Environmental sustainability

Kejia Mei When Brand Display Becomes a Multiplier of Resource Consumption In contemporary brand context, exhibitions remain one of the most direct and powerful platforms. Large-scale spaces, immersive experiences, and strong visual narratives can rapidly amplify brand influence. Yet behind the spotlight of exhibition periods, massive amounts of temporary construction materials are dismantled and discarded, resulting in serious resource waste and environmental burden. Lu-Ming Chen More critically, under tight construction schedules and intensive on-site work, exhibition halls are often filled with dust, noise, and strong adhesive odors before opening. Even days after launch, these pollutants may persist, posing hidden health risk... More

The design of the Fair Trade Zone understands circular economy as a spatial metabolism between architecture and landscape. Led by a women’s cooperative, the Fair Trade Zone in Akuse, Ghana, is based on an alternative model for integrated sustainable manufacturing, agriculture, and eco-tourism in Ghana. While the raw materials processed in the built interior grow outdoors in productive gardens, the buildings harvest rainwater and nourish the plants with ecologically purified production wastewater through the courtyard’s drainage channels and gravity-fed furrow irrigation. The result is a striated landscape composed of different biomes suitable for the diverging ecological requirements of a dye garden, a paper garden, a textile ga... More

Set at the edge of Bengaluru’s semi-rural landscape, Castle Earth Bangalow is a contemporary earth-built residence designed to respond to climate, terrain, and local craft traditions. Conceived by Earthenhive Architects as a family home rather than a statement object, the project prioritises environmental performance, material honesty, and long-term adaptability. Sustainability here is treated as the foundation of each architectural decision. Vedant Sharma Earthenhive Studio   A site-responsive approach The house is positioned to work with prevailing breezes, solar orientation, and natural drainage patterns. Rather than flattening the site, the design follows existing contours, reducing excavation and preserving soil... More

Coexistence House The design of Coexistence House is rooted in the philosophy of living in harmony with nature. The site, located in Perungudi—a rapidly urbanizing neighborhood of Chennai—held a unique character with its mature mango and coconut trees, remnants of an older garden deeply tied to the memory of the place. The client’s deep emotional connection to these trees became the guiding principle for the design: to build without displacing nature, allowing the house and landscape to grow together as one ecosystem. Hosh pictures D.L.E.A The house sits on a south- and east-facing corner plot and is oriented to embrace the existing garden.  Every major design decision responds to the trees, shaping the l... More

Zoo SP, one of the most significant tourist and historical sites in São Paulo, underwent a Masterplan development during the competition stage by the Biselli Katchborian office, in collaboration with Robert De Paauw. The proposed intervention reimagines the current space of the complex in the Parque das Fontes do Ipiranga, which includes the Botanical Garden, the Zoo, and the Zoo Safari, into an integrated and educational environment, fostering a better understanding of the relationship between humans and nature. Caption The new park concept introduced the renaming of the Botanical Garden to "Bio Flora" and the Zoo to "Bio Fauna," establishing a unified identity for these areas and promoting interaction between spaces. A centra... More

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) Headquarters and Multi-Tenant Commercial Building is a progressive, mass timber project built on a foundation of social, environmental, and financial sustainability. Designed by Canadian architectural studio Moriyama Teshima Architects (MTA), the building was constructed using net-zero strategies. The defining design integrates commercial opportunities with the relocation and revitalisation of the OSSTF’s offices in Toronto. Tom Arban Salina Kassam Moriyama Teshima Architects   A progressive mass timber building The OSSTF is an organisation that represents all educational professionals in the secondary school system in Ontario. The three-storey mass... More

In the North Downs countryside in South East England, a charming timber-framed family home nestles in a wooded hillside. Combining contemporary design with traditional craft, Downland Barns was designed by McLean Quinlan, a family of architects whose work aims to express the inherent atmosphere of the site. Downland Barns realises the clients’ vision for a home that is both modern and sustainable, yet infused with character and understated details. For instance, more than 1,000 handmade pegs were used in the construction of the timber frame. This low-carbon home exemplifies the integration of advanced technology, renewable energy, and high-quality construction to achieve exceptional energy performance. Jim Stephenson Jim Ste... More

Transforming Vision into Reality: Project Scope and Client Introduction Inspired Evolution, a pioneer in sustainable investment solutions, entrusted Trend Group to design and build their new office space on Osborne Road, Claremont, Cape Town. This 380 sqm project aimed to transform the area into a modern, functional, and welcoming office environment. The comprehensive design and build process by Trend Group was completed over an eight-week timeline, tailored to meet the specific needs of a dynamic and forward-thinking industry. Lionel Henshaw Crafting a Sustainable Sanctuary: Client Needs and Objectives Inspired Evolution's primary objective was to create an office space that reflected their innovative and sustainable ethos. They so... More

SOCIAL HOUSING and PIXEL-FARMING: a challenge on which the Mayor of Peccioli, Renzo Macelloni and architect Maria Alessandra Segantini, CEO of C+S Architects, are betting to repopulate the smaller towns in Italy.Segantini: “It is a new vision to give everyone a social home capable of generating quality food at affordable prices, regenerating impoverished landscapes, building cohesive multi-ethnic and multicultural communities, de-carbonising the construction sector and introducing innovation and circularity in the construction field to restore balance between buildings and nature.” C+S Architects (an architecture office based between Treviso and London, recent winner of the San Marino Roll of Honor and Italian Architect 202... More

Located in an established suburb of Melbourne, The Courtyard and Garden House has a compact, modest footprint and has been sensitively sited to retain existing trees. This approach is the antithesis of many large new developments in the area that erase important existing ‘backyard’ ecologies. Caption The new family home prioritizes longevity and sustainability. It caters to their needs both now and in the future and can adapt from a two-bedroom house with separate studies to a four-bedroom dwelling. This has been achieved by carefully organizing the space around a north-facing courtyard, allowing for a variety of flexible, separate living areas and open-space zones. It creates a series of serene, light-filled spaces with a... More

Architecture Office: ESCULPIR EL AIRE Lead Architect:  JOSÉ ÁNGEL RUIZ-CÁCERES Alejandro Gómez Vives Alejandro Gómez Vives A NEW DESIGN RESPONSE TO COVID  The project for 'The Light Pavilion' is born of offering new answers –transforming primitive architectural concepts– on the basis of the new questions raised by the new life situation experienced in relation to Covid: what is it that we are and what will allow us to continue to be so through our experiences? Alejandro Gómez Vives Alejandro Gómez Vives AN EXPERIENCE OF NEW SENSATIONS ‘The Light Pavilion' is a conceptual construction that mainly works with white, offering a pure piece that... More

Meeting the demands of the Dix operator, the project by Bacco Arquitetos and Triptyque Architecture incorporates the island's unique characteristics  São Paulo, 2024 – Bacco Arquitetos and Triptyque Architecture carried out a study for the expansion of the passenger terminal at Fernando de Noronha airport (PE), designed to integrate harmoniously with the existing terminal, embracing it in all four quadrants.    Triptyque Architecture Given the remote location of the island, the offices opted for an industrialized construction approach, making it easier to transport the structure by boat to the small mooring pier and then to the construction site. The basis of the project was defined by the use of a glu... More

Have you ever stepped on a lego block ? Everyone who has, even once in their lifetime, stepped on one would remember the pain of it. This led us to ponder over two questions: ‘How sturdy is this material?’ and ‘How much of it is left in everyone's houses after children discard them ?’ Syam Sreesylam, Althaf Rasheed Syam Sreesylam, Althaf Rasheed Syam Sreesylam, Althaf Rasheed Plastic has managed to snake its way into almost every aspect of our daily lives, including 90% of the world’s toys, which is a far cry from the old Indian childhoods of outdoor play and wooden toys. With global toy sales peaking at $ 107.4 billion in 2022 and toys being unsuitable for recycling due to their complex forms a... More

A home is more than just a physical structure; it embodies the values, culture, and aspirations of its occupants. In today's embrace of innovation and progress, traditional architecture serves as a timeless link to our heritage, reflecting centuries of wisdom and offering sustainable solutions. It fosters a sense of community and connection with the past, creating spaces where families can thrive, and traditions can be preserved. Karan Gajjar / The Space Tracing Company Karan Gajjar / The Space Tracing Company Karan Gajjar / The Space Tracing Company Karan Gajjar / The Space Tracing Company Located within the tranquil environs of Anand city in Gujarat, 'The Annexe' stands as an embodiment of the delicate equilibrium bet... More