Archinect - News

MIT team creates 3D-printed glass bricks for reusable construction

2024-09-21T12:31:00-04:00

MIT engineers have created 3D-printed glass bricks that could offer a new approach to construction with sustainable and reusable materials. These interlocking bricks, which offer similar strength to concrete, are designed for circular construction, allowing buildings to be disassembled and reassembled at the end of their life cycle.

The team, led by Assistant Professor Kaitlyn Becker and former MIT researcher Michael Stern, developed the glass bricks using a custom 3D printing technology from MIT spinoff Evenline. Made from recycled glass, the bricks are shaped like figure eights and interlock like LEGO pieces, offering flexibility in assembly and disassembly.

Each manufacturing method is shown from left to right: FH (Fully Hollow), PC (Print-Cast), and FP (Fully Printed). Credits:Image: Ethan Townsend

In mechanical testing, the glass bricks demonstrated strength comparable to concrete blocks, proving their potential for real-world architectural applications. The team experimented wi...

Snøhetta designs hemp-based lighting product inspired by 1970s ateljé Lyktan line

2024-03-13T12:02:00-04:00

Snøhetta has designed a line of lighting products for Swedish lighting manufacturer ateljé Lyktan.

The line, named Superdupertube, sees a revision of the manufacturer’s 1970s Supertube product, which was given a “contemporary makeover through extensive material research.”

Image credit: ateljé Lyktan

Image credit: Jonas Lindstrom

“When ateljé Lyktan challenged us to create a new technical office luminaire, we rediscovered their iconic Supertube from the 1970s,” said Snøhetta Partner Jenny B. Osuldsen about the project. “Our joint decision was clear — let's update and elevate the Supertube to a 2.0 version, guided by our commitment to sustainability and cradle-to-cradle thinking.”

Image credit: ateljé Lyktan

The project began as an exploration into how ateljé Lyktan’s products could be reimagined using locally sourced materials with a smaller ecological footprint. Initial experiments with pine cones and coffee grounds led to the choice of hemp fiber, which the...

ecoLogicStudio’s collection of biophilic design products includes algae-based air purifier and 3D printed compostable stool

2024-03-07T11:43:00-05:00

London-based ecoLogicStudio has unveiled a collection of biophilic design products as part of their wider PhotoSynethetica research project.

The collection includes a desktop biotechnological air purifier, a compostable stool, and a 3D printed jewel made of re-metabolized pollution.

Image credit: Pepe Fotografia

The project was overseen by ecoLogicStudio directors Claudia Pasquero and Marco Poletto, who spoke with Archinect last year on a range of topics related to PhotoSynethetica and ‘ecological intelligence.’ Launched as a research project in 2018 with an academic consortium, the project seeks to “tackle the negative effects of climate change and air pollution on urban wellbeing.”

Image credit: Pepe Fotografia

Each piece in the latest collection has been designed to connect biophilic and design spheres, such as biomass grown from the air purification process becoming a raw material for 3D printing the collection’s compostable stool and jewel. “This collection is born from the drea...

ETH Zurich researcher develops 3D printed insulation foam using recycled materials

2023-12-01T11:48:00-05:00

ETH Zurich has published details of new research into lightweight building components produced using 3D printing. Led by doctoral architecture researcher Patrick Bedarf, the Airlements project centers on cement-free mineral foams derived from recycled industrial waste.

Working within the institution’s Digital Building Technologies group led by Professor Benjamin Dillenburger, Bedarf’s project emerged from a doctoral thesis on lightweight insulating construction elements, and how complex shapes could be manufactured with fewer material inputs. Bedarf ultimately deployed a sustainable insulation material produced by the ETH spin-off FenX using recycled industrial waste.

FenX’s mineral foam material is mostly made from fly ash, a waste product from industrial blast furnaces. Bedarf’s process then deploys 3D printing to shape the material into bespoke building parts without the need for formwork, which is traditionally only partly reusable and more time-consuming.

“Without automation, ...

Provencher_Roy uses recycled glass material to complete Darwin Bridges reconstruction in Montreal

2023-11-02T13:45:00-04:00

Provencher_Roy has shared photos following the firm’s completion of a bridge reconstruction project in Nuns’ Island, Montreal.

The new Darwin Bridges makeover represents the first instance of Ground Glass Pozzolan (GGP), a recycled glass product developed with researchers from the Université de Sherbrooke and the City of Montreal, being used in an architectural design worldwide.

The project succeeded in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 44 tons, while using over 88,000 pounds of locally sourced recycled glass (the equivalent of 70,000 wine bottles). A green space was enacted in a void created by removing the existing central median strip, and safety lighting has been installed to prevent tunnel sensation.

Image © Stephane Brugger

“The concept was always there, but the design and construction standards of the time favored the automobile. For this project, we were therefore working in a paradoxical 1960s context, on an innovative urban project to improve the user experience, while a...

Robots assemble a domed timber pavilion designed by the universities of Stuttgart and Freiburg

2023-08-15T11:16:00-04:00

The University of Stuttgart and the University of Freiburg have partnered on the construction of a domed timber pavilion on the University of Freiburg campus which seeks to showcase an “integrative approach to design and construction for sustainable architecture.” The livMatS Biomimetic Shell at the FIT Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies will serve as a research space for the development of innovative, cross-disciplinary research ideas.

Image credit: Conné van d'Grachten

The design of the building envelope is based on the morphological principles of the plate skeleton of sea urchins, which have been researched at the University of Stuttgart for over a decade. For the pavilion, the segmental shell construction was further developed as a highly insulating structure for year-round and permanent use, with the combination of two partial shells of different shapes and sizes creating an opening skylight.

Image credit: Con...

3XN GXN and British Land share new transformation project of London's Euston Tower

2023-07-13T13:57:00-04:00

3XN GXN, alongside property development company British Land, has announced that they are leading the redevelopment of London’s Euston Tower. Built in 1970, the commercial high-rise was viewed as a cutting-edge office space. However, changing tenancy needs have seen a gradual reduction in its inhabitants, leading to the building’s vacancy in 2021.

The aim for the renewed Euston Tower is to transform it into a pioneering, welcoming, net-zero workspace in the heart of London’s Knowledge Quarter. The project falls in line with the sustainability goals and expertise of British Land, the Greater London Authority and Borough of Camden, and 3XN GXN. As noted in a release, the joint vision for the project sets out to lead the way in low-carbon retrofit and construction techniques, as well as using inclusive design to support the workspaces and local community.

Image courtesy of 3XN GXN.

As stated by 3XN Senior Partner Audun Opdal, “We are proud to work on this highly progressive project and...

Port Authority of NY & NJ reaches milestone with new low-carbon concrete standards

2023-06-29T14:09:00-04:00

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced earlier this month that it has reached a major milestone in one of the most ambitious low-carbon concrete programs of its kind among U.S. transportation agencies.

Originally introduced in September 2020, the Clean Construction Program aims to reduce embodied carbon, promote the circular economy, and reduce air pollution from construction across all of the Authority’s projects through a range of initiatives. They include the incorporation of LEED and Envision-equivalent standards, utilizing low-carbon concrete, collecting environmental data from contractors, facilitating pilot projects, waste matching for concrete, asphalt, and soil, and requiring low-emissions vehicles on site.

The agency took a major step forward by significantly strengthening its requirements to use sustainable concrete mixes in all future construction projects as part of its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Related on Archinect: UN Secr...

U.S. Pavilion for the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale analyzes the human relationship with plastic

2023-05-18T18:11:00-04:00

The United States Pavilion for the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale has been completed ahead of the event’s May 20th public opening. Organized by the Cleveland-based alternative art organization SPACES, and titled Everlasting Plastics, the exhibition seeks to explore “one of the most ubiquitous materials in our world: plastic.”

Externalities by Ang Li. Photo credit: ReportArch / Andrea Ferro Photography

Investigating how plastic has permeated modern life, the exhibition reframes attitudes and approaches toward addressing the overabundance of plastic waste in waterways, landfills, and streets. Acknowledging the global dependence on the material, the pavilion seeks to make a case for a “profound reconsideration for how we coexist with plastics and its possibilities as an agent for change.”

PROOFING: Resistant and Ready by Xavi L. Aguirre. Photo credit: ReportArch / Andrea Ferro Photography

“In representing the United States at La Biennale, we wanted to draw a connection between an indu...

Chipotle launches new all-electric restaurant design pilot

2023-04-20T14:37:00-04:00

Chipotle Mexican Grill has unveiled a new fully electric restaurant design that aims to utilize 100% renewable energy and maximize energy efficiency in its equipment and systems.

The chain has recently opened restaurants with these new features in Gloucester, Virginia and Jacksonville, Florida, with a third location set to open later this summer in Castle Rock, Colorado. This design pilot will help the company progress towards its sustainability targets, formed in alignment with Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), to reduce direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels.

Chipotle aims to have more than 100 of its new locations in 2024 utilize this new model. Its impact will be further extended as the company plans to eventually grow to 7,000 locations in North America. The design will continue to evolve as restaurants receive additional feedback and insights.

Key features of the new restaurant design include rooftop solar panels, all-electric...

In 2022, breakthroughs in 3D printing and material science challenged how we build, and what we build with

2022-12-22T08:00:00-05:00

2022 was another productive year in laboratories across the United States and beyond, as colleges, manufacturers, and startups strove to challenge the orthodoxy of construction materials. While teams of students and researchers at institutions from Virginia Tech to ETH Zurich sought to push the boundaries of traditional materials such as timber and concrete, disruptive startups sought to broaden this palette with the introduction of everything from recycled plastic to mushrooms.

These investigations into material science were matched by equally impressive advancements in construction processes, marking 2022 as a year that asked ‘how’ we build as well as ‘what’ we build with. As with previous years, 3D printing featured heavily in 2022’s highlights of intriguing construction innovations, be it new nano-structural 3D printed systems that can sense their own movement, or a growing portfolio of real-world 3D printed homes which signal the arrival of the once-novel process as a viable ma...

Zaha Hadid Architects designs Ukrainian Expo 2030 master plan with demountable and redeployable pavilions

2022-12-06T11:48:00-05:00

Zaha Hadid Architects has published details of its proposed master plan for the Odesa Expo 2030 bid. In seeking to secure the Expo 2030 contract for the southern Ukrainian city, the design team has presented a scheme composed of “demountable” and “redeployable” pavilions after the event has concluded.

Image credit: Zaha Hadid Architects

“Future development in Ukraine will see a fundamental transformation of the country’s economy towards energy efficiency and low-carbon technologies,” the team said. “Zaha Hadid Architects’ design for ODESA EXPO 2030 targets the effective re-use of all facilities after the exhibition has closed, a challenge that all Expos share with major public events the world over; creating an Expo of the future where nothing is wasted.”

Image credit: JK Lab

Located on former farmland close to the city center, the proposed expo site is anchored by a main axis that will provide access to a series of national pavilions toward the south and a coastal eco park to the nor...

World's first 100% bio-based 3D printed home unveiled at the University of Maine

2022-11-22T12:06:00-05:00

The University of Maine has unveiled what it claims to be the world’s first 3D printed home made entirely with bio-based materials. The home, developed by the university’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC), measures 600 square feet and features walls, floors, and a roof made of 3D printed wood fibers and bio-resins.

Titled BioHome3D, the single-family project was printed offsite in four modules before being transported to its current site and assembled in half a day. Sandwiched within the 3D printed structure, wall and roof insulation are made of wood, while floor tiles are made from recycled materials. The house itself is also fully recyclable.

Photo credit: University of Maine

“Many technologies are being developed to 3D print homes, but unlike BioHome3D, most are printed using concrete,” said Dr. Habib Dagher, ASCC executive director. “However, only the concrete walls are printed on top of a conventionally cast concrete foundation. Traditional wood framing or wood t...

Carmody Groarke develops bricks made of city waste for museum facade in Ghent, Belgium

2022-11-18T04:00:00-05:00

Waste from the city of Ghent, Belgium, is being turned into the building blocks of a major cultural institution. For a renovation and expansion of the Design Museum Gent, an innovative new recycling process is turning old bits of broken concrete and glass into the bricks that will cover the museum’s exterior.

The Gent Waste Brick was designed by London-based practice Carmody Groarke in partnership with materials designers BC Materials and Local Works Studio. Together, they developed an energy-saving method that takes ground construction waste materials, mainly crushed concrete, masonry, and glass, from demolished buildings and infuses lime to form dry-cured bricks. This approach utilizes local materials rather than extracting clay or importing mass-produced bricks from elsewhere. As reported by Fast Company, the materials were collected mostly from within five miles of the museum.

The bricks are formed in a shipping container-sized mobile processor and then dry cure for 60 days, a much less energy-intensive process than traditional brick production. As a result, they will reportedly produce a third of the amount of carbon dioxide over a 60-year lifespan than a conventional brick. For the museum expansion, the Gent Waste Bricks will be used on the museum's facade, which is expected to co...

ETH Zurich students construct timber dome entirely from waste materials

2022-10-20T12:00:00-04:00

A group of research students at ETH Zurich has completed a timber geodesic dome constructed from nothing but demolition waste. The research group, led by assistant professor Catherine De Wolf of the university’s Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, sees the project as a demonstration of the potential for circular economics.

Photo credit: Catherine De Wolf

Photo credit: BuserHill Photography

Work on the project began in October 2021 when the group, titled the Circular Engineering for Architecture lab, gained permission to salvage materials from an old car depot scheduled for demolition. Through dismantling an entire floor of the building, the group salvaged OSB panels, wooden beams, steel girders, and plastic piping for use in the pavilion.

Photo credit: Catherine De Wolf

Photo credit: Anna Buser

According to the group, the decision to construct a geodesic dome from the waste materials was due to the shape’s stable, efficient, and elementary structural properties....

SOM completes new Wellesley College Science Complex, an 'interplay between old and new'

2022-10-13T14:48:00-04:00

SOM just completed a major design project for the Wellesley College Science Complex after a five-year construction period.

The redesigned 97,000-square-foot structure is comprised of mass timber with recycled zinc elements and involved the consolidation of several smaller academic buildings that were originally constructed on the Science Hill portion of the campus between the 1920s and late1970s.

Dave Burk © SOM

“We reimagined the science center as a village for teaching, learning, and research,” SOM Design Partner Colin Koop said in a press release. “The project is a careful mix of removal, renovation, and addition that will give students and faculty a more inviting and engaging experience.”

Dave Burk © SOM

For the renovation portion of the project, SOM focused on the L-wing, a Perry, Dean, Stahl, and Rogers-designed addition to the older Neo-Gothic Sage Hall that was first enacted in 1977 and provided an ideal space for transformation.

Dave Burk © SOM

SOM’s team converted the structu...

Food for thought on circular design and who should own the built environment

2022-10-11T12:43:00-04:00

Back in June, we covered news of research set to be undertaken at Penn State on the subject of embodied carbon in cities. The research, one of many stories this year focusing on embodied carbon, signals a growing awareness in academic and professional circles of the need to include whole-life perspectives on buildings when calculating their environmental impact: from conception and construction to demolition and reuse.

Given the sizeable 40% impact of the AEC sector on global carbon emissions, it is no surprise that conversations on embodied carbon, life-cycle analyses, and our attitude towards waste in buildings have also garnered mainstream attention.

This week, The New York Times published an article by freelance writer Jessica Camille Aguirre titled ‘How to Recycle a 14-Story Office Tower.’ While the title may evoke ideas of an IKEA-s...

Herman Miller unveils new Eames Shell Chair made of 100% recycled plastic

2022-10-10T13:33:00-04:00

Furniture giant Herman Miller has announced that its entire portfolio of the iconic Eames Molded Plastic Chairs will now be made using 100% post-industrial recycled plastic. According to the company, this is the equivalent of about 122 tons of plastic per year and a 15% annual carbon reduction.

Accompanying the new material composition is new collection of shell colors, which will include the previously offered Black, White, and Red Orange colors and nine new hues: Evergreen, Cocoa, Deep Yellow, Brick Red, Pale Blue, Medium Grey, Blue Green, Grey Green, and Light Grey.

Previously: Iconic Eames chair is transformed into intriguingly obscure art by British artist and designer Chris Labrooy

The use of recycled plastic is just another iteration of the Shell Chair, which has undergone a variety of material transformations since the chair was first introduced in 1950. The original design included fiberglass, with bent wire included the following year. In 2006, the chairs utilized polyprop...

Look at the process behind Olafur Eliasson's colorful glass canopy in California Wine Country

2022-08-04T12:00:00-04:00

Work has been completed on the Vertical Panorama Pavilion in Sonoma, California. Designed by Studio Other Spaces, a Berlin studio founded by artist Olafur Eliasson and architect Sebastian Behmann, the pavilion will be used as a space for wine tasting by The Donum Estate, one of California’s leading Pinot Noir producers.

Image © The Donum Estate and Studio Other Spaces

The scheme was conceived through a deep reflection on the site’s natural elements, taking what the designers call a “vertical slice” through the site. Such elements include the crunching sound of walking on a gravel path, the fragrances of surrounding soil and flora, the sound of wind, grass, and insects, and the formations of clouds and fog.

Image © The Donum Estate and Studio Other Spaces

The pavilion’s defining architectural feature is its conical canopy with a northern-oriented oculus, clad with 832 colored laminated glas...

Facade of new Manhattan residential building comprised of bricks made from waste materials

2022-05-05T17:54:00-04:00

Let’s play Spot The Difference, urban edition. You’re on West 47th Street in Hell’s Kitchen, a Manhattan neighborhood known for its industrial vibe. Like much of the area, the street is lined with brick buildings; despite some color variations, the facades mostly look the same. There is, however, one striking difference.

The difference lies within the gray brick facade of The West, a new residential building that is made up of nearly 580,000 pounds of demolition and industrial waste.

The architects, Dutch firm Concrete, teamed up with Amsterdam-based company StoneCycling to use their recycled bricks patented under the name WasteBasedBricks. This is the first time the companies have worked together and the first time the bricks have been used in the United States.

StoneCycling works to reduce waste streams in the construction industry through sustainable materials while also meeting the aesthetic requirements of designers. The bricks are made of at least 60% waste from sources including ceramic toilet bowls, roof tiles, and steel. In fact, the waste streams themselves, determine the hues and textures of the bricks, with tones ranging from Pistachio to Radish.

For The West, Concrete chose the Truffle WasteBasedBrick for the sake of blending the building with its industrial surroundings. The archit...

'First community of 3D printed, recycled plastic homes' to be built in California

2022-02-25T11:42:00-05:00

California-based Azure Printed Homes has announced intentions to construct 14 prefabricated 3D printed homes using recycled plastic. The homes will form part of a new housing development in Ridgecrest, California, led by Oasis Development.

The project will build on Azure’s existing production of backyard studios and ADUs, which it produces from its factory in Culver City, CA. The company claims that 3D printing their ADUs and studios from recycled plastic allows them to build the units 70% faster and with 30% fewer costs than traditional home construction methods.

An ADU unit by Azure Printed Homes. Image via Azure Printed Homes.

“We have created production efficiencies not only by capitalizing on the advances in 3D printing but by creating a design and process that is completed in only 12 hours,” says Ross Maguire, a co-founder of Azure. “When compared with conventional construction, we produce the entire structural skeleton, the exterior sheathing, the water control barrier, th...

Developer Fabrix employs urban mining to cut carbon footprint in its projects

2022-02-01T17:46:00-05:00

When old office blocks are demolished, their steel frames are typically smelted down to be recycled, emitting thousands of tonnes of carbon in the process. But at One Broadgate, the steel beams that once framed the London headquarters of inter-dealer broker TP Icap Plc will instead be salvaged from the site and recycled by developer Fabrix. Chief Executive Officer Clive Nichol says the example proves it’s possible to “apply the circular economy to structural elements of buildings.”

Fabrix has purchased 139 tons of steel from the contractor behind the demolition of One Broadgate and plans to use it on other projects in London. The process, known as urban mining, recovers and resells raw materials from waste products.

As reported by Bloomberg Green, engineering consultant AKT II estimates that reused steel could reduce the carbon impact of a building by up to 80%. The U.K. is attempting to encourage this practice, in which construction materials with large carbon footprints would be resold through a marketplace. This move comes at a time of ballooned steel prices in the U.K.

Recycled plastic blocks designed to hold similar properties to concrete

2022-01-26T16:32:00-05:00

Sustainability startup ByFusion has developed what they describe as “the first construction-grade building material made entirely of recycled, and often un-recyclable, plastic waste.” Named ByBlock, the interlocking blocks use the same principles as LEGO with protrusions on the top surface allowing for blocks to be pieced together to form retaining walls, sheds, privacy fencing, accent walls, landscaping, and furniture.

To create ByBlock, the company collects discarded plastic, which is shredded and superheated before being fused into the completed block with no fillers or adhesives used. The blocks are sized to the same dimensions as standard concrete blocks (16x8x8 inches) but generate 41% less greenhouse gas emissions than concrete blocks during manufacturing, and hold the same thermal resistance value despite being 10 pounds lighter.

Image via ByFusion

"Every ByBlock prevents 22 pounds from being landfilled or incinerated," ByFusion claims. "ByBlocks are designed to integrate...

MVRDV uses recycled champagne bottles to help Bulgari put sustainability on display in Shanghai

2021-12-10T13:03:00-05:00

Bulgari is getting a timely makeover this holiday thanks to a green facelift from MVRDV.

Using recycled champagne bottles, the Dutch firm was able to produce a dazzling new jade-like facade for the luxury retailer’s new Shanghai flagship.

A nod to the Art Deco style that has characterized both the city and brand, MVRDV’s installation continues its use of the cornice motif used for Bulgari formed by layered panels of brass and the recycled bottles. The panels are backlit at night to create an enticing glow for shoppers at the city’s Shanghai Plaza 66 shopping mall.

Per the architects: “The glass is completely recycled, produced at the Magna factory in Teutschenthal, Germany, which specializes in glass treatment. The project demonstrates the potential of sustainable recycled materials, even in luxury contexts, and takes one step towards MVRDV and Bulgari’s goal of store designs that are built using 100% circular economy materials.”

Image...

Researchers from the University of Tokyo develop a new building material made of recycled concrete and carbon dioxide

2021-10-18T18:38:00-04:00

Researchers from the University of Tokyo’s Department of Architecture have developed a promising new kind of concrete that has the potential to reduce emissions from the construction industry.

Approximately 7% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions come from the manufacture and use of cement, which is the main component of concrete. In addition, a large proportion of these emissions is due to the necessary use of calcium, which is primarily obtained by burning limestone. Professor Ippei Maruyama and Calcium Carbonate Circulation System for Construction (C4S) project manager Professor Takafumi Noguchi investigated a less carbon-intensive method of capturing calcium.

They subsequently found a way to take concrete waste and captured carbon dioxide and combine them in a process to create a usable form of concrete called calcium carbonate concrete. As noted in the research team’s report, Japan is estimated to have accumulated around 100 billion tons of concrete, with the annual amount ...

Recycled paper could cool buildings without electricity, say researchers

2021-07-05T10:42:00-04:00

A team of researchers at Northeastern University has created a sustainable material that can cool buildings without the need for conventional AC systems. Led by associate professor Yi Zheng from the university’s College of Engineering, the team has developed a “cooling paper” made from 100% recyclable paper, intended to cover the roofs of houses, warehouses, and office buildings, as well as being incorporated into the construction of new buildings.

The “cooling paper” reduces heat gain in two ways. The paper’s light color reflects warm solar rays away from a building, similar to Purdue University’s ultra-white paint that we reported on earlier this year. Meanwhile, the porous microstructure of the natural fibers in the cooling paper absorbs warmth generated inside the building, from electronic, cooking, and human body sources, and re-emits the warmth to the exterior.

Previously on Archinect: Researchers create ultra-white paint that could cool buildings

The experiment began wit...

A pavilion of facemasks and soda cans opens in Philadelphia, designed by SLO Architecture

2021-05-11T11:29:00-04:00

An installation by SLO Architecture has been unveiled in Camden, New Jersey, which repurposes 3600 facemasks into a dynamic façade and pavilion. “Turntable” will sit as a 6-month-long installation in Coopers Poynt Waterfront Park, facing the Delaware River and downtown Philadelphia, infusing reflections on history, waste, and public space in a post-pandemic world.

Image: SLO Architecture

The installation occupies a site which, during the 18th century, served as a critical infrastructure node for land and water-based transport along the Delaware River and the now-buried Windmill Island. From the 1980s until 2010, the site also served as a prison, thus separating the public from the waterfront. The design team’s vision was for an installation which invited activity back to the site, while also reflecting on the thematic history of unearthing, rediscovering, and reconsidering.

Image: SLO Architecture

SLO Architecture’s design features a dome made from thousands of the familiar blue f...

Recycled concrete performs as well as conventional concrete, new study finds

2020-12-09T13:04:00-05:00

Results of a new five-year study of recycled concrete show that it performs as well, and in several cases even better, than conventional concrete. Researchers conducted side-by-side comparisons of recycled and conventional concrete within two common applications -- a building foundation and a municipal sidewalk. They found that the recycled concrete had comparable strength and durability after five years of being in service.

Find the complete study Recycled aggregate concrete from large-scale production to sustainable field application by University of British Columbia Okanagan researchers here.

The complicated afterlife of spent data servers

2019-07-30T15:13:00-04:00

Investment in cloud infrastructure has surged since 2015, and the market for data-center equipment is expected to grow at an average annualized rate of roughly 16% this year and next, according to Citigroup Inc. Cloud servers, though, typically have a lifespan of only about three years, according to experts, meaning that some of the earliest equipment already has passed its use-by date.

The Wall Street Journal takes a look at the anticipated market for scrap metal and other components used to make cloud computing infrastructure.

As the cloud computing era gets underway globally, efforts to recycle the short-lived data servers that power the cloud have been complicated by privacy and sustainability concerns. Recycling policies vary by manufacturers, while a lack of coordination and technology industry secrecy stifles efforts to solidify a coordinated approach for the estimated 2 metric tons of obsolete equipment generated by cloud computing, according to The Wall Street Journal.

A 2017 report from the United Nations University, the International Telecommunication Union, and the International Solid Waste Association reads: “Although cloud-computing trends can lead to fewer devices because all services can be accessed from one device, more cloud computing also means more data centers and more e-waste."

Nader Khalili's CalEarth research institute reopens its doors

2019-06-03T14:13:00-04:00

Founded in 1991 by Nader Khalili, the California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture has researched and developed solutions, including the SuperAdobe, a structure made with patented, long plastic bags filled with dirt from the building site and held in place with barbed wire. Khalili’s ultimate aim was to empower refugees and the poor to build homes using minimal materials and without the need for highly skilled practitioners such as architects, engineers and contractors.

Marissa Gluck of the LA Times writes a thoughtful piece remembering the late Kahili and the influence he's made in the architecture community. Read more about Gluck's coverage of CalEarth and its revival here.

Correction 6/13/19: The original article unintentionally used similar language to the article published on the LA Times. We deeply regret this unfortunate and unusual mistake, so we have replaced it with a direct link to the Marissa Gluck’s article at the LA Times.