Archinect - News

White House releases recommendations to modernize federal environmental reviews

2024-07-22T20:18:00-04:00

The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has shared its updated recommendations for modernizing the process of environmental reviews using new digital technologies. The 78-page report issued last week includes recommended steps and other guidances to complement projects pursued through the $1 billion Inflation Reduction Act and a slate of comprehensive federal permitting reforms that have occurred under the Biden Administration.

Recommended steps include:

Creating a data standard and taxonomy for NEPA [National Environmental Policy Act];
Developing a common architecture for interoperable agency systems;
Supporting agency adoption of shared NEPA tools through iterative development of new and existing software applications; and
Automating the exchange of data among agency systems to provide a unified experience.

Brenda Mallory, Chair of the CEQ, commented: "This report outlines how agencies can create better, more efficient digital tools so we can better allocate federal ...

Further action on decarbonization in the construction sector is needed, urges UN/Yale study

2023-09-15T17:21:00-04:00

A new report driven by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and Yale University's newly-formed Yale Center for Ecosystems + Architecture (Yale CEA) has recommended drastic reductions in the industry’s use of certain construction materials as it faces the environmental headwinds of sector-wide change.

While heeding a "back-to-the-future revolution" in methods and products/technologies used for building, the authors say the worldwide growth of urbanization has necessitated an overabundance of new buildings constructed using an unacceptable amount of concrete and other harmful materials. The findings of the report suggest the efficacy of reusing existing buildings at a larger scale while at the same time concentrating more resources toward the production of adequate alternatives in addition to adopting a "circular economy" and policies that help to curb the industry's 37% share of global emissions.

Where the report recommends a three-pronged solution toward reducing embodied concrete e...

Yazdani Studio's Caltech sustainability center is making progress

2023-04-13T15:28:00-04:00

Nearly one year after breaking ground in Pasadena, construction is in full swing for the Resnick Sustainability Center on the Caltech campus. [...] When completed, the new complex will serve as the physical hub of the Resnick Sustainability Institute, which has existing at Caltech since 2009.

Following a $750 million donation from The Wonderful Company owners Lynda and Stewart Resnick in 2019 to Caltech, plans to construct a new 80,000-square-foot research facility were put in motion. Designed by Yazdani Studio, the Resnick Sustainability Resource Center broke ground in May 2022 and is now rising along the west side of the school’s campus.

The building, distinct with its undulating glass façade and mass timber grid shell, will be home to critical research in solar and climate science, energy, biofuels, decomposable plastics, and more.

Previously on Archinect: Yazdani Studio designs sustainability research center built with mass timber for Caltech

The Center will house a biosphere engineering facility, a solar science and catalysis center, a remote sensing center, and lecture and interactive learning spaces. The structure is also designed to be the greenest building on the campus, with systems that limit water consumption, interior finishes that prioritize renewable and ...

Biden administration restores stricter environmental review process for federal projects formerly pulled back by Trump

2022-04-28T15:22:00-04:00

The Biden administration on April 19 restored key regulations in the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires review of federal projects to assess their likely impacts on climate change and nearby communities. The changes to the NEPA rules will go into effect in late May, and could mean proposed infrastructure like highways, pipelines and railways take more time to get approved.

This move reverses changes made by the Trump administration, which loosened the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in 2020 in order to accelerate projects by shortening the time used to gather environmental information and community input.

According to Construction Dive, construction industry groups, who have long decried the NEPA process, say that the new rules will increase costs for contractors and delay projects enabled by the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. On the other hand, climate advocates and state transportation officials have welcomed the changes, claiming that they would provide certainty to infrastructure projects.

In addition, according to White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory, the return to a more rigorous environmental review will actually speed up project completion as those approved will not be as susceptible to legal challenges. The new NEPA changes grant more flexibility to federal agencies to alter their enviro...

Yazdani Studio designs sustainability research center built with mass timber for Caltech

2021-06-03T17:36:00-04:00

In September 2019, Lynda and Stewart Resnick, owners of LA-based The Wonderful Company, donated $750 million to Caltech to support further environmental sustainability research. This enabled plans to construct a new 80,000-square-foot facility called the Resnick Sustainability Resource Center. Yazdani Studio, the experimental arm of CannonDesign, is behind the building’s design.

The Resnick Sustainability Resource Center will be home to critical research in solar science, climate science, energy, biofuels, decomposable plastics, water and environmental resources, ecology and biosphere engineering, and more. Key spaces within the building include a biosphere engineering facility, a solar science and catalysis center, a remote sensing center, a translational science facility, teaching labs, and lecture and interactive learning spaces.

The facility is designed to be the greenest building on the campus, built with materials that reduce its carbon footprint. The building’s facade takes...

LA releases ambitious zero emissions transportation targets for 2028

2019-12-05T20:07:00-05:00

Last week the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) and its partners released the Zero Emissions 2028 Roadmap 2.0 which seeks to accelerate the deployment of zero-emissions electric cars, buses and trucks, and charging stations across Los Angeles.

"Our Roadmap 2.0 charts a course toward a healthier region with a cleaner transit network," said Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti in a statement, "[it] draws up a blueprint for cities worldwide to follow, so all of us can invest in the smart policies and green energy that will strengthen our families' well-being and quality of life for generations to come," he continued.

The plan comes as an embodiment of the commitment from members the Transportation Electrification Partnership (TEP) to develop policies, establish pilots, and discover strategies to realist the targets in the Roadmap.

According to LACI, the Zero Emissions 2028 Roadmap aims to go 25 percent beyond the existing commitments tied to California state law and the Paris Climate Accor...

After years of improvement, air pollution in the U.S. is getting worse again

2019-10-24T14:09:00-04:00

Air pollution worsened in the United States in 2017 and 2018, new data shows, a reversal after years of sustained improvement with significant implications for public health. In 2018 alone, eroding air quality was linked to nearly 10,000 additional deaths in the U.S. relative to the 2016 benchmark, the year in which small-particle pollution reached a two-decade low, according to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University.

The Washington Post reports that "concentrations of the pollutant have risen about 5.5 percent since 2016," and points out several contributing factors that the Carnegie Mellon study identified: increased natural gas use and vehicle traffic, risen severity and frequency of wildfires, and the rollback of regulatory enforcement of the Clean Air Act in recent years.

"The health implications of this increase in [annual average fine particulate matter] PM2.5 between 2016 and 2018 are significant," explains the research paper. "The increase was associated with 9,700 additional premature deaths in 2018. At conventional valuations, these deaths represent damages of $89 billion."

What would the world look like if climate was at the center of design?

2019-09-06T19:00:00-04:00

In a recent article in The Guardian, architecture critic Rowan Moore asks, "So what would architecture look like–more importantly, what would it be–if all involved really and truly put climate at the centre of their concerns?"

It's true, the architecture profession has created a fantasized perception that every architect aims to not only become a rising star, but also a designer who can "change the world." However, as Moore points out, with the ongoing climate crisis looming across the globe, architects have exactly that possibility in front of them if they approach design fundamentally from an environment-first perspective. What would the built environment that results look like? How will this transformation re-shape our use of building materials like concrete and steel?

"What is considered sustainable differs wildly depending on who you ask," Moore writes, "The World Green Building Council, an organization supported by members from the construction industry, holds up the seeming...

The Amazon rainforest is doomed

2019-06-05T12:57:00-04:00

The world’s greatest rainforest – which is a vital provider of oxygen and carbon sequestration – lost 739sq km during the [month of May], equivalent to two football pitches every minute, according to data from the government’s satellite monitoring agency.

Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest has accelerated at a drastic clip since far-right Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was inaugurated in January 2019. The Brazilian government takes monthly satellite observations to survey the deforestation, and it found that logging rates increased dramatically in May, the traditional start of the logging season, over the same month last year.

Since taking office, Bolsonaro has moved to weaken many environmental protections in the country by knee-capping the nation's environmental ministry. To boot, the president's son, Flavio, serves in the Brazilian senate and is pushing there to eliminate forest preservation regulations for the agriculture industry. The move, according to The Guardian, could open up an area larger than the country of Iran to further deforestation.

Carlos Souza, a member of the independent monitoring group Imazon, told The Guardian, "The government can’t deny these numbers from their own agency. The question now is what th...

Laguna Beach homeowners hit with $1-million fine over illegal seawall

2018-08-13T14:23:00-04:00

Environmentalists are celebrating a precedent-setting vote Thursday by the California Coastal Commission to tear down a seawall protecting an oceanfront home in Laguna Beach. After the previous owner received retroactive approval for the previously unpermitted seawall, Jeffrey and Tracy Katz bought the home on Victoria Beach. They performed an extensive remodel, which was completed in January and increased the value of the home from $14 million to $25 million.

Under the 1977 Coastal Act, beachfront properties are required to have substantial setbacks in order not to interfere with the natural flow of sand along the coast. Built in 1951, prior to the Act, the property in question was allowed to put up a seawall in 2005 under the condition it be removed if there was new development on the site.

Stating that the work done qualifies as repair and maintenance, the Katzes and their lawyer argued that the renovation, which had received city approval, did not require a commission permit. In the end, however, the commission was unanimous in their decision to punish the couple.

Celebrate Earth Day with the latest in green architecture from 2018

2018-04-22T09:00:00-04:00

In honor of Earth Day today, we look at the latest in sustainable architecture revealed in 2018 so far. Working with our natural environment, upcoming green projects range from sculptural electric charging stations to the world's largest single-domed tropical greenhouse. Our future is being shaped by new technologies such as a machine to recycle demolition waste, progress in nuclear fusion power, and mass timber building techniques.

Scroll down and get inspired to further harmonize our built and natural environments:

Social housing goes green with another urban forest designed by Stefano Boeri

Charging in Style: Danish firm COBE is rethinking fueling stations

Signum Architecture designs sustainably minded Napa Valley winery and office

The case for a semi-permeable architecture

Biocylcer wants to recycle construction waste into new building materials

Largest timber-constructed office building in the nation planned for Newark’s waterfront

The Solar Decathlon Competition Showcases Cut...

The master plan for Australia's Shipwreck Coast begins with McGregor Coxall

2018-03-05T19:19:00-05:00

McGregor Coxall will participate in developing phase one of the master plan for the Shipwreck Coast site in Victoria, Australia. Drawing millions of visitors per year, Shipwreck Coast is home to monumental limestone formations where approximately 638 shipwrecks are believed to have occurred.

12 Apostles lookout rendering by McGregor Coxall.

The $9.8m project aims to protect the region's natural landscape while providing an enhanced visitor experience.

Shipwreck Coast master plan map.

The master plan will extend approximately 17 miles along the coastline following the Great Ocean Road including the Port Campbell National Park and Bay of Islands Coastal Park.

Shipwreck Coast master plan by McGregor Coxall. Image: McGregor Coxall.

Lookout facilities will be built at the iconic 12 Apostles and Loch Ard precincts locations in addition to a pedestrian bridge over Port Campbell Creek. Working with the natural environment, each site is considered for its unique characteristics.

Shipwreck C...

Repair of natural environment: Australia's creative team for 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale announced

2017-08-23T13:19:00-04:00

Australia's creative team for the 16th International Venice Architecture Biennale has been announced at events in Sydney and Melbourne. Baracco+Wright Architects will collaborate with artist Linda Tegg to cultivate and nurture thousands of temperate grassland species within the pavilion alongside large-scale architectural projections. Visitors will enter a physical dialogue between architecture and endangered plant community. Reminding us what is at stake when we occupy land.

Explicitly addressing the theme of Freespace, 'repair' responds by encouraging new ways of thinking and seeing the world, ‘of inventing solutions where architecture provides for the well-being and dignity of each citizen on this fragile planet’. 'Repair' will frame and reveal an architectural culture in Australia that is evolving through processes that integrate built and natural systems to effect repair of the environment, and in so doing, repair of other conditions such as social, economic and cultural ones.

...

Melbourne named world’s most liveable city for seventh consecutive year

2017-08-18T18:38:00-04:00

Melbourne, Australia has been ranked as the most “liveable” city in the world for the seventh consecutive year by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The EIU’s benchmark annual report titled “The Global Liveability Report 2017,” ranks 140 cities in order of best living conditions. Melbourne’s 97.5 score is down to perfect assessments in health care, education, and infrastructure, as well as hitting over 95 in stability, and culture and environment.

As in previous years, the top 10 list is mostly comprised of major cities in Australia and Canada, while Vienna — once again — barely misses the first spot by 0.1 percentage points overall. Auckland, Helsinki, and Hamburg manage to claim some coveted spots at the top for their respective countries.

The world's top cities for liveability in 2017 are:

Melbourne, Australia
Vienna, Austria
Vancouver, Canada
Toronto, Canada
Calgary, Canada
Adelaide, Australia
Perth, Australia
Auckland, New Zealand
Helsinki, Finland
Hamburg, Germany

I Melt With You: "Indoor City" installation explores dissolving spatial boundaries in an era of climate change

2017-03-14T17:44:00-04:00

With layered narration from writers and the input of a climate scientist, the 40-foot long table installation known as "Indoor City" designed by Founder Rome Prize Fellows Phu Hoang and Rachely Rotem (MODU) with Jonathan Berger, Hussein Fancy, Christoph Meinrenken, Jack Livings and Matthew Null, tackles the dire conceptual heft of designing for massive systemic weather change.

By placing carbon ice on the installation, the idea is to track how divisions between urban spaces and the environment release more carbon dioxide into the air, thereby creating more stress on the environment (and making the urban spaces quite unpleasant to live in as a result). The project advocates for a more integrated design concept while allowing visitors to enjoy what amounts to a trippy installation. Here's a video of the installation, which is part of the 2017 Cinque Mostre show and will be viewable in person at the American Academy in Rome until April 4th:

Can 1970s sustainability practices enhance Canada's 2017 architecture?

2017-01-03T15:45:00-05:00

Did architects have sustainability figured out in the 1970s, and can the lessons they learned help contemporary architects design for the challenges of climate change? In an attempt to answer this question, Canada is taking a closer look at its previously built sustainable architecture during the energy crisis in the 1970s in the form of two museum exhibitions. The Globe and Mail explains that:

The 1970s has much to teach us as we face the reality of climate change and the changes that it will bring about. That insight drives two thoughtful museum shows up this winter, the PEI exhibition [curated by Dalhousie University professor Steven Mannell] and "It's All Happening So Fast" at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal.

For the latest on climate-change oriented architecture:

2015 Phyllis Lambert grantees Pelletier de Fontenay to expand on winning Insectarium Montreal proposal

2015-12-15T18:34:00-05:00

The annual Phyllis Lambert Grant puts the Montreal design scene in the spotlight. Established in 2007 by the City and named in tribute to Montreal native architect Phyllis Lambert, the grant recognizes a locally based designer or firm — who has no more than 10 years of practice — for producing outstanding designs and research that show potential for longterm benefits for the city. For 2015, Pelletier de Fontenay won the $10,000 grant for their project "Architectures de la nature captive". Hubert Pelletier and Yves de Fontenay received the prize during a recent ceremony at City Hall, with Phyllis Lambert in attendance.

"Architectures de la nature captive" is a spin-off from their winning proposal with Kuehn Malvezzi for the upcoming Insectarium Montreal, and reflects the practice's ongoing investigation of the relationship between the built and natural environments. They'll use the grant for a trip to Germany to study topics related to the architecture of nature museums.

Pelletier de ...

Why hypoallergenic landscaping needs more priority in urban planning

2015-08-28T13:50:00-04:00

[Botany professor Paloma Cariñanos] found it surprising that the design of these green spaces thought about landscaping, climate, and fashion criteria, but didn't think about pollen problems. [She] says that in the future, urban green spaces 'will become 'comfort islands' inside 'urban heat islands.''...Cariñanos and her team stress that their research is a tool for planning and prevention. They hope that other cities will be able to use their methods to prevent high allergen levels.

You can read more of Cariñanos' team's research in the Journal of Environmental Quality.

Melbourne is world’s most liveable city for fifth consecutive year

2015-08-20T15:24:00-04:00

In any event, it's as you were for the "haves" at the top of list, with Melbourne taking the top spot for a fifth year running, with Vienna, Vancouver, Toronto and Adelaide/Calgary (tied at 5) completing the top five most livable cities in 2015. [...] these cities have "relatively few challenges to living standards," and enjoy a good infrastructure, healthcare system and a low murder rate. Unsurprisingly, Damascus remains the least livable city, with Syria embroiled in a bloody civil war.

Other articles related to liveability on Archinect:

SANAA's Grace Farms River project to open in fall 2015

2014-11-19T19:31:00-05:00

SANAA's River project in the upcoming Grace Farms in New Canaan, CT will finally celebrate its grand opening next fall. The non-profit Grace Farms Foundation developed Grace Farms as an open public park for the local community, whereas the SANAA-designed building will be used for various community programs and recreation.

After an international search, the Foundation selected SANAA in 2010 to design the structure -- not long before the firm won the 2010 Pritzker Prize. SANAA then revealed their design of the River in 2012.

Reminiscent of SANAA's 2009 Serpentine Pavilion, the River building evidently gets its name from the way it meanders through the park's greenery. The 86,000 sq.ft structure is made of glass, concrete, steel, and wood, and is essentially connected by a single roof that appears to float approximately 10-14 feet above the ground. From an aerial view, the roof's water-like appearance allows the project to blend in with the surrounding landscape, which SANAA designed in ...

Of Dirt and Cleanliness – (Clean India Campaign)

2014-10-07T12:00:00-04:00

"In all modern cultures, cleaning up merely involves moving “dirt” from one place to another. Five decades ago, cleaning up may have been easier. It would have meant restoring the predominantly organic and compostable discards in the waste stream to its rightful place – namely, the soil – and facilitating its transformation into manure. Over the past two decades, India has transformed from a sleepy nation living in its villages to an economic powerhouse with an urban population bursting at its seams. We can, as Modi did in the UN General Assembly, invoke our ancient culture to claim that Indians have a special relationship with and reverence for nature. But that does not take away from the fact that Indians or Americans, Hindus or Muslims, we are all worshippers of the same homogenising religion of consumerism. We are what our garbage is. Our garbage which once bore no resemblance to American garbage is increasingly peppered with the same brand names, the same indestructible materi...

Can cloud-seeding clear Singapore's skies?

2014-09-17T12:15:00-04:00

Indonesia is preparing cloud-seeding operations in an effort to combat a haze of air pollution blanketing neighbouring Singapore. Pollution levels were "moderate" levels on Tuesday morning, according to the pollution standard index, a day after hitting "unhealthy" levels. The worst affected parts of the island are in the west and closest to Indonesia. The haze has become an annual event in this part of Southeast Asia, as farmers illegally burn forest or plantation areas to clear land.

Recently-Discovered Underwater Methane Leaks Contribute to Global Warming

2014-08-26T18:30:00-04:00

Scientists have recently discovered deep deposits of a powerful warming gas leaking into the ocean from previously hidden vents just off North America's East Coast, kicking up underwater carbon dioxide levels [...] Most of the vents are located about 1,600 feet down, the perfect spot for the ocean's temperature and water pressure to combine and create an oozing mix of ice and methane gas, a powerful substance with an impact on global warming that's 20 times more damaging than that of [CO2].

Melbourne named world’s most liveable city for fourth consecutive year

2014-08-19T19:10:00-04:00

The Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) claims its annual Liveability Survey could be used to "assign a hardship allowance as part of expatriate relocation packages," among other things. But that needn't apply to those in Melbourne, which for the fourth year running has been declared the best city in the world to live. The Australian culture hub was buoyed by superlative healthcare, infrastructure and education as well as a murder rate of 3.1 per 100,000 people, half the global average of 6.2.

While three Canadian cities made the ranking's top 10 (again), U.S. cities keep failing to score high.

The world's top cities for liveability are:

1. Melbourne, Australia

2. Vienna, Austria

3. Vancouver, Canada

4. Toronto, Canada

=5. Adelaide, Australia

=5. Calgary, Canada

7. Sydney, Australia

8. Helsinki, Finland

9. Perth, Australia

10. Auckland, New Zealand

30% of the US in Drought

2014-08-18T14:24:00-04:00

The United States is currently engulfed in one of the worst droughts in recent memory. More than 30% of the country experienced at least moderate drought as of last week's data. In seven states drought conditions were so severe that each had more than half of its land area in severe drought. Severe drought is characterized by crop loss, frequent water shortages, and mandatory water use restrictions.

California and Oklahoma are both experiencing "exceptional drought" – the most severe category – in 25-30% of the state. Both of these states, particularly California, are major agricultural regions and the effects of the drought will have profound ripples economically. North Texas has been in drought for over three years, a major cattle-supplying region. Back in 2011, a TIME article detailed the possible global ramifications for the Texan drought that we are perhaps only now beginning to experience. In Nevada and other southwestern countries, the concern is less about agriculture and more basically about drinking water, as stored reserves drop down to about one third of expected levels.

Have an idea for how to address the drought with design? Submit your ideas to the Dry Futures competition!

Protective wrap covers historical structures near French Fire

2014-08-07T15:22:00-04:00

Archaeologists are working with other firefighters to protect several historical guard stations using, what's essentially a protective foil wrap. Crews rushed this weekend to cover five historical cabins at the Placer Guard Station. "We ordered this wrap," said archaeologist Ward Stanley. "It looks like tin foil. "It's pretty simple, you just wrap the house in a shingle-type fashion so it's overlapping going down so the stuff that goes down doesn't get into the cracks," Stanley said.

h/t BLDGBLOG

Water Crisis in Toledo, OH Spurs Calls for Restrictions on Use of Fertilizers

2014-08-06T14:07:00-04:00

As residents of Toledo, Ohio, and the surrounding region recover from a weekend without access to usable tap water — the fault of a toxic algae bloom in Lake Erie — the crisis has set off new calls for stricter rules on the use the fertilizers that help contribute to the blooms. The algae bloom set off alarms on Saturday, causing authorities to impose a ban on the use of the city’s tap water, which comes from Lake Erie, affecting more than 400,000 people in Toledo...

China to Ban Coal Use by 2020

2014-08-06T13:17:00-04:00

China has announced plans to ban the use of coal in its smog-plagued capital by the end of 2020, as the country fights deadly levels of pollution, especially in major cities. Beijing's Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau posted the plan on its website on Monday, saying the city would instead prioritize electricity and natural gas for heating. The Chinese central government recently listed environmental protection as one of the top criteria by which leaders will be judged.

Twitterbot can now warn UK residents when river-levels are rising

2014-07-23T13:53:00-04:00

A unique collaborative project has been launched, bringing a constant stream of live river level data to anyone who needs to stay up-to-date with environmental conditions. Shoothill GaugeMap brings the real-time status of England and Wales’ rivers and tides from Environment Agency monitoring stations, to people in an accessible and user-friendly manner. It works via the web and Twitter, and is available on all major desktop browsers, tablets and smartphones.

Should it stay or should it go? Preservationists weigh options to protect Farnsworth house from flooding damage

2014-04-30T13:50:00-04:00

The Fox River has shown little respect for Mies' brilliant juxtaposition of the natural and the man-made. In the past 18 years, the river has inundated the [Farnsworth] house three times. [...] Confronted with the prospect of more flooding, the house's owner is carefully weighing how to preserve and protect the house, two goals that potentially conflict... Such are the choices in an era when disastrous "100-year floods" seem to occur every few years.