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A study published then in the journal Materials Today shed light on the world’s first 3D-printed lab-grown wood. By the means of this research, the scientist at MIT demonstrated that deforestation is no longer needed to produce timber. — Interesting Engineering
The researchers developed customizable wood using the cells of a flowering plant named Zinnia elegans, known commonly as zinnia. They first treated the cells with a liquid medium and then a gel solution composed of hormones and nutrients. The researchers adjusted the concentration of the hormones... View full entry
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... View full entry
Ingka Centres, a subsidiary of the Ingka Group (IKEA parent company), has announced its reinvention of the food court concept with Saluhall, a sustainable dining center inspired by Nordic food principles. Saluhall is named after the Scandinavian-style “Market Hall.” It will serve... View full entry
Researchers at Penn State are undertaking a study into whether fungal materials can replace traditional acoustic insulation funded by the 2022 AIA Upjohn Research Initiative. The team behind the effort, funded in 2021 by both an AIA Upjohn Research Initiative grant and a SOM Foundation... View full entry
The American Institute of Architects has welcomed a move by the Biden Administration to introduce the first-ever Federal Building Performance Standard. Under the plans, buildings owned by the Federal government will cut energy use and electrify equipment across 30% of their building space by... View full entry
This post is brought to you by Architecture at Zero. Architecture at Zero is a design competition for decarbonization, equity, and resilience, open to students and professionals worldwide. It serves to engage the fields of architecture, design, engineering, and planning in the pursuit of... View full entry
UK real estate developer Art-Invest has announced Matthias Hollwich and the team at HWKN Architecture will be the designers for a new commercial tower at the Canada Water Dockside in London. The tower will be one of three new commercial buildings built on the 4.5-acre... View full entry
UK-based studio VATRAA has created a monument in Milan, Italy composed of thousands of plastic water bottles. The installation, titled Plastic Monument, seeks to bring attention to the issue of plastic pollution. “Some plastics last up to 1000 years in our landfills and oceans while others might... View full entry
Architects Declare has published an open letter to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, setting out the group’s position on the environmental cost of skyscrapers. The letter, published on the Architects Declare website, was originally sent to CTBUH in July but has now been made... View full entry
Copenhagen-based studio 3XN has completed Quay Quarter Tower in Sydney, Australia, described by the firm as the “world’s most comprehensive upcycling of an existing tower.” The scheme, which sees the retention and transformation of an existing 1970s tower near the city’s waterfront, was... View full entry
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. — Fast Company
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... View full entry
Following last week’s look at an opening for a Design Lead at Den Outdoors, we are using our Job Highlights series this week to explore an open role on Archinect Jobs for a Net Zero Emerging Leaders Intern at LEVER Architecture. The part-time internship, aimed at students currently pursuing a... View full entry
Arup has announced the creation of a dataset which catalogs the whole life carbon emissions of buildings in its portfolio. The dataset, unveiled to coincide with COP27, has so far calculated the emissions for almost 1,000 Arup projects across 30 countries. The data represents an effort by Arup to... View full entry
In France, solar just got a huge boost from new legislation approved through the Senate this week that requires all parking lots with spaces for at least 80 vehicles – both existing and new – be covered by solar panels. — electrek
Starting on July 1, 2023, parking lots that have between 80 and 400 spaces will have five years to comply with the new measures. Those with more than 400 spaces will need to comply within three years, with at least half of the surface area of the parking lot needing to be covered in solar... View full entry
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has revealed an update to its Urban Sequoia project it says can be built right now, during a presentation that took place today at the COP27 climate summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. SOM Partner Chris Cooper was on hand to make the presentation of his firm’s... View full entry
