Tag: greenhouse-gas-emissions | ArchDaily

COP29 Launches in Baku, Azerbaijan, to Address Climate Finance and Resilience

Maria-Cristina Florian — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 06:30:00 +0000

The 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) takes place between the 11th and 22nd of November in Baku, Azerbaijan. The event proposes a global gathering of business leaders, governments, and civil society with the aim of taking effective measures to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. As the construction industry is responsible for approximately 37% of global emissions, the conference is of particular interest to architects, urban planners, and researchers in this field.

Working Smarter, Not Harder to Reduce Emissions from Concrete and Steel

Pamela Conrad — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 03:30:00 +0000

It’s now clear that approximately 80% of emissions from landscape architecture projects come from materials. This includes the extraction of natural resources, and their manufacturing, transportation, and construction in parks, plazas, streets, campuses, and neighborhoods. A significant portion of emissions in the built environment can be traced back to two materials: concrete and metal, which includes steel and aluminum.

Embodied Carbon in Real Estate: The Hidden Contributor to Climate Change

Anneli Tostar — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 03:30:00 +0000

The window for solving climate change is narrowing; any solution must include embodied carbon. The Sixth Assessment Report published by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) concludes that the world can emit just 500 gigatonnes more of carbon dioxide, starting in January 2020, if we want a 50 percent chance of staying below 1.5 degrees. In 2021 alone, the world emitted about 36.3 gigatonnes of carbon, the highest amount ever recorded. We’re on track to blow through our carbon budget in the next several years. To quote the IPCC directly: “The choices and actions implemented in this decade will have impacts now and for thousands of years (high confidence).”

CARE, a New Digital Tool, Helps Designers Quantify the Value of Reuse Versus New Construction

Maria-Cristina Florian — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 06:30:00 +0000

Refurbishment and adaptive reuse have been at the forefront of architectural discourse in recent years. This demonstrates that the profession is becoming increasingly aware of its impact on the environment and the opportunities presented by reusing what has already been built. Architecture 2030 has recently launched CARE, or Carbon Avoided Retrofit Estimator, a new digital tool that enables designers, owners, and communities to quantify the carbon benefits of adaptive reuse. By entering a streamlined set of project information, such as energy targets and potential building interventions, users can quickly estimate both operational carbon emissions generated by the use of the building and embodied carbon emissions, which are tied to the building materials employed.

Low-Carbon Strategies: Insulated Panels for Energy-Efficient Envelopes

Valeria Montjoy — Thu, 22 Dec 2022 06:45:00 +0000

A 2022 United Nations report claims that the negative impacts of the climate crisis are mounting much faster than scientists predicted less than a decade ago. Rising greenhouse-gas emissions could soon outstrip the ability of many communities to adapt, and the consequences will continue to hit the world’s most vulnerable populations. As climate scientist Maarten van Aalst suggests, “Any further delay in global action on adaptation and mitigation will miss a brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all.” The data is clear: to protect our planet, we need to prevent a 1.5°C rise in global temperatures this century. To do so, the world must achieve a 45% reduction in global carbon emissions from 2010 levels to 2030, to then reach a net-zero state by 2050. It is evident, however, that we are on track to miss this goal by a substantial amount. The clock is ticking, and every industry should act fast (and drastically) to even dream of greener cities.

Cities from US and Europe Seek to Ban Fossil Fuels in New Buildings

Maria-Cristina Florian — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 05:30:00 +0000

Boston is the latest city to announce a city-wide plan that, if passed, would eliminate the use of fossil fuels in new constructions and major renovation projects. This measure expands upon the commitment to enact climate action and make Boston a Green New Deal city. Other US cities like New York, Los Angeles, San Jose, Seattle, and Berkeley have all imposed similar measures in recent years. Seven European cities - Bilbao, Bratislava, Dublin, Munich, Rotterdam, Vienna, and Winterthur - have also developed a project to phase out fossil fuel from urban heating and cooling.

Reaching for Zero Energy in High Density Housing

Katie Ackerly — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 03:30:00 +0000

This article was originally published on Common Edge.

What 2020 Meant for Climate Change and the Environment

Andreea Cutieru — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 07:30:00 +0000

The first lockdown brought most of the world to a standstill, and many were quick to point out the silver lining: the significant drop in carbon emissions. However, this pollution reduction was short-lived, and past crises indicate that we might be standing at a crossroads when it comes to our climate goals. What has this unprecedented year meant for the efforts to curb climate change and protect the environment?

Urgent Issue: 10 Strategies to Decarbonize Architecture

Lilly Cao — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 06:35:00 +0000

The concept of “decarbonization” has been in vogue recently in political speeches and global environmental events, but it has not yet gained enough attention in the field of architecture to profoundly change the way we design and construct the world of tomorrow. Buildings are currently responsible for 33% of global energy consumption and 39% of greenhouse gas emissions, indicating that architects must play a significant role if we are to stop or reverse climate change. With carbon acting as a universally agreed upon metric with which the greenhouse gas emissions of a building can be tracked [1], one of the most important ways through which this goal can be achieved is therefore the decarbonization of buildings.

How Newlight Technologies Creates a Plastic From Air and Greenhouse Gases

Rory Stott — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 12:25:00 +0000

The 20th century was an era of unbelievable change, with more revolutionary ideas and scientific developments than perhaps any era before it. But among the many developments in the material sciences, one stands as perhaps the most revolutionary: plastics. An experimental group of materials at the turn of the century, artificial plastics are so ubiquitous now that it's almost impossible to imagine life without them.

Infographic: Which Cities Are Embracing the Green Revolution

Karissa Rosenfield — Sun, 26 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Which cities are embracing the green revolution? This infographic compares the efforts of six leading cities - New York, Vancouver, Copenhagen, London, Amsterdam and Stockholm - in the race to drastically reduce global C02 emissions. Based predominantly on 2009 statistics, Stockholm seems to be leading the way in carbon reduction. Continue reading after the break to see who claims the blue ribbon for renewable energy, efficient water consumption and rigorous recycling.

Seattle Leads the Way in Tracking Building Energy Use

Barbara Porada — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Enthusiasm for water and energy data collection for commercial and residential buildings has been growing strong across the U.S. in major cities such as Austin, New York, Washington D.C. and San Francisco. It's no surprise to learn that Earth-friendly Seattle is ahead of the game when it comes to tracking its buildings; reports show that the city is receiving data for a whopping 87% of its commercial and multi-residential buildings over 50,000 square feet, which totals to 1,160 individual properties covering over 200 million square feet of the city.