Archinect - News

Handcrafted quality and a reverence for the Canadian wilderness makes this Kariouk Architects-designed family retreat stand out

2024-07-19T16:55:00-04:00

Ottawa-based architecture firm Kariouk Architects has designed a family retreat defined by its open spaces and close relationship to the landscape in a remote Ontarian forest.

Photo: Scott Norsworthy

The home was designed for a large family who wanted a large space for summer and winter holidays that would allow visitors to be comfortable in a remote area for long stays. The clients also wanted the project to promote and be aligned with the surrounding environment. The architects honored this through the house’s visual and material harmonization with its surroundings, responsible material sourcing and site adaptation, and energy-saving systems. Most notably, almost all of the natural habitat of the 100-acre property was preserved.

Photo: Scott Norsworthy

A primary objective of the retreat’s design was to achieve a contemporary approach to warmth and the avoidance of modernist box-like forms. This is evident in the continuous space of the home, where only bedrooms and bathrooms are cl...

AEC firms sign on to Biden Administration’s definition of zero-emissions buildings

2024-01-19T12:53:00-05:00

An effort by the Biden Administration to establish a new national definition of zero-emissions buildings is gaining traction after leaders representing a group of 69 different AEC firms working in the U.S. added their support in a letter that was circulated earlier this week.

Prominent architecture firms, including SOM, NBBJ, Payette, Lake|Flato, Curtis + Ginsberg, DIALOG, FXCollaborative, Handel, and EskewDumezRipple, were among the architecture firms whose principals signed on to the pledge. The signature drive was initiated by Maine-based studio OPAL in coordination with the Building Green Sustainability Leader Peer Networks.

Under the proposed new standards, a “net zero emissions building” would obtain “high” (e.g., the 75th percentile) energy efficiency ratings, be free of any on-site emissions, and be powered purely by clean energy sources. Existing buildings will require an ENERGY STAR score of 75 or higher or a measured whole building energy use intensity (or EUI) of at lea...

Boston’s new Winthrop Center is now officially the largest Passive House office building in the world

2023-10-06T17:58:00-04:00

The new Winthrop Center in Boston by Handel Architects has just been certified by the Passive House Institute (PHI) as the largest Passive House office design in the world, according to an announcement made Friday by its developer Millennium Partners.

Inaugurated in the spring after a six-year concept and construction phase, the 691-foot mixed-use tower includes 812,000 square feet of Class A office space and another 510,000-square-foot segment with 317 luxury residences within its 52-story design.

The office component of the Center, which earned the PHI designation, incorporates between 30 and 35% more fresh air than a typical commercial design. Millennium Partners shares: "A typical Class A building in Boston’s existing stock uses 150% more energy and existing LEED Platinum buildings in Boston use 60% more energy than Winthrop Center’s office space."

Image courtesy of Millennium Partners.

“With Winthrop Center, we wanted to think beyond the status quo, and we were ready to employ ...

Frankenthaler Climate Initiative announces $2.7 million worth of clean energy funding to 48 arts institutions

2023-08-10T16:56:00-04:00

The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation has just announced the third cycle of its Frankenthaler Climate Initiative (FCI), representing a total of $2.7 million in funding to 48 different visual arts organizations across the country for 2023.

Along with the announcement of this year’s awardees, the FCI is also now expanding its footprint to $15 million and extending itself to additional 2024 and 2025 cycles. The Foundation shares it has now conferred more than $10.8 million worth of funding since the program was first initiated in 2021.

The list of organizations receiving funding this year includes Maine’s expanding Portland Museum of Art; The Noguchi Museum and Pratt Institute in New York City; SITE Santa Fe; and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, among others in the cultural and education realms.

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African History in Detroit. Photo: Charles H. Wright Museum of African History

"2023 saw the largest number and most sophisticated project proposals to date, ...

Biden announces $90 million commitment to upgrade building codes nationwide

2023-07-24T14:36:00-04:00

The Biden Administration has recently announced a new $90 million commitment in the form of competitive awards meant to help states and cities in their myriad attempts at mustering updated building codes into the country's patchwork response to climate change.

The funds are being taken from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and supports 27 projects that are all aimed at increasing the energy efficiency, resiliency, and overall performance of buildings in different parts of the country.

In a statement, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said: “Cutting emissions from buildings across America and ensuring they’re more energy efficient are critical components of President Biden’s plan to tackle the climate crisis and create cleaner and healthier communities. With unprecedented support from the President’s Investing in America agenda, the Department is providing new funding to help cities and states modernize their building codes — lowering energy costs for American famil...

Reimagining the convent typology to blend spirituality and social engagement

2023-06-12T15:27:00-04:00

Italian architecture and landscape firm Mixtura has designed a wood-structured conventual complex in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, that provides both a space for worship and philanthropic services.

Image: Cesare Querci

The approximately 57,000-square-foot building, called the convent of the Franciscan Fraternity of Bethany, was completed as part of a social project that the Bethany Foundation Onlus has been carrying out in Brazil since 2010.

Image: Cesare Querci

The initiative has so far seen the construction of a kindergarten for 120 children from the neighboring favelas. It also includes the construction of a school complex for more than 500 children living in conditions of serious hardship.

Image: Cesare Querci

The complex’s design was formed via a participatory method that involved architects and clients with the shared goal of creating a space that would establish a positive relationship between the users, the built environment, and nature.

Image: Cesare Querci

"As architects, we s...

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...

LMN Architects announces progress of its new Buxton Center for Bainbridge Performing Arts expansion and remodel

2023-04-11T11:36:00-04:00

LMN Architects is celebrating the near completion of its expansion and renovation of The Buxton Center for Bainbridge Performing Arts in Washington.

Located on Bainbridge Island, the new Buxton Center will create a stronger connection to the island by "reorienting its entry sequence to the axial plan of the island’s town square." The Center will have a wood and glass curtain wall that encloses a two-story lobby space. The lobby will serve as a way to immerse visitors within the surrounding woodland landscape. Adjacent to the center is a studio that will operate as a separate performance venue and will be the primary home of the Bainbridge Performing Arts Theatre School program.

“The original theater was a civic treasure for the island and a vital gathering space to celebrate the arts in the local community,” said LMN Architects Associate Erik Perka. “Throughout the design of the new building, our main goal was to preserve the intimacy of the theater while strengthening the connectio...

University of Seville architecture professor develops new mathematical concept that can impact 'engineering and construction of buildings'

2023-03-20T09:10:00-04:00

During the construction of the university’s new engineering building, Cabeza-Lainez found that calculating the area of a roof with straight lines resting on a semicircle was impossible just by using pi. After 30 years of research, [he] published a paper about his discovery in ScienceDirect [...] Both articles present his proposal of a number psi (Ψ), with a value of 3.140923, close to pi but which can be applied to a versatile geometric form that he calls an antisphere.

According to El Pais, mathematician and architect Dr. Cabeza-Lainez had to develop his own proprietary calculation software in order to prove the equation. He has also published a book on solar light transfer and says the application of psi in various forms can lower costs associated with energy consumption by 50%.

Graphical Abstract of research from "New Simulation Tool for Architectural Design in the Realm of Solar Radiative Transfer" paper by Joseph Cabeza-Lainez, Jose-Manuel Almodóvar-Melendo, Paula Revenga-Dominguez, Inmaculada Rodríguez-Cunill, and Yingying Xu. Published research can be found in MDPI Journal's Special Issue "Sustainable Design in Building and Urban Environment."

He shares with Raúl Limón of El Pais that the new equation can be applied to “a downspout, to a network of pipes, to an earthquake-resistant tower, to 150-foot [50-meter] ships without using columns, even to biotechnological devices” that he's tested through models made with 3D printers. Rail network t...

An Edwardian terrace house refurbished as a sleek, energy-saving abode in London

2023-02-16T15:32:00-05:00

British firm Architecture for London has recently completed the extension and refurbishment of a traditional Edwardian terrace house into a modern, energy-efficient home.

Photo: Lorenzo Zandri and Christian Brailey, courtesy of Architecture for London

Called Low Energy House, the residence is located in Muswell Hill, a suburban district in north London, and aimed to set an example of a sustainable refurbishment of a typical terraced home with a constrained budget. The project’s embodied energy and energy in-use were taken into heavy consideration.

Photo: Lorenzo Zandri and Christian Brailey, courtesy of Architecture for London

The energy requirements were reduced through insulating, triple-glazing, and improving airtightness. The home was extended via a rear extension and a loft conversion.

The home incorporates a timber structure, a continuous airtight layer, and insulation to the entire building envelope. The walls were insulated externally at the side and rear and internally at t...

On the benefit and challenges of designing all-electric affordable housing

2023-01-19T13:28:00-05:00

In a few short years, policymakers and building designers have gone from pushing energy-efficient design and products—which saved folks money—to targeting carbon emission reductions, even if it costs more in the long run. This paradigm shift is rapidly changing expectations for the development and operation of affordable housing.

New York, Boston, and Los Angeles are three of America’s largest cities to have recently adopted some version of law or code changes mandating the design of new buildings (with the occasional exception for certain, typically smaller multifamily developments) be made all-electric.

The challenge for practitioners, according to authors Kimberly Vermeer and Walker Wells, is doing so equitably with a mind to costs, as the price per unit of electricity is typically much higher for consumers than traditional fossil fuels. The implementation of pricier but more energy-efficient heat pumps is also discussed as a huge technical and design obstacle for architects, along with the necessity of learning new vocabularies and more complex building performance metrics in the hopes of girding against the effects of climate change and preparing for the inevitability of electrification at a broad scale.

Chicago unveils Climate Infrastructure Fund for nonprofits and small businesses

2022-12-28T17:31:00-05:00

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has announced a new grant program that aims to spur climate action across the city through nonprofit organizations and small businesses.

Designed in partnership with the Department of Planning and Development’s Chicago Recovery Plan Initiative, the Climate Infrastructure Fund will back renewable energy and energy-efficiency improvements in buildings, support the purchase of electric vehicles and installation of charging stations, and develop green infrastructure solutions to capture stormwater and reduce flooding. Applications for the grant will be evaluated based on climate mitigation and resilience factors, equity impact, and project readiness.

The $5 million Fund is part of a series of climate and environmental initiatives under the Chicago Recovery Plan, which was formed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The City of Chicago was granted $1.887 billion in federal funds to invest in the well-being of people and communities and drive economic recove...

49 arts institutions will receive much-needed clean energy grants through the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative

2022-08-22T09:00:00-04:00

A group of 49 arts institutions has been awarded a total of $3 million in clean energy grants as part of the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation’s Frankenthaler Climate Initiative (FCI), now in its second year.

The Initiative is part of a larger $10 million effort being developed along with RMI and claims to be the largest grant-making program of its kind in the country.

“The first round of FCI’s funding helped museums actualize climate neutrality commitments, prepare for and respond to climate-driven disasters, and create avenues to achieve long-term operational sustainability, among other key goals,” the Foundation's Lise Motherwell explained. “This second phase expands our reach and impact by advancing current projects in development and providing a new roster of visual art institutions with the support needed to meet their climate goals.”

Among the greater New York area institutions awarded, the Storm King Art Center will receive $100,000 for photovoltaic panels and a building enve...

New homes made from repurposed train containers are heading to Chicago's South Side

2022-08-16T18:11:00-04:00

A team of investors has joined forces to bring luxury, energy-efficient container homes to the South Side — and neighbors could move in as soon as this winter. Vincennes Village, a collection of 12 40-foot-long modern, eco-friendly container homes, will be built at 7231 S. Vincennes Ave.

The Vincennes Village initiative, led by project manager Darryl Burton and developer Anthony Casboni, is reportedly the first to bring single-family container homes to Chicago.

Rendering: Vincennes Village

The structures will be built from 8-foot-long train shipping containers, with ceilings spanning nearly 10 feet high. Residences will be 1,200–1,800 square feet in size and two stories tall, including between three to four bedrooms. The new homes are advertised as energy-efficient, featuring motion-activated lights and faucets.

Onyx Architectural Services, a minority-owned Chicago firm, is the lead developer and aims to offer the homes at a starting price of $270,000.

AIA announces energy-efficient redesign scheme for its Brutalist D.C. headquarters

2022-04-20T19:09:00-04:00

In an effort to bring the organization closer to its own self-stated goals on sustainability, equity, and collaboration, the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has today unveiled plans for a comprehensive new upgrade to its aging Washington, D.C. National headquarters.

San Francisco-based EHDD will lead the overhaul of the nearly 50-year-old Brutalist structure using the AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence to author a host of efficiency upgrades that are expected to save some 58% of the building’s pre-Covid energy use levels.

Renderings courtesy AIA

“[The] AIA’s headquarters should serve as an expression of the value architects provide and align with the values we uphold as a profession,” President Dan Hart explained. “We have a responsibility to redesign this iconic building to the highest standards in sustainability, resilience, and equity. By demonstrating the powerful role design can play in improving our communities, we can...

This recently sold home in Arizona beats the desert heat by being entirely underground

2022-03-28T18:31:00-04:00

This house on the real estate market in Scottsdale, Arizona, for $2.1 million is throwing some serious shade — in the coolest way possible. How? The “one-of-a-kind” property is basically all underground, but not in “bunker” fashion.

The 3,300-square-foot, five-bedroom, four-bathroom home is described as an “earth-sheltered subterranean home” designed “to create highly efficient living.” According to its listing on real-estate marketplace Zillow, the residence was built in the 1970s, designed in response to high costs and the energy crises at the time.

The home's interior courtyard. Image: Zillow

It features a central courtyard that provides natural light and air to almost every room, a four-foot corridor along its perimeter that creates storage space, 10-foot ceilings, and solar panels. (The home is also fitted with HVAC.)

Image: Zillow

According to its listing, the property sold earlier this month, closing at a little over $2.3 million. More images of this unique underground dwelling can be seen on Zillow, here.

Cornell Tech celebrates Roosevelt Island Campus phase one completion

2022-02-24T14:33:00-05:00

Cornell Tech, Cornell University’s urban campus for technology research and education, has announced the completion of the first phase of its Roosevelt Island campus development in New York City. This news comes following the recent completion and opening of the Snøhetta-designed Verizon Executive Education Center and the Graduate Roosevelt Island Hotel in 2021.

The first three buildings at Cornell Tech, which opened in September 2017 include the Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Center, designed by Morphosis Architects, the TATA Innovation Center, designed by Weiss/Manfredi, and The House, designed by Handel Architects and developed by The Hudson Companies and Related Companies.

Previously on Archinect: Snøhetta completes two new buildings for Cornell Tech campus in New York

The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Center is the campus’s first academic building offering a variety of spaces designed to support different learning modes, while incorporating advanced sustainability features and comm...

SOM-designed "Breathing" bank headquarters opens in Shenzhen

2022-01-04T12:36:00-05:00

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has completed a 158-meter-tall, 33-story tower, located at the center of one of Shenzhen’s key business districts. The structure responds to the region’s tropical climate through a series of biophilic and sustainable design solutions. SOM was commissioned by Shenzhen Rural Commercial Bank in 2012 to design a new headquarters that merges its past with its vision for the future.

SOM's work on this project included architecture, mechanical, electrical and plumbing, structural, and civil engineering.

The tower’s façade is defined by an external diagrid, which acts as both the building’s structure and solar shading element. At its base, the diagrid widens to create framed openings and views of the surrounding park and nearby South China Sea.

“We’re always exploring opportunities to synthesize inventive engineering solutions with architectural design,” said SOM Design Partner Scott Duncan. “The Rural Commercial Bank Headquarters gave us the chance to incor...

48.3% of NYC's buildings fail on energy efficiency according to Department of Buildings data

2021-12-03T19:09:00-05:00

Energy efficiency among New York City buildings has improved a bit, but almost half of those forced to post a grade are still failing. According to The City’s analysis of preliminary data from the Department of Buildings, 48.3 percent of buildings received either a D or F grade. Receiving a D is essentially the worst a building can do, as Fs are reserved for properties that don’t submit data.

More than 20,000 buildings exceeding 25,000 square feet were surveyed. As reported by The Real Deal, the share of Ds dropped to 39.2 percent from 44.1 percent from the same time last year, indicating some of the least energy-efficient buildings made improvements. The share of F grades, however, increased from 7.6 to 9.1 percent.

The grades are calculated based on an Energy Star metric comparing the energy consumption of buildings across the country with those of similar densities and uses. While landlords currently do not get fined for poor grades, beginning in 2024, Local Law 97 will subject building owners to a fine of $268 per ton of greenhouse gas emissions above a certain limit.

Ithaca becomes the first US city to start 100% decarbonization of its buildings

2021-11-08T17:24:00-05:00

Far from Glasgow and COP26, Ithaca, New York, just made an unprecedented move to tackle climate change and the city’s carbon footprint. In a unanimous vote on Wednesday night, Ithaca’s city council approved the full decarbonization of its buildings.

This is the first US city to begin work on a 100% decarbonization plan. It secured $100 million in private financing from private equity partner Alturus to support the effort, a move that may be more effective in tackling emissions than federal and state efforts. Ithaca’s energy efficiency partner BlocPower brought the investors on board to pay the upfront costs of the project.

According to Ithaca’s sustainability director, Luis Aguirre-Torres, the strategy to fund these climate projects is to not rely on government money but to secure private investment and combine it with incentives from the government. This can reduce the cost of capital and interest rates for project finance. Torres said that Ithaca’s goal is to set the ratio at 1 to 20 for taxpayer versus private investment funding.

Ithaca’s plan will cover electrification projects for 1,000 residential buildings and 600 commercial buildings in the first phase of a total 6,000 building inventory. Buildings are the first target...

Penn State Architectural Engineering professor recognized by UN for work in sustainable buildings

2021-11-08T14:07:00-05:00

A professor of architectural engineering at Penn State by the name of James Freihaut has been recognized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Committee on Sustainable Energy for his work in improving sustainability and safety in buildings. During the committee’s 30th Jubilee session on September 22, Freihaut was honored for his contributions over the past 30 years.

Freihaut’s research focuses on building mechanical systems, with specific interests in indoor air quality and building science, combined heat and power systems, distributed energy systems, enclosed space air quality issues, and system constraints on air treatment/filtration solutions.

The UNECE Committee on Sustainable Energy’s work is designed to improve access to affordable and clean energy and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the carbon footprint of the energy sector. The focus is on energy efficiency, cleaner electricity production from fossil fuels, renewable energy, natural gas, and ...

Cement-based batteries could turn concrete buildings into giant energy stores

2021-05-21T08:58:00-04:00

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have published unique research into the idea of rechargeable batteries made from cement. The team, led by Doctor Emma Zhang and Professor Luping Tang at the institution’s Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, believes the development of this technology may yield a future where twenty-story concrete buildings can store energy as one giant battery.

The concept for Chalmers’ battery system begins with a cement-based mixture, to which small amounts of short carbon fibers are added to increase the material’s conductivity. A metal-coated carbon fiber mesh is then embedded within the mixture, with iron for the anode and nickel for the cathode, forming a high-strength battery system on an architectural or urban scale.

Schematic illustration of a design for the metal-coating battery. Image: Emma Zhang and Luping Tang

The research, published in the scientific journal Buildings, estimates that the new battery’s capacity ...

A 19th century passive house in Chicago is a model for sustainable retrofitting

2021-04-22T12:53:00-04:00

On the subject of architecture and construction’s contribution to climate change, our existing building stock is coming under increasing scrutiny. While the United Kingdom recently announced a review into embodied carbon in buildings, thanks in part to the Architect Journal’s RetroFirst campaign, U.S. President Joe Biden has promised tens of billions of dollars in investment to retrofit four million buildings across the country.

Although new buildings, and the regulations surrounding them, are achieving ever-higher accolades for sustainability, 80% of the buildings that will exist in 2050 have already been built – many of which fall below the environmental performance standards needed to address the climate crisis. On Earth Day, we look at one example of how retrofitting old houses can offer benefits to inhabitants, streetscapes, and the environment.

The Yannell PHIUS+ House. Image: Christopher Barrett / HPZS

In the Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago, among the familiar two-story...

Transparent wood: 'potential to outperform glass'

2020-11-10T18:21:00-05:00

Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) researcher Junyong Zhu in co-collaboration with colleagues from the University of Maryland and University of Colorado, have developed a transparent wood material that may be the window of tomorrow. Researchers found that transparent wood has the potential to outperform glass currently used in construction.

The abstract of the researchers' paper A Clear, Strong, and Thermally Insulated Transparent Wood for Energy Efficient Windows points out that besides its energy-efficient qualities, transparent wood is a "sustainable material, with low carbon emissions and scaling capabilities due to its compatibility with industry-adopted rotary cutting methods. The scalable, high clarity, transparent wood demonstrated in current work can potentially be employed as energy efficient and sustainable windows for significant environmental and economic benefits."

Previously on Archinect: Scientists develop method to make wood harder than steel — or even transparent

Incandescent light bulbs live on as Trump Administration rolls back more energy efficiency guidelines

2019-12-23T15:22:00-05:00

The Trump administration announced Friday that it would block a rule designed to phase out older incandescent bulbs and require Americans to use energy-efficient light bulbs. In announcing the move, the secretary of energy, Dan Brouillette, who is a former auto lobbyist, said the administration had chosen “to protect consumer choice by ensuring that the American people do not pay the price for unnecessary overregulation from the federal government.”

The rule in question was set to phase out the use of inefficient incandescent light bulbs on January 1, 2020 through the imposition of stringent energy efficiency standards initially crafted in 2007 under the administration of President George W. Bush.

Regarding the measure, The New York Times quotes President Donald Trump as saying, “The new bulb is many times more expensive, and I hate to say it, it doesn’t make you look as good,” adding, “We’re bringing back the old light bulb.”

UK could weatherize 27 million residences with “Warm Homes for All” plan

2019-11-03T21:00:00-05:00

As the United Kingdom continues to make progress in its efforts to decarbonize its buildings, the country’s liberal party has unveiled a trail-blazing “Warm Homes for All” plan that could bring roof insulation, double-glazed windows, renewable technologies, heat pumps, solar thermal systems, and other energy efficiency and weatherizing improvements to the country’s entire housing stock, The Guardian reports.

Under the proposed plan, low-income residents would receive grants to make the upgrades while wealthier residents would become eligible for interest-free loans to help pay for the work. Loans offered by the government would be tied to the properties themselves rather than the building occupants. The plan could improve up to 27 million homes across the United Kingdom and create 450,000 jobs over the next decade.

Council housing in Seacroft, Leeds, West Yorkshire. Image courtesy of Wikimedia user chemical engineering.

According to The Guardian, building electricity use and heatin...

USBGC seeking input on the future of LEED

2019-07-15T19:25:00-04:00

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced a call for proposals to solicit feedback and concepts for the next version of LEED certification standards.

According to the announcement, the organization is looking to expand and improve upon its recently completed suite of LEED v4.1 rating systems. Aside from focusing on lowering carbon emissions and improving energy and water efficiency ratings like previous editions of the LEED certification guidelines, LEED v4.1 makes an appeal to the growing building wellness movement by also emphasizing "health and well-being of the people who live, work, learn and play in these buildings, cities and communities every day."

Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO of USGBC explained in a prepared statement that LEED v4.1 "has allowed us to become more agile and adaptable to incorporate real-time feedback so that we can realistically raise the bar on the marketplace."

Ramanujam added, "Building on this success, we are excited to enga...

What will become of retired coal-fired power plants? A new "playbook" outlines a plan

2019-07-05T18:35:00-04:00

Nearly 300 coal-fired power plants have been "retired" since 2010, according to the Sierra Club. It's a trend that continues despite President Trump's support for coal. That has left many communities worried that those now-idled places will simply be mothballed.

In an NPR segment, which aired in May, Jeff Brady discusses the Department of Community and Economic Development's plans to reuse and redevelop retired coal plants. Plans of action are listed in a "playbook" that outlines the attributes of listed coal plants and the pros and cons of each site. Through these assessments, it will help the Department realize what types of business would be an appropriate fit to relocate there. With the increased number of coal plants shutting down opportunities for coal cities will change for the better thanks to plans of introducing new businesses to the area by promoting these unused sites.

Examples of the playbook in action are happening now in the small Pennsylvania town of Shamokin Dam. The coal-fired plant in town provided power for over six-decades before it was shut down in 2014. However, with the Department's new plans for redevelopment, the once forgotten site is teeming with activity. In the segment Brady shares, "Environmental groups cheer...

One designer reimagines affordable housing in Maseru, Lesotho and wins the "rise in the city" design competition

2019-03-14T15:47:00-04:00

This week the non-profit rise International (Relationships Inspiring Social Enterprise) announced its winner of the international architecture competition which focuses on affordable housing projects. During the 2018-2019 competition, designers were challenged to design high-quality, sustainable, and energy-efficient homes for Maseru, a capitol of Lesotho in South Africa. The competition's concept site is known for their cold winters and hot summers. According to the design brief the city of Maseru was split into 100 virtual blocks that were assigned to the competition applicants. Each applicant was provided a sponsor and a mentor from well known architecture firms to provide support. One last requirement was that each design would allow for the home to be scalable, meaning one family living within the home could incrementally add extensions or the home could be replicated as a larger building.

Winning Design: "Creating Spaces" by Tanmoy Dey

Project Images & Plans; Creating Spaces ...

AIA issues statement of support for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal

2019-02-08T21:13:00-05:00

AIA President William Bates has issued a statement praising the efforts of a Green New Deal, an ambitious resolution put forth by Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that addresses the immense threat of climate change while stimulating the economy through sustainable job creation across various sectors.

The transformative package of policies, announced yesterday, is both broad and bold, giving attention to everything from environmental justice and labor to health care and education. And to get there, the road map calls for a range of policy-driven projects that would heavily touch on the building industry, which accounts for nearly 40% of CO2 emissions in the United States.

Most notably, the bill calls for densifying urban areas and demands the U.S. “upgrade all existing buildings and build new buildings, to achieve maximal energy efficiency, water efficiency, safety, affordability, comfort, and durability"—both of which would have huge impacts for how and wh...