Tag: sustainable | ArchDaily

Designing for Tomorrow: Nature-Positive Solutions in Urban Environments

Rene Submissions — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 01:30:00 +0000

The future of urban planning and architecture is promising if the world, collectively, looks beyond the concept of mere sustainability and instead embraces a nature-positive approach. As global population growth drives rapid urbanization—requiring humanity to build the equivalent of a city the size of Madrid every week for decades to come—the construction sector faces a defining challenge: how to build durable, energy-efficient, and resilient urban environments in harmony with natural ecosystems.

Architecture at Zero 2026

Rene Submissions — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 08:30:00 +0000

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 sustainable design.

The competition will be the design of the La Plaza Cultural Center at the Multi Agency Resilience Center, Antelope Valley, CA, a year-round educational and cultural venue that will transform into a resiliency asset during regional emergencies, offering critical support for evacuees, first responders, and multi-agency operations.

Rethinking Sustainability Through Site-Specific Strategies

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Sustainability in architecture is often framed as a universal challenge, leading to standardized solutions that prioritize efficiency over context. However, architecture is inherently tied to its environment — buildings interact with climate, topography, and cultural history in ways that demand specificity. Instead of relying on standardized sustainability checklists, how can architecture embrace site-specific solutions? This conversation is deeply connected to the concept of Genius Loci, or the spirit of a place, introduced by Christian Norberg-Schulz and embraced by architects advocating for designs that resonate with their surroundings. It suggests that architecture should not be imposed upon a site but rather emerge from it, informed by its materials, climate, and cultural significance. This philosophy challenges the widespread application of generic sustainable technologies, instead proposing that sustainability must be inherently tied to the location in which it operates.

On World Cities Day UN-Habitat Releases 2020 Report on The Value of Sustainable Urbanization

Christele Harrouk — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 06:30:00 +0000

Across the globe, ever since 2014, every year on the 31^st of October, World Cities Day is celebrated. To mark this event, UN-Habitat has released its World Cities Report 2020 on the value of sustainable urbanization, focusing on the most up-to-date and pressing topics. Analyzing the intrinsic value of cities in generating economic prosperity, mitigating environmental degradation, reducing social inequality, and building stronger institutions, the report highlights how together these can drive transformative change.

Genmab Research Building / Cepezed

Hana Abdel — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 02:00:00 +0000

Recently the opening of the new premises of biotech company Genmab took place at the Science Park Utrecht. The new head office of Genmab, which has branches in Copenhagen and Princeton - New Jersey, is an integral design of cepezed and cepezed interior. The new building has been designed on the basis of an open work culture and intensive interaction, also with external parties. With a high sustainability score and ample daylighting, the new building offers a comfortable, healthy and inspiring (work) environment for employees and visitors.

White Arkitekter + ReGen Villages Create First Circular, Self-Sufficient Communities for Sweden

Christele Harrouk — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 05:30:00 +0000

White Arkitekter, in collaboration with Silicon Valley-based ReGen Villages, have joined forces to create fully circular, self-sufficient and resilient communities in Sweden. Inspired by computer games, the project puts in place organic food production, locally produced and stored energy, comprehensive recycling, and climate positive buildings.

Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge / Nicholas Plewman Architects in Association with Michaelis Boyd Associates

Cristian Aguilar — Sat, 01 Feb 2020 15:00:00 +0000

A 24 bed luxury boutique hotel in the heart of the Okavango Delta, Botswana. The Okavango Delta is considered one of the seven natural wonders of the African continent. Since the original lodge was built seventeen years ago, it has been declared a world heritage site and in consequence a raft of wholly appropriate, but formidable restrictions have been imposed on building there.

New York City Grants Approval for Snøhetta's 550 Madison Garden

Christele Harrouk — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 11:00:00 +0000

The New York City Planning Commission approved unanimously the design for 550 Madison Garden created by Snøhetta. The project that re-imagines the privately-owned public space will move forward, after also having received, earlier on, the approval from Manhattan Community Board.

Planning Permissions Granted for Zaha Hadid's Timber Stadium in England

Christele Harrouk — Fri, 27 Dec 2019 06:30:00 +0000

The world’s greenest football stadium, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects will be built in Gloucestershire, England after planning permissions were finally granted by the local council.

WOHA Completes First Green Mixed-Use Development in Taiwan

Christele Harrouk — Wed, 11 Dec 2019 06:30:00 +0000

Sky Green, WOHA’s first project in Taichung, Taiwan has just been completed. Commissioned by the developer Golden Jade, with Feng Chia University as an advisor, the project is the first green and sustainable mixed-use development in the city.

Olson Kundig Imagines a Center for Human Composting in Seattle

Christele Harrouk — Mon, 25 Nov 2019 07:30:00 +0000

The international design firm Olson Kundig has designed a new sustainable option for after-death care. In fact, the architects created the world’s first facility for converting human remains into soil, a flagship building for Recompose in Seattle.

Unitarian Universalist Society / Neumann Monson Architects

Martita Vial della Maggiora — Sat, 22 Dec 2018 09:00:00 +0000

The Unitarian Universalist Society facility harmonizes with its natural landscape to provide reflective spaces for worship, fellowship, religious education, and administration. The congregation’s collaborative decision-making engaged all 300 members to inform a deeply considered, conscientious design. Its organic form and fundamental qualities– sustainability, accessibility, flexibility, efficiency, and austerity—reinforce the Society’s core principles. The facility is currently on track to achieve Zero Energy Building (ZEB) certification from the International Living Future Institute (ILFI).

St Joseph Seminary / DIALOG

Martita Vial della Maggiora — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 14:00:00 +0000

How does faith take physical form? That was a question that helped guide DIALOG’s team through the design of St. Joseph Seminary in Edmonton, Alberta. St. Joseph Seminary and Newman Theological College has been educating Catholic priests in the Canadian prairies since 1927.

Design + Build Workshop Lombok 2018

Rene Submissions — Fri, 07 Sep 2018 11:32:00 +0000

Design + Build Workshop, Lombok 2018

What will workshop participants learn?

Building Trust are happy to announce that our latest workshop will be held in Batu Kliang, Lombok. The region near the waterfall of Benang Stokel, which is one of the major tourist attractions in Lombok, Indonesia. We are going to work with DOME LOMBOK and three local villages that were 90% destroyed after the recent earthquake. A total of 600 houses were destroyed by the quakes and the local community urgently need new housing.

We are offering a hands on participatory workshop where participants will gain experience in sustainable building techniques and

Architecture for Humans Proposes Zero Emission Neighborhood to Address Climate Change

Dima Stouhi — Fri, 24 Aug 2018 08:00:00 +0000

As the demand of a sustainable lifestyle increases, cities are trying to find strategies to create environmentally friendly communities. From passive designs to recycled materials, architects are turning their attention to climate change and trying to find solutions through architecture and design.

Bee Breeders Announce Winners of the Iceland Northern Lights Rooms Competition

Tom Dobbins — Sun, 10 Jun 2018 08:00:00 +0000

Bee Breeders have announced the winners of the Iceland Northern Lights Rooms competition, where entrants were tasked with designing a series of guest houses that framed the beauty of the surrounding context. In response to the delicate landscape, Mývatn Lake in Iceland, the brief outlined a number of restrictions. These included no permanent construction within 200m from the lake, and that all guest houses were to be movable. Shared themes throughout all the successful proposals were specific material experimentation, “distinct interaction with the site and sky,” scalable design, irand cost-conscious solutions.

Henning Larsen Brings a "Scandinavian Design Approach” to the City of Minneapolis

Tom Dobbins — Sat, 19 May 2018 14:00:00 +0000

Designed by Henning Larsen and MSR Design, the New Public Service Building for the city of Minneapolis aims to consolidate several departments, currently found across multiple different sites, into one unified building. The scheme promotes the health and well-being of its 1,300 employees through maximizing daylight and green space throughout, integrating a significantly sustainable remit within the 385,000 square foot, 11 story proposal. Located diagonally across from the existing city hall, Henning Larsen brings a “knowledge-based Scandinavian design approach” to the high-performance office space, hoping to set a “new architectural agenda in North America."

Nepal's "Vertical University" Will Include 6 Campuses In 5 Climatic Zones to Teach About Climate Change

Yiling Shen — Fri, 04 May 2018 09:30:00 +0000

KTK-BELT Studio, a not-for-profit organization based in rural Nepal, is currently working with local communities to create a fascinating "Vertical University," which will teach students about biodiversity and environmental conservation in 6 "living classrooms" positioned along a vertical forest corridor that stretches from 67 meters above sea level to the top of an 8,856-meter peak. These 6 stops encapsulate the 5 climatic zones of Eastern Nepal: tropical, subtropical, temperate, subarctic and arctic.