Continuing with Archinect's weekly job highlights, we've put together a list of firms that put sustainability and ecological design/research at the forefront of their practices. If you're an architectural designer or experienced architect with a passion for environmentally driven projects... View full entry
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has announced the finalization of a deal between the city and retail electricity supplier Constellation, in collaboration with Swift Current Energy, to shift all city facilities and operations to run on renewable energy by 2025. This makes Chicago one of the largest... View full entry
A team of Washington State University (WSU) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers has discovered a method to create stronger cement by putting nanoparticles from shrimp shells into cement paste. The innovation could lead to reduced seafood waste and lower carbon emissions from... View full entry
Back in June, we reported on news that Penn State was undertaking research on embodied carbon in cities. Led by the university’s architecture school with support from computer science, engineering, and business professors, the ongoing research seeks to develop methods to measure embodied carbon... View full entry
The Madison Square Park Conservancy has announced former HUD and Empire State Development Corporation leader Holly Leicht as its next Executive Director. Leicht comes to the position with over 25 years of experience in urban planning and open space initiatives. She steps into office on... View full entry
Kargbo grew up to become a banker, but she has spent the last several years working in the administration of Freetown mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, a noted climate activist. Before becoming the city’s chief heat officer, she headed up the city’s sanitation department [...] Kargbo says her work is to keep climate change on the agenda, however many other things are tugging the world’s attention away. — Experience Magazine
A former aide to the noted climate activist Mayor of Freetown Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Eugenia Kargbo is one of five official Chief Heat Officers (CHOs) in the world. After being appointed in 2021, she joins fellow CHOs from Athens, Miami, Santiago, Chile, and Monterrey, Mexico in a program... View full entry
California building codes were updated in July to allow for the construction of mass timber buildings up to 18 stories tall. [...]
"There's been extensive testing for this application and taking mass timber into taller wood buildings [...] The building codes are very conservative in the U.S. Even though Europe has been using mass timber for many years it's still relatively new in the U.S."
— CBS Sacramento
The new California building codes come as mass timber applications in buildings gain momentum across North America. Most notable is the recently-opened Ascent Tower by Korb + Associates Architects in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which was crowned the world’s tallest timber-concrete hybrid... View full entry
$750 million will bring a trio of much-needed modern hospital designs to Greece by way of Renzo Piano. This set of hospital projects is in collaboration with Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Health Initiative, which aims to deliver new hospital infrastructure and public... View full entry
Fresh off the firm’s debut public housing effort in Beijing, MAD Architects has unveiled project renders for a commercial complex at the edge of Milan’s Innovation District called MoLo (short for Mobility and Logistics Hub). According to the firm, the new hub will serve as a “monumental... View full entry
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has officially declared the recently-opened Ascent tower by Korb + Associates Architects the world’s tallest timber-concrete hybrid building. The 25-story, 86.6-meter (284-foot) structure in Milwaukee takes the distinguished title in... View full entry
Chicago has unveiled a draft of its first citywide framework plan since 1966, charting how the city intends to become more equitable and resilient. The plan, titled We Will Chicago, is led by neighborhood stakeholders, artists, community partners, and city agencies. Having launched in 2020, the... View full entry
A research team out of the University of Virginia (UVA) has developed a new innovative and sustainable approach to building that utilizes the power of 3D printing to create structures made of soil implanted with seeds. The team consists of Ji Ma, an assistant professor of materials science... View full entry
A public rebuke from the UK-based activist group Architects Climate Action Network (ACAN) has triggered an enlivened debate online around greenwashing and the 2022 RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist after the initial group of projects was revealed last week. Two London area residential projects... View full entry
New regulations, called Part O, took effect in England in June, requiring that new homes are built with some measures to combat overheating. The regulations aim to reduce solar gain — the increase in room temperature caused by sunlight — ensuring the safety of occupants, even if it may remain uncomfortable. — The New York Times
Hundreds of UK residents died in this week’s “heat apocalypse” that posed particular challenges to those living in the country’s many recently-converted office buildings and council housing. Brick masonry remains the predominant residential construction material, though Low Energy... View full entry
Construction has commenced on the ZGF-designed expansion of Portland International (PDX) Airport. The defining feature of the main terminal project, set to be completed in 2025, is a new lattice roof formed by 2.5 million feet of timber. Image courtesy of ZGF Architects The scheme was conceived... View full entry
