Ecogradia

In a warming, anxious world, can buildings heal both mind and planet? Unpack how wellbeing is reshaping sustainable architecture from the inside out. The post We spend 90% of our lives in them. How can buildings help us thrive? appeared first on Ecogradia.

Think design competitions aren't worth your time? Laura Viscovich, Executive Director of the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction, shares how competition entries can turn into career breakthroughs, even if you don't win. The post This sustainable design award has launched careers — here's how it works appeared first on Ecogradia.

When it comes to extreme weather, our first instinct is to build higher walls and stronger barriers. Discover how sponge cities are turning convention on its head by embracing water instead of resisting it. The post How sponge cities can fix urban flooding (and save millions in costs) appeared first on Ecogradia.

From energy budgets to climate-specific strategies, designing a net zero energy building is a puzzle with countless moving pieces. This episode reveals how to turn overwhelming complexity into possibility. The post How to design a net zero energy building: proven strategies that work appeared first on Ecogradia.

Timber is having its moment in the global sustainability discourse. Will it replace concrete and steel, or be used in combination to usher in a new era of low-carbon construction? The post Material smart: Designing low-carbon buildings appeared first on Ecogradia.

As cities grow greener, plants are often used as superficial decoration. But what if architecture could create genuine ecosystems? Catie Ryan Balagtas and Anuj Jain reveal how buildings can support all life. The post How greening buildings could transform our cities into thriving ecosystems appeared first on Ecogradia.

What makes people choose a new city as home? Ridwan Kamil returns to share how Nusantara aims to evolve from master plan to living city, all while balancing bold aspirations with the practical steps needed to build a thriving capital. The post Will Indonesia’s new $33 billion capital be the end of Jakarta? appeared first on Ecogradia.

New capital cities rarely succeed. Will Nusantara — Indonesia's largest urban gamble to date — be different? In this episode, we find out how Nusantara will avoid the pitfalls of planned cities from the past. The post Indonesia's new capital is its “most expensive political decision” ever appeared first on Ecogradia.

How can we design interiors that not only minimise environmental harm, but also actively promote human well-being? Some architects and designers are sparking fresh ideas about how our built spaces can perform better. The post 5 interiors designed to boost mind, body, and work appeared first on Ecogradia.

Are skyscrapers environmental foes or allies? It's a thorny debate, but tall buildings are likely here to stay. Can these giants evolve from being part of the problem to pillars of a sustainable future? The post High ambitions: Are tall buildings sustainable? appeared first on Ecogradia.

In many cities today, there is a striking disconnect between people and nature. Can biocentric urban landscapes help integrate social functions with natural systems? The post Urban biodiversity: Crafting biocentric public spaces appeared first on Ecogradia.

The solarpunk movement in fiction, art, fashion, and activism imagines a sustainable civilisation and considers how we get there. After gaining traction for a decade, how does it align with the latest thinking in regenerative design? The post How solarpunk envisions a world we will want to live in __ Jay Springett appeared first on Ecogradia.

None have reached age 40 yet, but each is in a position of influence in the sustainability space. Looking back, did it all go to plan? How is passion kept alive, against the odds? When saving the planet, is work-life balance a luxury? The post How three leaders under 40 built successful careers in sustainability appeared first on Ecogradia.

A hyperlocal building taps into the knowledge, skills, and resources indigenous to a place. How can the very act of constructing it engage and positively transform a community? The post Architectural acupuncture II: Hyperlocal design for community appeared first on Ecogradia.

In resource-constrained places, small can be powerful. How can a building, acting strategically as an acupunctural node, transform its neighbourhood socially, economically, and ecologically? The post Architectural acupuncture I: Small projects, big impact appeared first on Ecogradia.

The path to net-zero energy is filled with promise. Campus buildings offer a unique opportunity: they can be testbeds for new ideas and may also double as teaching tools. The post Green campus blueprints: Crafting net-zero architecture appeared first on Ecogradia.

Can architecture heal our planet? In this bonus episode, we delve into the power of regenerative design. From restoring existing structures to rethinking material ownership, find out how sustainability and healing go hand in hand.

All the noise around sustainability can be dizzying. In this episode, Bjarke Ingels returns to discuss BIG's Plan for the Planet. Can a global framework based on real-world strategies help us achieve better individual solutions?

How will Australia reconcile its sprawling suburbs with urgent sustainability needs? Tone Wheeler addresses this tension, challenging deeply ingrained cultural norms. Are tightly knit urban communities part of the solution?

How to unlock the mind to produce better designs, faster? Võ Trọng Nghĩa explores this question, revealing a philosophy where meditation is the key to healing ourselves and saving the planet.

Factories have always been designed for profitability. However, as the Covid pandemic highlighted, a focus on worker well-being is equally important. Can industrial building typologies rise to the challenge?

Imagine a world where your carpet reduces atmospheric carbon. In this episode, discover how Interface is making this a reality. Liz Minné discusses a range of innovative strategies that redefine our expectations of flooring.

Navigating conservation and social equity, Brinda Somaya reveals how these considerations blend into a position on sustainability in India. She offers a blueprint for design that is low-impact, contextual, and compassionate.

Traditional architecture is a melting pot of history, culture and knowledge-systems spanning centuries. Its continued decline globally begs the question: what can the past offer to the present and the future?

Explore the reality of greenery in architecture — pragmatic sustainability or mere aesthetics? Leonard Ng navigates the fine line, urging honesty in distinguishing between environmental impact and visual appeal.

Tackling the carbon dilemma requires a fresh perspective. Stuart Smith reveals how considering a building's entire life cycle impact can simplify carbon reduction decisions, guiding us towards more sustainable choices.

Each building is a nexus of multiple systems ‘talking' to each other. This integrated approach is often key to optimising performance. But how does integration work? How do you rally stakeholders and negotiate trade-offs?

Many countries in the developing South seek pathways to a sustainable future. Peru-based architecture firm Barclay & Crousse offers a prism on what this looks like, when it is anchored to the specifics of people, climate and place.

Good design often reveals what we do not know we need. But such a feat depends not only on what we tweak and improve, says Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, but how we re-imagine the process. The question is: where to start?

Bjarke Ingels is a global brand. Whatever one feels about starchitects in general, he is a force to be reckoned with. What does he think is the future of buildings and cities? What role will design play in solving the climate crisis?

Sustainability is a journey. Ecogradia is back with a new series of ten episodes to find out from world-leading players how to forge ahead, keep faith, beat the odds and put ideas to work, right from the drawing board.

Season 3 is a wrap. What were the small and large, local and global challenges singled out throughout this series? What can we control at the drawing board and what remains beyond our grip? This is what we learned.

This year's competition is now over. Out of 2,380 registrants from 114 countries, 20 entries stood above the rest. So what were the big takeaways? Who showed the most ambition? The five jury chairs are here to tell.

How does the architecture we praise today square up with a sustainability mandate? Do green imperatives dampen the spirit at the drawing board or can they lift design excellence to new heights?

How does the architecture we praise today square up with a sustainability mandate? Do green imperatives dampen the spirit at the drawing board or can they lift design excellence to new heights?

Can necessity unlock greater innovation? How to create an architecture of delight and renown when the climate is harsh, resources are scarce and budgets tight? Can less ever become something more?

Could a universal process account for all things sustainable — energy, materiality, comfort, etc. — in all typologies, from resorts to low-cost buildings? Would this work in a land as vast and complex as India?

Buildings offer shelter. Good architecture does more: it is a form of care for the mind and spirit. So how do we ensure sustainable equitable care for everyone, all social and emotional needs included?

There is wisdom in the vernacular. But does this knowledge offer something more than feel-good nostalgia? Are traditional buildings models for low-impact architecture that must be emulated?

As we aim to 'do good', we often wrestle with what to buy. Which materials are less harmful to the planet? But can a product also be net positive? Could manufacturing help reverse global warming?

We need a transformational shift: a rethink of the way we work, the goals we set, the processes we deploy. But how should we push forward? Who can help us get to where we need to be?

To halt global warming, we must eliminate greenhouse gas emissions at scale and with speed. With renewables today, we can ignite a new kind of fire, one that is emissions-free and lower cost.

The climate crisis is here. Extreme weather is perturbing all lives rapidly across the world. How should buildings and cities respond? Should action be rooted in science or vernacular know-how? Or maybe both?

Season 2 of Ecogradia has come to an end. Before we move on, let's take a peek at some of the talking points that didn't make the cut in the last ten episodes. Here is what was left 'unsaid'.

Can sustainable buildings be both high-performing and beautiful? In the age of social media, image is king. Is our appetite for novel forms at odds with our goals for better performance?

Extreme weather is often a matter of life and death. How do we design for the growing frequency and ferocity of storms? Do we resist at all costs or should we build structures that give in a little to save the whole?

Water is a pressing design challenge of the climate crisis. Too much or too little and we struggle to survive. What is the sweet spot where we, our cities and the ecosystems that we rely on, can thrive?

More than a billion people are without shelter today. They could be 3 billion by 2050. Is the growing demand a giant opportunity? What if houses for those in need could produce both renewable energy and long-term profits?

Tropical architecture: is it a perspective on place or a question of performance? How can architects from nations along the equator, like Indonesia, draw on local know-how rather than imported technology?

Bangkok, Thailand's capital, is sinking fast, like many other cities around the world. How can urbanists turn this congested megacity, threatened by flood and saltwater intrusion, into a resilient amphibious metropolis?

As a species, we seek closeness to nature. Designing for well-being, therefore, aims to bring nature to the heart of the built environment. But what do these ‘biophilic' spaces feel like? And how do we set the stage to reap their benefits?