Low-carbon design
An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about low-carbon design
Project • By Herzog & de Meuron • Offices
543 HORTUS
543 HORTUS is the latest sustainable building at Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area in Allschwil, Switzerland. This life sciences campus brings together research, start-ups, and established companies in a growing hub of low-carbon architecture. Designed by Swiss architectural studio Herzog & de Meuron for the real estate developer SENN, 543 HORTUS was conceived as a model of circular and energy-positive design. The brief called for minimising grey energy in construction, maximising efficiency in operation, and generating a surplus of renewable power. Over its lifetime, the 14,100-square-metre building will offset its embodied energy within 31 years, while accommodating around 600 workplaces. 543 HORTUS represents a new standard for... More
Project • By CURA Architekten • Primary Schools
School Complex in Davos Platz
In Davos Platz, the central district of Davos, Switzerland, the modernisation and expansion of a new school complex has been completed by CURA Architekten. The project raises the bar for sustainable construction in the educational sector. The Munich-based architectural studio’s approach prioritises responsible planning and circular construction, ensuring harmony in both context and environment.
CURA’s design integrates the existing school structure, reducing the new building volume by 40 percent. When combined with a timber extension, the project achieves a significantly reduced carbon footprint.
CURA Architekten
CURA Architekten
CURA Architekten
Integrating old and new for resource efficiency
Fro... More
Project • By Pelli Clarke & Partners • Offices
Salesforce Tower Chicago
Located in the heart of downtown Chicago, the 57-storey Salesforce Tower Chicago marks the completion of Wolf Point, a 14-year master plan that has transformed a historic and underutilised riverfront site. Designed by Pelli Clarke & Partners, the 1,450,000-square-feet tower is part of a mixed-use ensemble of three towers: the residential West and East towers and the South tower (Salesforce Tower Chicago).
Jason O'Rear
Jason O'Rear
Redeveloping a prime city location
Wolf Point sits at the confluence of the North, South, and Main branches of the Chicago River. In the early 19th century, this historic area was home to Chicago’s first commercial settlements and provided a strategic location for trade and transport.... More
Project • By Anne Carrier Architectes • Pavilions
Camp Mercier
In the vast territory of Quebec’s Réserve faunique des Laurentides (Laurentides Wildlife Reserve), Quebec-based Anne Carrier Architectes has designed the new 990-square-metre multidisciplinary Camp Mercier pavilion. A well known cross-country skiing and snowshoeing centre, Camp Mercier is situated 783 metres above sea level and less than an hour’s drive from Quebec City. It also serves as a meeting place for outdoor enthusiasts, researchers, and students who come to observe the local wildlife. The new pavilion’s sober design, a harmonious blend of contemporary and traditional architecture, reflects Quebec’s architectural culture in harmony with nature.
Maxime Brouillet
Adrien Williams
AC/a
In 2... More
News • News • 24 Apr 2024
Mole Architects and Invisible Studio complete sustainable, utilitarian building for Forest School Camps
Mole Architects and Invisible Studio have completed “The Big Roof”, a new low-carbon and low-energy storage and training facility for Forest School Camps, a charitable organization that runs educational camps for children. Located in the Cambridgeshire Fens, a marshland region in eastern England, the new building is assisting Forest School Camps with its operational requirements and storage needs.
David Butler
David Butler
Mole Architects and Invisible Studio
The Big Roof is a 745-square-meter (8,019-square-feet) single-story building that replaces three previous structures in various states of disrepair. Mole Architects and Invisible Studio designed a multipurpose facility that incorporates storage,... More
E.C.Park
The case of E.C.Park is a paradigm in the process of re-urbanization and a natural choice under the Live-Streaming Economy. When the land attributes change due to changes in urban planning, industrial composite communities integrate production, office, living, commercial and other complex needs, and are a new form of integration between industrial and civil buildings.
SPDG
E. C. Park has a total site area of 27,000 ㎡ with a total construction area of 103,000㎡. It is composed of a 100m high main building in the center and surrounding unit incubators, including offices, exhibition halls, apartments, and retailing blocks. It forms a circular and interactive ecological chain with multiple business functions, responding to the practi... More
Project • By spdg • Parks/Gardens
Dongguan Central Park Sen Space
The comprehensive service building of Dongguan Central Park, designed by Shing & Partners Design Group, is an exploration of Net-Zero buildings. After three years of planning, design and construction, the southern area of the park was put into operation in April 2023.
Located at the core of Dongguan International Business District, the original site of Dongguan Central Park was an ancient village – Shuijiantou Village. The Xinji River, originating from the Xiping Reservoir, divides the site into the south and the north two parts, and it is named after the use of bamboo slips for irrigation from south to north. According to records, residents of Shuijian Village are mostly Han with the surname of Zhang, who are springs of the Hakk... More
News • News • 12 Mar 2024
Harmeny Learning Hub prioritizes vocational learning and low-carbon design
Glasgow-based architectural studio Loader Monteith worked with Glasgow-based Studio SJM to complete a new low-carbon vocational learning center on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland. Nestled within a mature woodland, the Harmeny Learning Hub offers a hands-on learning environment for students who have additional support needs due to trauma and adversity in their early years.
Jim Stephenson
The Harmeny Learning Hub is an indoor–outdoor learning center for young people aged 14–18. Its focus is on the well-being and social development of students as well as their academic/vocational education. In 2019, Loader Monteith was commissioned by Harmeny Education Trust (a provider of therapeutic residential care and education t... More
News • Detail • 20 Jul 2023
Detail: The timber-hybrid and biophilic design of UBC Gateway
UBC Gateway is the new principal point of access to the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver Campus. Designed by Perkins&Will in partnership with the firm’s Danish studio, Schmidt Hammer Lassen, the Gateway is a timber-hybrid structure that draws inspiration from the university’s natural setting.
Perkins&Will / SHL
Situated on the western tip of the Point Grey peninsula (on Vancouver’s west side), the University of British Columbia is surrounded by nature: Pacific Spirit Regional Park lies to the south-east, Burrard Inlet and the Coast Mountains lie to the north, and the Strait of Georgia and Vancouver Island lie to the west. In a manner that echoes the environment, the university’s wish... More
News • News • 7 Dec 2022
Renovated Hines Seattle Headquarters sets a new paradigm for low-carbon and circular design
Recently completed by LMN Architects, the renovated Hines Seattle Headquarters sets a new paradigm for low carbon and circular design through meticulous carbon accounting and an inventive approach to the reuse of materials. Located on the 8th floor of Seattle’s historic Norton Building, the completed project achieved an estimated 65% carbon reduction compared to a typical remodel of an empty shell. 43% of this reduction comes from the salvage or reuse of existing materials—the remainder of the savings comes from the specification of low-carbon options.
Benjamin Benschneider
Collaborating with a broader team of local fabricators, vendors, contractors, and clients, the architects carefully searched for repurposed materia... More