Spotted: Wastewater treatment systems and rice farming produce a variety of greenhouse gasses (GHG), such as methane and nitrous oxide, that have a greater warming potential than carbon dioxide over the short term. Identifying when and where high volumes of these GHGs are emitted is essential if we are to tackle them, ensure reductions targets are being met, and mitigate climate change. However, there are few projects aimed at monitoring such emissions in an accurate and affordable way.
A new project at Surrey University hopes to change this with new, lightweight wireless gas sensors. The sensors will be attached to helium kites flown by autonomous robots and used to monitor the level and direction of emissions.
The research will involve several departments from across the university, such as fluid dynamics and robotics, and will incorporate skills such as data analysis. The sensors will be built by university spin-out Surrey Sensors, while Allsopp Helikites will provide the helium balloons. The technology will be tested in a variety of locations, including Thames Water treatment works and rice paddies in Spain.
The work is supported by a £620,000 (around €719,000) grant as one of 13 projects nationwide to be funded by a £12 million investment (around €13.9 million) from UK Research and Innovation’s Natural Environment Research Council, the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra), and Innovate UK. The funding seeks to support UN Sustainable Development Goal 13 — climate action.
Tackling methane emissions is the subject of a number of recent innovations spotted by Springwise, including a seaweed-based feed supplement that could reduce methane emissions from livestock and more sustainable methods for rice farming.
Architizerâs Tech Directory is a database of tech tools for architects â from the latest generative design and AI to rendering and visualization, 3D modeling, project management and many more. Explore the complete library of categories here.
Virtual reality (VR) technology stands out as a game-changer, offering architects a series of immersive tools that allow them to conceptualize, refine and present their visions with unprecedented clarity and depth. It transcends traditional methods, bridging the gap between imagination and reality like never before. By donning a VR headset, architects can transport themselves and their clients into intricately detailed digital worlds where they can navigate, manipulate and evaluate designs from every angle.
Virtual, Mixed and Extended Reality technology is the second most groundbreaking technological revolution following the AI bloom. It provides a new canvas upon which architects can experiment and discover new processes that turn architecture into a more immersive and socially impactful profession.
Without further ado, here are the top seven Virtual Reality tools that unlock unprecedented capabilities in architectural design.
Best VR Tool for Rendering
Chaos Enscape is a powerful real-time visualization tool that produces fully rendered 3D walkthroughs, acting as a plugin for most CAD and BIM programs. The rendered 3d models can be easily navigated through VR headsets such as Oculus or HTC Vive. Chaos Enscape includes features such as site context, a tool that can add real-world topography and building data to the scene, orthographic views and BIM information for every model component as well as a vast library of assets and materials. By using Enscape’s atmosphere and lighting settings, the renders are produced almost automatically, since architects can experiment with tools such as time of day, clouds, image effects, depth of field and even add fog to the scene.
Best VR Tool for 3d Modeling
Gravity Sketch is a 3D modeling tool that allows architects to design inside a virtual environment. Using gestural actions in a 1:1 scale, architects delve into a new way of creating more responsive designs. This groundbreaking virtual platform becomes an ideal space for collaboration amongst designers, including features such as pre-loaded fabs and reference images to make designs more accurate as well as a number of customizable brushes, textures and colors for effective communication. The 3D models produced are composed of NURBS and meshes, thus being editable in any 3d software and used in an array of mixed reality software.
Best VR Tool for Animation
Twinmotion is one of the most versatile real-time visualization tools. Its most impressive feature is its ability to generate animated immersive VR environments and can be easily integrated with most 3D modeling and BIM software on the market. Architects can work in a real-time environment, updating colors and textures, which are immediately visible on their screen. Twinmotion also includes a library of Smart Assets, for example trees that grow, doors that open and people that move, as well as an array of storytelling tools, through which architects can control the time of day or the season. A distinct feature is the Growth & Phasing tool, which can be used to show in real-time the actual construction process of a project.
Best VR Tool for Cinematic World-building
Unreal Engine can be considered as a more “advanced” version of Twinmotion. Used not only for architecture but also for film, game design and animation, Unreal Engine is a rendering tool that can produce the most cinematic virtual environments. It incorporates worldbuilding features, from modelling and terrain tools to scalable foliage, world partition, countless materials and environment lighting. It also has simulation effects, which include clothing tools, hair and fur and even chaos physics destruction systems. It is an all-in-one software, which can elevate any architectural design into a truly captivating scene, easily accessed through any VR headset.
Best VR Tool for Construction
Unity is a revolutionary tool for not only for architecture but for the wider construction industry. Its real-time visualisation capabilities allow architects to build custom VR experiences in order to design, monitor and even construct what-if scenarios for their projects. Unity includes environmental and operational performance features that measure water, waste and carbon emissions and enhancing predictive maintenance practices. Its Smart Engineering feature aids architects in integrating their designs with instrumentation diagrams that can be easily accessed through VR environments.
Best VR Tool for Beginners
D5 Render is an all-in-one design and render solution that has real-time visualization capabilities. Its easy-to-use interphase allows architects to both modify and render their designs through live-sync viewports. It has an array of environment and material presets as well as library of 11,000+ assets (models and materials) that are used to produce still images, animations and immersive VR walkthroughs. D5 Render’s latest version introduced the AI tool D5 Hi, a spatial concept generator that combines text and image prompts with an existing 3d model to produce a series of rendered images.
Best VR Tool for Collaboration
Studio 3DX is a web-based platform that transforms 3D scenes into stunning virtual environments that can be accessed through a single weblink. It can navigate complex 3d geometries in unmatched speeds and offers a simple set of visualization tools such as viewport setting, atmospheric controls and even audio assets that allow architects to easily create finalized presentations of their designs. Being a web based platform, Studio 3DX is ideal for collaboration, with universal access and VR navigation features making it the perfect platform for online sharing.
How to Better Leverage VR Tools in Architecture
The following tips and considerations will help you maximize the potential of VR in architectural design, as well as avoiding common pitfalls associated with this fast-emerging technology.
Focus on Scale, Proportions and Optimization: Designing within a virtual environment can be somewhat disorienting, especially for beginners. It is important to pay close attention to scale and proportion when designing in VR. Use human-scale references to accurately gauge the size and spatial qualities of architectural elements, helping to create a more realistic sense of immersion. In addition, simplifying geometry, optimising textures and reducing file sizes will help ensure smooth performance and minimise loading times in VR environments.
Provide Clear Navigation: VR environments are sort of like free world games. The user is free to experience them however they please. Consequently, it is vital to construct VR experiences that are easy to navigate and understand, especially for clients and stakeholders who may be less familiar with VR technology. Provide clear instructions and intuitive controls for navigating through virtual environments.
Add a Healthy Dose of Reality: One of the most exciting features of VR technology is the endless possibilities it offers to create structures and environments that do not have to comply to real-world constraints. Although it is crucial to use such technology to keep pushing architecture forward, when designing with construction in mind it is important to consider parameters such as accessibility, environmental sustainability and the overall site conditions of the project.
Architizerâs Tech Directory is a database of tech tools for architects â from the latest generative design and AI to rendering and visualization, 3D modeling, project management and many more. Explore the complete library of categories here.
UK architecture studio Pearce+ and Canadian designer Joe Kalturnyk have created a temporary inflatable restaurant for subzero temperatures in Winnipeg, Canada.
The barrel-vaulted restaurant has space for 48 guests dining in temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius during the 10th annual RAW:almond fine dining food festival, which celebrates both Canadian cuisine and the harsh winter.
The temporary restaurant was designed by Pearce+
Each year, the food festival commissions the construction of a temporary structure that responds to its environment and incorporates sustainable reuse.
“[The shelter] mirrors the ethos of the food served within by minimizing waste, discovering elegance in simplicity, creatively celebrating local identity, and incorporating a global outlook,” said the team.
It featured a vaulted dining room
Pearce+, based in Herfordshire and London, constructed the 220-square metre (2,370-square foot) restaurant in just a few weeks, and it was in use for 22 days early in 2024.
The snow-surrounded structure had a cruciform plan with a 140-square metre (1,500-square foot) vaulted dining room that contained two linear tables.
Pearce+ developed custom inflatable panels
Employing a Diagrid framework, the vault was constructed from 18-meter-long, 15-millimetre reinforced steel bars.
“These bars were bundled in groups of three, with varying plywood spacers, to create exceptionally lightweight trusses,” the team said.
Interior diamond-shaped panels featured a reflective foil layer
The team – with the help of inflatable specialists at Inflate Ltd – developed custom inflatable panels that mitigated the potential pressure to decrease the cold temperature’s lower air density. It was stretched over the framework.
The diamond-shaped panels featured a gold-coloured foil layer that reflected heat into the space.
Festival goers entered through a smaller vaulted lobby tunnel
Along the ridge line, the gold panels were swapped with transparent ones, offering a view to the snowy sky.
The panels were connected with Velcro – rather than glue due to the extreme temporal variation – and were disassembled and stored for future uses.
Directly across from the entrance was the rectangular kitchen
Capping each end of the dining area were trapezoidal buttressing structures, designed to resist strong winds and offer emergency egress.
Festival goers entered through a smaller vaulted lobby tunnel at the centre of the plan. A gabled wooden vestibule transitioned into the dining area.
Directly behind the structure was the rectangular kitchen.
Separated by a small hallway, the kitchen was constructed with a Structurally Insulated Panels (SIP) flat-pack and outfitted with high-quality appliances.
Rectangular dining tables featured inside
The structure was meant to be a demonstration of ways to conserve space by utilising temporary structures.
“I think it’s necessary to start re-envisioning how we use space, for what and for how long,” said RAW:almond co-founder Joe Kalturnyk.
“In the beginning I was interested in seeing if you can temporarily build a city within a city – and what better way to test the idea than with food? RAW:almond was a huge leap – would people embrace the winter and eat outdoors? Would they do it on a frozen river? And ultimately, could we even pull this off?”
In 2015, the RAW:almond pop-up restaurant was constructed on the surface of a frozen river with an X-shaped plan lying over the connection between the Assiniboine and Red rivers.
The restaurant was designed for subzero temperatures
Also in Winnipeg, Canadian studio KPMB revealed a horticultural centre with a Fibonacci spiral roof.
RAW:almond 2024 took place from 24 January to 18 February. For more events, talks and exhibitions involving architecture and design visit Dezeen Events Guide.
Project credits:
Project founders: Joe Kalturnyk & Mandel Hitzer Architect/designer: Pearce+ and Joe Kalturnyk Architect of record: AtLrg Architecture Project management: Joe Kalturnyk Structural engineers: Wolfrom Engineering Inflatable specialists: Inflate Visualisations: Pearce+ Construction: RAW:Almond team, Pearce+ and Hi-Rise
The built environment is the fastest-growing consumer of materials in the world – but it also offers the most potential for improvement according to Julia Okatz, advisor on the UN’s landmark Global Resource Outlook.
Making buildings and neighbourhoods more efficient could reduce the global need for raw materials by 25 per cent by 2060, the International Resource Panel (IRP) report found, while slashing energy demand and emissions by 30 per cent.
“Built environment patterns are the single most important determiner of a country’s emissions,” Okatz told Dezeen.
“[Firstly] because of its direct impacts, because of heating and all the climate impacts embodied in materials, but also because of its impact on people’s behaviour,” she continued.
“The built environment isn’t just concrete use, it has all these other implications on energy use, so it is probably the biggest lever overall.”
Above: IRP report shows resource use has skyrocketed since 1970. Top image: De Sijs housing in Belgium offers an example of more resource-efficient design
The need for carefully considered buildings that reduce resource use while maintaining or even improving inhabitants’ quality of life presents an exciting opportunity for architects to take more control of the planning process, Okatz argues,
“I think architects would be one of the major benefitting industries in this scenario,” she said.
“We need less mass deployment of inefficient options and much more architectural design. So I think for architects, it’s actually a growth agenda.”
Resource use tripled in the last 50 years
Launched during the sixth session of the UN Environment Assembly this month, the 2024 Global Resource Outlook is the IRP‘s latest review of the world’s resource use since the last edition of the report was published in 2019.
Our “insatiable use of resources” has tripled over the last 50 years, the latest report found, and is now responsible for over 55 per cent of global emissions and 40 per cent of air pollution impacts, making it the “main driver” of the planetary crisis.
While environmental impacts are escalating, the economic and wellbeing benefits brought by our increasing use of the Earth’s resources have stagnated – and in some cases even declined
Left unchecked, material extraction looks set to rise by a further 60 per cent by 2060, compounding these negative impacts.
Clever formwork could be used to make buildings less concrete-intensive. Photo by Patrick Bedarf
Buildings and construction are chief among the four sectors responsible for this increase, according to the Global Resource Outlook. “The built environment globally is the fastest growing material consumer,” said Okatz, who is the “right hand” of IRP co-chair Janez Potočnik and the director of natural resources at consulting firm Systemiq.
But the report also outlines an achievable path by which the industry could reduce its use of raw materials by 25 per cent by 2060, while helping to deliver “global prosperity”.
“You can lift a lot of those people now living in poverty onto a level of really good quality of life in a really efficient way if – and this is the important if – high-income countries also get a lot more efficient,” Okatz said.
Single-family homes “bad urban design”
Concrete makes up the biggest and fastest-growing chunk of the built environment’s material demand.
Sand, gravel, limestone and other “non-metallic minerals” used to make concrete account for half of all materials extracted globally and around half of the industry’s entire climate footprint, according to the Global Resource Outlook.
More efficient structural design – making use of innovations such as vaulted flooring and clever formwork – can reduce concrete use per building by around 30 per cent, Okatz estimates.
And switching to low-carbon concrete or biomass-based alternatives like timber can help to mitigate some of the adverse environmental impacts.
But perhaps the biggest and most undervalued solution highlighted in the report lies in changing what kind of buildings are built – not just how they are constructed, according to Okatz.
“About 50 per cent of residential construction in Europe is single-family homes and, to be honest, that’s just bad urban design,” she said.
“It’s also not particularly future-proof because demand might still be quite high now but the overall trend, largely, is people moving into city centres and wanting to be less car-dependent,” she added.
“So we think a lot of that will basically be a bad investment beyond 20 years from now, even if it wasn’t resource inefficient.”
Architects can lead the charge
Instead, the data suggests we need more “medium-density” residential buildings, which require fewer resources to build and operate while offering a superior quality of life compared to more dense developments.
“In a European context, the average is to say something like six-unit houses are probably best,” Okatz said. “Because it still allows people really good green space access and good noise insulation, all of these things. But it’s quite efficient.”
Following the example of Belgium’s De Sijs project (top image) and Virrey Aviles Street housing in Buenos Aires (below), making these kinds of dwellings more aspirational and attractive presents a key opportunity for architects, according to Okatz.
Virrey Aviles Street housing balances resource efficiency with green space access. Photo by Javier Agustín Rojas
“Architects and great design should be valued more because everyone can do a boring single-family home but not everyone can do an amazing six-unit community living space,” she said.
“What good architecture can do to slightly denser living – to me that is where I would see architects really leading the way,” Okatz continued.
“To say: if you do it right, this is how amazing life can be in these kinds of set-ups so people don’t even want to live in their own little thing anymore because it’s lonely, inefficient and expensive.”
The top image of the De Sijs housing project in Belgium is by Stijn Bollaert.
Spotted: It is clear that AI represents the future of computing, but today’s most popular AI chips (GPUs) are expensive and require huge amounts of energy, which is incompatible with both broader use outside data centres, and a low-carbon future. Now, EnCharge AI, which was spun out of the lab of Dr Naveen Verma at Princeton University, is building on new research outside of the GPU model to accelerate AI capabilities for a broader range of users.
To create chips that can handle modern AI in smaller and/or lower-energy environments, the researchers turned to analogue computing. The team designed capacitors to work with the analogue signal to switch on and off with extreme precision. By having this computation done directly in memory cells (in-memory computing), they created a chip that can run powerful AI systems using much less energy.
EnCharge’s PR Account Manager, Yhea Abdulla, explained to Springwise that, “It’s all geometry-based, aligning wires that come in a capacitor (no extra parts, costs, or special processing). They combined this with their research in in-memory computing (IMC) to enhance computing efficiency and data movement issues, bringing in the value of analogue without the historical limitations.”
EnCharge has recently been awarded an $18.6 million (around €17.2 million) grant by the US’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The funding will be used to further develop the chip technology as part of DARPA’s Optimum Processing Technology Inside Memory Arrays (OPTIMA) programme to unlock new possibilities for commercial and defense-relevant AI workloads not achievable with current technology.
From climate forecasting to food waste and cancer detection, AI has already grown to the point where it is becoming incorporated into many aspects of daily life. This makes it vital that we reduce the energy needed to run AI applications.
