square metres of solar panels, together producing 60,000-kilowatt-hours of energy per year.

Local school children have also designed a biodiversity garden and nature trail for behind the restaurant.

Wall signs were made from used coffee beans

Despite the green innovations, the Big Mac maker said the restaurant "has been deliberately designed to retain the familiar McDonald's look and feel", in order to make it easier to replicate on other sites.

In response to a question from Dezeen about whether it used carbon offsetting for the Market Drayton restaurant, which is required in most cases to achieve net-zero status for buildings, McDonald's said that where it could not decarbonise beyond construction impacts, energy use and producing renewable power, it neutralised "any remaining emissions with high-quality carbon removal projects".

McDonald's has set itself a target to make all 1,400 of its restaurants and offices in the UK meet net-zero emissions standards by 2030, and for its entire UK and Ireland business, including food, to follow suit by 2040.

[

Read:

Landini Associates creates "the ultimate McDonald's" on Times Square

](https://www.dezeen.com/2019/06/10/mcdonalds-times-square-landini-associates/)

Its next commitment is for all furniture in its new and refurbished restaurants to be made from recycled or certified materials and designed to be recycled or reused by 2023.

By 2025, it has pledged to have a "market-leading vegan, plant-based food and drinks offering".

"The challenge of decarbonising the construction industry is a complex one, but McDonald's commitment to building the first restaurant in the UK in line with UKGBC's net-zero carbon buildings framework is a critical first step," said Simon McWhirter, director of communications, policy and places at UKGBC.

"We welcome the ambition to achieve net-zero emissions for all McDonald's restaurants and offices by 2030."

The photography is by Anthony Devlin and Richard McCarthy/PA Wire.

The post McDonald's opens "UK's first net-zero restaurant" appeared first on Dezeen.

#publicandleisure #all #architecture #news #green #restaurants #fastfood #chainrestaurants #mcdonalds #sustainablearchitecture #carbonneutraldesign #burgerrestaurants #netzero

Dezeen's top 10 low-carbon buildings of 2021

As part of our review of 2021, here are 10 examples of low-carbon architecture including buildings made of 3D-printed clay, recycled materials and biomaterials.

The most climate-friendly of these projects are net-zero or even carbon negative, meaning they will remove as much or more CO2 from the atmosphere as they will emit throughout their expected lifespan.

This is possible by making use of carbon-sequestering biomaterials, circular design principles and passive, renewable technologies for heating, cooling and energy.

As a result, the buildings not only minimise operational emissions but also the embodied carbon from materials and construction.

Read on for 10 projects that showcase how to incorporate these sustainable strategies.

Photo is by Iago Corazza

Tecla house, Italy, by Mario Cucinella Architects and WASP

Raw local clay was 3D printed in 350 layers to form this prototype home, which fuses ancient building techniques with modern technology.

The clay provides natural thermal insulation and can be recycled time and time again, with the aim of providing low-cost emergency housing for climate refugees without contributing to global warming.

Find out more about the Tecla house ›

Photo is by Patrick Degerman

Sara Kulturhus Centre, Sweden, by White Arkitekter

This cultural centre in Skellefteå designed by White Arkitekter is the second-tallest wooden tower in the world, sequestering more carbon in its timber construction than it will emit throughout its lifetime.

Highlighted as an "exemplary sustainable project" by the UK Green Building Council as part of its COP26 virtual pavilion, the carbon-negative complex is heated by a geothermal pump and powered by 1,200 square metres of solar panels, supplemented with renewable energy from the grid.

Find out more about Sara Kulturhus Centre ›

Photo is by Tommaso Riva

The Arc, Indonesia, by Ibuku

Fast-growing bamboo is bent into 14-metre-high arches to form the self-supporting, double-curved roof of the gymnasium at Bali's Green School, which was engineered to use minimal material while providing maximum floor space.

Vents at the canopy's apex allow warm air to escape while openings around the base provide natural ventilation, eliminating the need for air conditioning in the island's tropical climate.

Find out more about The Arc ›

Photo is by Jonathan Hillyer and Gregg Willett

Kendeda Building, USA, by Miller Hull Partnership and Lord Aeck Sargent

Made with salvaged materials such as recycled masonry and wood from discarded movie sets, the mass-timber Kendeda Building was conceived as both a learning centre and a teaching tool to educate students of Atlanta's Georgia Institute of Technology about sustainable design.

Described as a "regenerative building", it produces more electricity via its photovoltaic canopy and recycles more water than it uses, with purified rainwater funnelled into sinks and showers before once again being treated and channelled to support vegetation in a nearby wetland.

Find out more about Living Landscape ›

Photo is by Iwan Baan

2021 Serpentine Pavilion, England, by Counterspace

South African studio Counterspace designed this year's Serpentine Pavilion as a mashup of different migrant community spaces around London, rendered in plywood that was wrapped around a steel frame and finished with black-stained cork panels.

Although the project was criticised for its use of emissions-intensive concrete for the foundation, an AECOM report shared with Dezeen showed that the building still removed 31 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere through its biomaterials, making it carbon-negative up to the point of dismantling.

Find out more about the 2021 Serpentine Pavilion ›

Glyndebourne Croquet Pavilion, England, by BakerBrown Studio

This wind-powered garden pavilion for the Glyndebourne opera house will make use of circular economic principles in order to minimise its carbon footprint, incorporating local waste materials and a reversible design that allows the building to be disassembled and its components reused.

Diseased ash trees will be salvaged to form the structure, with its interior panelled in the venue's own discarded champagne corks bound together by mycelium and the exterior clad in tiles made from waste oyster and lobster shells.

Find out more about the Glyndebourne Croquet Pavilion ›

Photo is by Morley von Sternberg

Cambridge Central Mosque, England, by Marks Barfield Architects

Shortlisted for the 2021 Stirling Prize, this mosque in Cambridge makes use of timber as a carbon-storing material to form its structural walls and tree-like pillars, which join to create the octagonal canopy holding the roof.

The place of worship is naturally lit and ventilated throughout the year, with solar panels covering all of the building's cooling and hot water needs as well as 13 per cent of the heating, while harvested rainwater is used to flush the toilets.

Find out more about the Cambridge Central Mosque ›

Living Landscape, Iceland, by Jakob+MacFarlane and T.ark

This mixed-use building, set in a former landfill site in Reykjavik, started construction in 2021 as one of 49 different net-zero urban developments which are being financed as part of the Reinventing Cities competition by global network C40 Cities.

Making use of a prefabricated cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure will reduce the building's embodied carbon footprint by almost 80 per cent compared to a typical concrete building, while operational emissions are minimised through an integrated waste-heat recovery system, comprehensive insulation and a renewable energy supply.

Find out more about Living Landscape ›

Photo is by Oscar Vinck and Jeroenvander Wielen

Exploded View Beyond Building, the Netherlands, by Biobased Creations

Algae textiles, 3D-printed sewage tiles and insulation made from reeds feature in this showhome built by Biobased Creations using 100 different biomaterials and showcased as part of Dutch Design Week.

All of its components, including the timber frame, are demountable and either already commercially available or coming to market soon, in a bid to show that plant-based materials are a viable option for new housing developments.

Find out more about the Exploded View building ›

Campo Urbano, Italy, by Arney Fender Katsalidis

A disused railway site in Rome is set to be turned into a low-carbon neighbourhood as part of a redevelopment project by Arney Fender Katsalidis, which will combine retrofits and reversible biomaterial buildings running on a mixture of locally produced biomass power and rooftop photovoltaics.

By designing the neighbourhood as a car-free, 15-Minute City where locals can find all the essentials for their day-to-day life within a short walk or cycle, the scheme considers not just embodied and operational carbon but also consumption-based emissions generated by the lifestyles of building users.

Find out more about Campo Urbano ›

The post Dezeen's top 10 low-carbon buildings of 2021 appeared first on Dezeen.

#2021review #yearlyreviews #all #architecture #roundups #carbonnegativedesign #carbonneutraldesign #netzero #embodiedcarbon

"We need to do away with the prevalent colonial mindset and the desire to create imposing megastructures" says Yasmeen Lari

Architect Yasmeen Lari calls for a form of low-impact architecture that benefits disadvantaged people in her manifesto written for the Dezeen 15 digital festival.

"The disadvantaged and those that live on the margins need more, not less, design to achieve a better quality of life," writes Lari, who champions what she calls "barefoot social architecture" in her native Pakistan.

"We need to do away with the prevalent colonial mindset and the desire to create imposing megastructures," writes Lari, who previously worked as a commercial architect but now dedicates her time to developing low-carbon projects, including housing schemes for victims of natural disasters.

"Moving forward, we must all stand for a humanistic, inclusive architecture that is driven by environmental considerations, that treads lightly on the planet and responds to the needs of the majority," she writes.

"I would like to see a new activism among architects," she adds.

Alongside her manifesto, Dezeen is publishing a range of Lari's projects that demonstrate her "barefoot" approach to architecture.

The Dezeen 15 festival features 15 manifestos presenting ideas that can change the world over the next 15 years. Each contributor will also take part in a live video interview.

See the line-up of contributors here and watch Lari's video interview live on Dezeen later today.

Social and Ecological Architecture for Humanity

We live in an era that is beset with fragmentation and disruptions; our world is ravaged by rising poverty levels, increasing disparities, resource depletion and climate change, together with the impact of Covid-19.

In this new world disorder, how can we continue to design only for the privileged one per cent who have acquired the most wealth?

Greenhouse gas emissions, recurring disasters, climate emergencies and consequent climate-change-migrants, conflict-impelled refugees, the displaced and the homeless – all these require innovative design solutions.

Under such challenging circumstances, when many countries in the world are unable to meet the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, it is the power of design that is in demand for serving the other 99 per cent. We need to remind ourselves that it is not only the privileged who have a right to enjoy well-designed environments. The disadvantaged and those that live on the margins need more, not less, design to achieve a better quality of life.

We must develop a framework for a changed direction in architecture

We must develop a framework for a changed direction in architecture. We need to do away with the prevalent colonial mindset and the desire to create imposing megastructures, which have traditionally been commissioned by the likes of the Medici family of Florence, the robber barons of the East India Company, the merchant princes of the industrial revolution, and present-day exploitative multinationals that promote wasteful high-carbon methodologies and highly consumptive modes of living.

I want us to reset concepts to deal with the new normal – to fashion an equitable world by democratising architecture, promoting community participation, co-building and co-creation, in order to help stitch the frayed tapestry of the earth; to take the lead in the use of sustainable, locally sourced materials; to incorporate attributes drawn from tradition and heritage; and to pursue carbon-neutral, circular-economy principles that would provide both social and ecological justice through architectural design.

Using such concepts, I have carried out large-scale projects in Pakistan, building over 50,000 zero-carbon, one-room houses and 70,000 zero-carbon fuel-efficient stoves along with scores of zero-carbon toilets, which have benefitted 840,000 persons over five years.

I have demonstrated the value of well-designed and affordable zero- and low-carbon structures using local green materials such as earth, lime and bamboo. Thus providing disaster risk reduction (DRR) compliance as well as dignified living for marginalised sections of society.

It is the three Ls (the least use of water, the least waste stream and the least use of energy) that can show us the right direction; and the three zeros (zero cost, zero carbon and zero waste) that can provide a path to zero poverty for the disadvantaged.

We must all stand for a humanistic, inclusive architecture that is driven by environmental considerations

I would like to see a new activism among architects for the adoption of innovative approaches such as degrowth, transition design as well as Barefoot Social Architecture, a stratagem that we devised to maximize the barefoot ecosystem for the empowerment of those living on the fringes, thus ensuring the well-being of humankind as well as our planet.

Barefoot Social Architecture fosters rights-based development providing shelter, sanitation, clean food and water at one-quarter of the usual cost through a process of self-building and co-creation. Its four tenets consist firstly of the Three Zeros as well as Zero Charity to provide self-worth and self-reliance among the poorest of the poor.

Secondly, it provides social and ecological justice through humanistic architecture fostering pride, dignity and well being and preventing depletion of the planet’s resources.

Thirdly, it delivers unmet needs of marginalized sections by training them as Barefoot Entrepreneurs through the Incubator for Social Good and Environmental Sustainability, which would help provide access to affordable products for people at the bottom of the pyramid.

Fourthly, it constructs well-designed non-engineered structures for shrinking the ecological footprint of buildings using green skills and locally sourced green materials.

Moving forward, we must all stand for a humanistic, inclusive architecture that is driven by environmental considerations, that treads lightly on the planet and responds to the needs of the majority – the vulnerable masses who have not been considered worthy of attention by architects but who can no longer be ignored in a global village where Covid-19 has blurred distinctions and equalized humanity.

Above: portrait of Yasmeen Lari. Main and first image: a school and a smokeless stove designed by Lari for disadvantaged people in Pakistan

Yasmeen Lari was the first Pakistani woman to qualify as an architect. Though she closed her practice in 2000, she continues to advocate "barefoot social architecture" and has built thousands of low-cost homes through the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan, a non-profit organisation she cofounded.

Find out more about Yasmeen Lari ›

The post "We need to do away with the prevalent colonial mindset and the desire to create imposing megastructures" says Yasmeen Lari appeared first on Dezeen.

#dezeen15festival #all #architecture #carbonneutraldesign #yasmeenlari

Pawel Rymsza proposes domed cities with algae lakes "to make big reductions in atmospheric carbon"

Pawel Rymsza's proposal to house humanity in a network of ring-shaped structures built around huge algae-rich lakes is the first of 15 visionary projects selected as finalists for Dezeen's Redesign the World competition powered by Twinmotion.

Called Carbon Neutral Rings, Rymsza's proposal is to create a network of enclosed carbon-neutral cities for humanity to live in.

Each ring is built around a huge reservoir of algae, which would be used to filter the air inside the rings and act as a carbon sink to absorb the city's emissions.

The carbon dioxide absorbed by reservoirs would ensure the cities are carbon-neutral initially and would become carbon-negative over time, as humanity shifts to less carbon-intensive technologies.

Read more about the proposal below.

Carbon Neutral Rings
Pawel Rymsza, Wrocław, Poland
Finalist

"The idea for my project came from a smog problem in my own city – Wrocław in Poland.

"A few years ago we had the highest air smog pollution measured in the whole world. So the idea of the project was to create a healthy environment where people can breathe clean, fresh air.

"I have created huge rings and domes in which people can live, work and rest. In the outer parts of the rings, there are living areas and work areas.

"In order to better manage the available space, people live and work in a network of skyscrapers. The lower zone of each of them is reserved for shops and restaurants, the middle part is a residential zone and the upper one is for office spaces.

"In the inner zone of each ring, there is a beach and a lake that also act as a place of rest and recreation for residents. There are bars, sports fields and walking paths on the beach.

"The swimming and water sports lake is separated from the inner area by trees. In the inner part of the rings, there is a huge industrial reservoir of sea algae.

"It is thanks to the sea algae that the air in the entire dome is cleaned. Algae, when used in conjunction with AI-powered bioreactors, is up to 400 times more efficient than a tree at removing CO2 from the atmosphere.

"That means that while we are learning to reduce carbon emissions and augment our consumption patterns, we can start to make big reductions in atmospheric carbon.

"When wielded correctly, it could make a city carbon-negative without changing current production or consumption patterns of the city.

"The rings are connected to each other by a network of fast tunnels. On the other hand, around the rings, there are smaller domes with specialized technical workplaces, such as automated factories and production plants."

Redesign the World

Redesign the World is the ultimate design competition, which called for new ideas to rethink planet Earth to ensure that it remains habitable long into the future.

Launched in partnership with Epic Games, the contest asked entrants to visualise their concepts using architectural visualisation software Twinmotion.

The contest received over 100 entries from more than 30 different countries around the world.

These were assessed by a judging panel comprising White Arkitekter CEO Alexandra Hagen, structural engineer Hanif Kara, speculative architect Liam Young, Twinmotion product marketing manager Belinda Ercan and Dezeen founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs, which selected 15 proposals as finalists to be published on Dezeen.

We are unveiling one finalist a day throughout our Dezeen 15 festival, culminating in the winner being announced on 19 November.

The winner will receive the top prize of £5,000. There are also prizes of £2,500 for second place, £1,000 for third place and £500 each for the remaining finalists.

Find out more about Redesign the World ›
See all the finalists revealed so far ›

The post Pawel Rymsza proposes domed cities with algae lakes "to make big reductions in atmospheric carbon" appeared first on Dezeen.

#redesigntheworldfinalists #redesigntheworld #all #architecture #design #technology #videos #algae #carbonneutraldesign #twinmotion

Coldplay announces "net-zero carbon" Music of the Spheres world tour

Coldplay has announced its next world tour will have a net-zero carbon footprint and released a sustainability plan that includes direct-air carbon capture technology by Climeworks.

The British band accompanied the announcement of its Music of the Spheres tour with a detailed list of environmental initiatives that it said would reduce carbon emissions by 50 per cent compared to its last tour.

It also pledged to use various carbon-removal methods to offset the remaining carbon emissions.

Coldplay's sustainability plan includes a partnership with Climeworks for carbon capture and storage

"We have set ourselves a science-led target of 50 per cent reduction in our CO2 emissions using the 'absolute contraction' method," the band said.

"We pledge to drawdown any unavoidable emissions according to the Oxford Principles for Net-Zero Aligned Carbon Offsetting."

The plan includes a partnership with Swiss company Climeworks, whose machines remove carbon dioxide from the air and store it safely or package it for commercial use in products such as fizzy drinks.

Climeworks is the only technological carbon removal approach included in the plan, which otherwise focuses on nature-based options such as reforestation, rewilding, soil restoration and seagrass meadow restoration to offset emissions generated by the tour.

"Coldplay has announced their next tour Music of the Spheres World Tour to have at minimum a net-zero carbon footprint and as such have built a portfolio of solutions to help them achieve this goal by the end of the new touring cycle," said Climeworks in a statement.

Kinetic dancefloors and sustainable aviation fuel among technologies to cut emissions

Coldplay's target of a 50 per cent reduction in emissions is in comparison to the band's most recent tour in 2016-17.

To achieve this, it will power its concerts through fully renewable energy, generated by solar installations, waste cooking oil, a kinetic stadium floor and electricity-generating power bikes that fans can use to actively charge the show battery.

This first-of-its-kind mobile rechargeable show battery will charge the show with renewable energy and was made in collaboration with BMW from recyclable BMW i3 batteries.

To reduce emissions from transport, Coldplay will avoid charter flights and pay a surcharge to use or supply Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF.) The fuel is made from renewable waste materials.

It has also pledged to adapt the show design so that local equipment and materials can be used as much as possible, minimising freight emissions, while the stage will be built from low-carbon, reusable materials including bamboo and recycled steel.

Each venue will be provided with a "sustainability rider" setting out the best environmental practices, while fans will be encouraged to use low-carbon transport to and from the shows via an official tour app that rewards them with discounts.

Climeworks partnership shows "measurable benefits" of carbon removal technology

To compensate for all the tour emissions that could not be cut, Coldplay's plan also includes a portfolio of mostly nature-based measures to remove and store carbon from the atmosphere.

Climeworks said Coldplay chose to use its technological approach to carbon capture because the band was "convinced by its permanence and measurable benefits".

The Climeworks' Orca plant is the world's largest direct air capture and storage site

"It is already proven that carbon removal at scale is a must on the current emissions pathway and technological solutions will be needed," said Climeworks co-CEO and co-founder Christoph Gebald.

"We are very inspired to see public figures like Coldplay seizing the magnitude of the challenge and acting boldly by working towards ambitious emissions reduction and removing the unavoidable part."

Announcement follows 2019 tour hiatus due to global warming concerns

Coldplay announced in 2019 that it was quitting touring until it could find a way to do it more sustainably.

The band has spent the intervening time developing this plan, which also includes sustainable pyrotechnics and biodegradable confetti and is detailed in full on the band's website.

"We've spent the last two years consulting with environmental experts to make this tour as sustainable as possible, and, just as importantly, to harness the tour’s potential to push things forward," said Coldplay.

"We won't get everything right, but we're committed to doing everything we can and sharing what we learn. It's a work in progress and we're really grateful for the help we've had so far."

Coldplay has a partnership with climate change researchers at Imperial College London's Grantham Institute to quantify the impact of the tour on the environment.

The Music of the Spheres world tour will start in Costa Rica on 18 March 2022 and then travel to the Dominican Republic, Mexico, USA, Germany, Poland, France, Belgium and the UK.

The post Coldplay announces "net-zero carbon" Music of the Spheres world tour appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #design #technology #news #music #carbonnegativedesign #carbonneutraldesign #carboncapture #sustainability #climeworks #netzero #carboncaptureandstorage

"Largest wooden building in Iceland" to occupy landfill site in Reykjavík

Architecture studios Jakob+MacFarlane and T.ark have designed a low-carbon cross-laminated timber building called Living Landscape that will transform a landfill site in Iceland's capital city.

Slated for completion in 2026, the 26,000-square-metre mixed-use building is set to become the "largest wooden building in Iceland" once complete.

Living Landscape has been developed by French studio Jakob+MacFarlane and local studio T.ark to give new life to the polluted landscape and offer a prototype for similar future developments in Reykjavík.

"The project recreates a fragment of authentic natural landscape on top of polluted land to compensate for years of pollution and heal the man-made damage to what has once been a beautiful coastal landscape," Jakob+MacFarlane told Dezeen.

Project is a Reinventing Cities winner

Once complete, the project will contain a mix of housing for students, elderly people and families, alongside workspaces, daycare facilities and local shops.

It is among the 49 winning projects of the Reinventing Cities competition, which was organised by global network C40 Cities to encourage the transformation of underused urban spaces into "beacons of sustainability and resiliency".

The projects strive to help urban areas meet the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change by minimising carbon emissions.

Above: Living Landscape will be a low-carbon cross-laminated timber building. Top image: it will transform a landfill site in Iceland

The Reinventing Cities programme encourages projects to minimise both embodied carbon – emissions generated during material production and construction – and operational carbon, which are emissions caused by the building's usage.

Jakob+MacFarlane and T.ark are aiming for net-zero emissions, which involves eliminating all possible emissions and offsetting any that cannot be eliminated by removing carbon from the atmosphere.

CLT will reduce embodied carbon "by almost 80 per cent"

According to Jakob+MacFarlane, this will be achieved in part by using a prefabricated cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure.

"The CLT construction reduces the embodied carbon of external walls by almost 80 per cent compared to a typical concrete structure used in Iceland," the studio explained.

"The [remaining] embodied emissions will be offset through either wetland recovery or forestry, making the building effectively carbon neutral."

Among the other materials used in the building will be Panoblocs, a type of prefabricated and insulated wall panel with a wooden exterior, which can be easily removed and adapted.

[

Read:

Urban developments that "strive for zero carbon" to start on site in Milan, Paris, Reykjavik and Oslo

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/07/07/carbon-c40-cities-reinventing-cities-competition-zero-carbon/)

Living Landscapes' operational carbon emissions are expected to be minimal, due to high levels of insulation and use of waste-heat recovery systems and thermostat-controlled underfloor heating.

However, the energy it will require will be sourced from an existing district electricity and heat network powered by renewable hydropower and geothermal energy sources.

Nature to be reintroduced to site

Reintroducing nature to the old landfill site will also be a key part of the scheme. There will be an undulating roof garden and farm, alongside a large central courtyard designed as a communal park for the residents.

"The idea of living with and around nature is key to our project," said Jakob+MacFarlane.

The courtyard will be modelled on Icelandic landscapes, incorporating a mix of rocks, water and plants, which is hoped to encourage insects and birds to occupy the site.

"We aim to enable a fully functioning local ecosystem composed of earth and rocks, water and plants, insects and birds," the studio explained. "Protected from freezing by geothermal heat, this green oasis will develop its own microclimate and, hopefully, become a new generator of life."

[

Read:

Arney Fender Katsalidis to transform Tuscolana railway site into low-carbon 15-minute city

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/08/19/arney-fender-katsalidis-c40-cities-rome-competition-architecture/)

Living Landscape is now being continually developed by Jakob+MacFarlane and T.ark with landscape architects Landslag and environmental experts EFLA.

Another winner of the Reinventing Cities competition was architect Arney Fender Katsalidis, who is developing a low-carbon neighbourhood in Rome. The mixed-use project will transform a disused railway site, make use of biomaterials and will feature reversible buildings.

The post "Largest wooden building in Iceland" to occupy landfill site in Reykjavík appeared first on Dezeen.

#residential #publicandleisure #all #architecture #iceland #reykjavík #jakobmacfarlane #woodenarchitecture #crosslaminatedtimber #masstimber #reinventingcities #carbonneutraldesign

"Largest wooden building in Iceland" to occupy landfill site in Reykjavík

Architecture studios Jakob+MacFarlane and T.ark have designed a low-carbon cross-laminated timber building called Living Landscape that will transform a landfill site in Iceland's capital city.

Slated for completion in 2026, the 26,000-square-metre mixed-use building is set to become the "largest wooden building in Iceland" once complete.

Living Landscape has been developed by French studio Jakob+MacFarlane and local studio T.ark to give new life to the polluted landscape and offer a prototype for similar future developments in Reykjavík.

"The project recreates a fragment of authentic natural landscape on top of polluted land to compensate for years of pollution and heal the man-made damage to what has once been a beautiful coastal landscape," Jakob+MacFarlane told Dezeen.

Project is a Reinventing Cities winner

Once complete, the project will contain a mix of housing for students, elderly people and families, alongside workspaces, daycare facilities and local shops.

It is among the 49 winning projects of the Reinventing Cities competition, which was organised by global network C40 Cities to encourage the transformation of underused urban spaces into "beacons of sustainability and resiliency".

The projects strive to help urban areas meet the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change by minimising carbon emissions.

Above: Living Landscape will be a low-carbon cross-laminated timber building. Top image: it will transform a landfill site in Iceland

The Reinventing Cities programme encourages projects to minimise both embodied carbon – emissions generated during material production and construction – and operational carbon, which are emissions caused by the building's usage.

Jakob+MacFarlane and T.ark are aiming for net-zero emissions, meaning the design will eliminate all possible emissions and offset any that cannot be eliminated by removing carbon from the atmosphere.

CLT will reduce embodied carbon "by almost 80 per cent"

According to Jakob+MacFarlane, this will be achieved in part by using a prefabricated cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure.

"The CLT construction reduces the embodied carbon of external walls by almost 80 per cent compared to a typical concrete structure used in Iceland," the studio explained.

"The [remaining] embodied emissions will be offset through either wetland recovery or forestry, making the building effectively carbon neutral."

Among the other materials used in the building will be Panoblocs, a type of prefabricated and insulated wall panel with a wooden exterior, which can be easily removed and adapted.

[

Read:

Urban developments that "strive for zero carbon" to start on site in Milan, Paris, Reykjavik and Oslo

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/07/07/carbon-c40-cities-reinventing-cities-competition-zero-carbon/)

Living Landscapes' operational carbon emissions are expected to be minimal, due to high levels of insulation and use of waste-heat recovery systems and thermostat-controlled underfloor heating.

However, the energy it will require will be sourced from an existing district electricity and heat network powered by renewable hydropower and geothermal energy sources.

Nature to be reintroduced to site

Reintroducing nature to the old landfill site will also be a key part of the scheme. There will be an undulating roof garden and farm, alongside a large central courtyard designed as a communal park for the residents.

"The idea of living with and around nature is key to our project," said Jakob+MacFarlane.

The courtyard will be modelled on Icelandic landscapes, incorporating a mix of rocks, water and plants, which is hoped to encourage insects and birds to occupy the site.

"We aim to enable a fully functioning local ecosystem composed of earth and rocks, water and plants, insects and birds," the studio explained. "Protected from freezing by geothermal heat, this green oasis will develop its own microclimate and, hopefully, become a new generator of life."

[

Read:

Arney Fender Katsalidis to transform Tuscolana railway site into low-carbon 15-minute city

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/08/19/arney-fender-katsalidis-c40-cities-rome-competition-architecture/)

Living Landscape is now being continually developed by Jakob+MacFarlane and T.ark with landscape architects Landslag and environmental experts EFLA.

Another winner of the Reinventing Cities competition was architect Arney Fender Katsalidis, who is developing a low-carbon neighbourhood in Rome. The mixed-use project will transform a disused railway site, make use of biomaterials and will feature reversible buildings.

The post "Largest wooden building in Iceland" to occupy landfill site in Reykjavík appeared first on Dezeen.

#residential #publicandleisure #all #architecture #iceland #reykjavík #jakobmacfarlane #woodenarchitecture #crosslaminatedtimber #carbonneutraldesign #masstimber #reinventingcities