Archinect - News

Futuristic tower proposed for Roosevelt Island is 2,400 feet and covered in 10,000+ plants

2020-09-23T18:55:00-04:00

In response to the idea of the “city of tomorrow,” one that will become carbon neutral by 2050, French architecture firm Rescubika created a proposal for a 2,418-foot tower on Roosevelt Island. With wood construction materials, 36 wind turbines, 8,300 shrubs, 1,600 tress, 83,000 square feet of plant walls, and nearly 23,000 square feet of solar panels, it would be the world’s tallest “carbon sink” tower–one that absorbs more CO2 than it releases.

KPMB Architect's new building for Boston University reaches for carbon neutrality

2020-03-05T12:52:00-05:00

Boston University's new Center for Computing and Data Sciences building is set to be the largest carbon-neutral building in Boston when completed. The 19-story structure will house the university's mathematics, statistics, and computer science departments.

Previously covered on Archinect back in 2018, the goal for the project, according to Toronto-based architecture firm KPMB Architects, is to create a structure that would be "an iconic fixture on campus." Besides, its stacked, podium-like volumes, which are meant to resemble stacked books, the structure will also stand as the tallest—and greenest—building on campus.

A press statement by university president Robert A. Brown expresses, "This building is a physical statement about our commitment to the field. We wanted architecture that would signal to everyone that this was a special place, the center of campus,"

Boston University's Center for Computing and Data Sciences. Image courtesy of KPMB Architects

Boston University's Cente...

A new tool could make "carbon-aware" material specifications a reality

2019-09-23T18:30:00-04:00

The Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF), a coalition made up of over 30 building industry leaders that includes the American Institute of Architects, Perkins and Will architects, Autodesk, the American Institute of Steel Construction, and the American Concrete Institute Foundation, among others, has unveiled a new tool that could help designers better understand the carbon footprints of the building materials they specify.

The so-called EC3 tool is developed as an open-source technology that allows users to see the embodied carbon impacts of materials before they are specified, according to a news release.

The tool is fully customizable and allows for a variety of materials to be highlighted in carbon calculations. Image courtesy of Building Transparency / Carbon Leadership Forum.

According to the Building Transparency website, the tool allows designers to visualize different material scenarios using the embodied carbon emissions of a variety of structural approaches, interior and exteri...

AIA embraces a pro-climate agenda

2019-09-05T13:00:00-04:00

The leadership of the American Institute of Architects organization has officially signed off on an ambitious climate agenda that was proposed during the organization's annual meeting in Las Vegas.

The so-called "Resolution for Urgent and Sustained Climate Action," introduced at the meeting by Betsy del Monte, an architect with Dallas-based Cameron MacAlister, aims to "prioritize and support urgent climate action to exponentially accelerate the 'decarbonization' of buildings, the building sector, and the built environment."

In addition, del Monte's resolution aims to craft new revisions to the AIA's collection of Public Policies and Position Statements in an effort to "engage its full membership, clients, lawmakers, and communities in a multi-year education, practice, and advocacy strategy."

Remarking on the organization's official ratification of the climate resolution, 2019 AIA President William Bates, wrote in a press release, “This is a defining moment for the Institute,” addi...

First fully solar-powered museum is planned for LA's Institute of Contemporary Art

2019-08-22T13:30:00-04:00

In a statement released today the museum shared their goals to becoming the first solar powered art museum. According to ICA LA's deputy directory Samuel Vasquez, "Our audience counts on us to uphold the wellbeing of our community, and once we looked at the numbers and saw that it was possible to go solar, we felt obligated to make the change. It will not be easy and there will be a large cost, but we feel it is our duty as a civic leader and advocate for social progress."

Plans for transforming the museum to run on solar is launched through a crowd-funded Kickstarter campaign. The goal is to install 206 solar panels and raise $25,000. In total the project is estimated to cost $156,000 in total.

According to their Kickstarter page, the plans to go solar are driven by Los Angeles' attempt to become carbon-neutral by 2050. With our world in a state of "climate emergency" the ICA LA is the second art museum to tackle climate change and implement a sustainable approach. According to ar...

Pixel Building: Australia's First Carbon Neutral Building is Now Complete!

2011-12-16T12:36:23-05:00

This crazy building is a real live structure and it's also Australia's very first carbon neutral building. Recently completed, the Pixel Building is an office building located on the former CUB Brewery site in Melbourne.