Spotted: Today, getting enough sleep is considered on a par with eating right and getting enough exercise. The reason for this is that insufficient sleep has been associated with a host of negative outcomes – from poor performance in school and at work, to increased risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and hypertension. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a third of US adults report that they usually get less than the recommended amount of sleep – a pattern that is repeated around the world. Enter Moonoa, a new app and programme designed to get everyone sleeping again.
Moonoa bills itself as a “digital, personalised solution to improve your sleep naturally, without the use of medication”. Its approach is based on cognitive behavioural therapy CBT), which aims to work on behaviours, thoughts, and emotions that contribute to poor sleep. The platform’s comprehensive programme includes relaxation content to help reduce stress and anxiety and a ‘learning path’ with CBT-based advice and recommendations to help users “reframe behaviour, unrealistic expectations, and negative thoughts that are harmful to sleep”.
In addition to advice, Moonoa also offers sleep analysis and support from psychologist coaches, as well as a personalised food supplement sent to customers on a monthly basis based on their profile. The company takes a holistic approach to sleep improvement in an effort to help users establish predictable sleep patterns and take back control over their sleep. The programme has been certified as a medical device by both the Spanish Medicines Agency and the European Union.
According to the company, clinical studies indicate that a CBT-led approach to improving sleep leads to improvement in 90 per cent of patients.
Many approaches to sleep improvement have so far focused on the low-hanging fruit of tracking using wearables. Innovations in this space include a wearable ring that wakes wearers up at regular intervals as part of a sleep training regimen, and a smart pillow that monitors sleep by tracking head movements. Moonoa goes further by taking a holistic approach to tackling the underlying causes of bad sleep.
High-density, low-rise urban housing is the key to accommodating another three billion people over the next 80 years without costing the Earth, writes architect and urbanist Vishaan Chakrabarti.
By the year 2100 there will be 11 billion people on the planet, according to the United Nations – three billion more than there are today. You might rightfully ask how we can house an additional three billion people when nations around the globe are struggling to provide adequate accommodation for those in need today.
Meanwhile, the world is already experiencing the extreme impacts of anthropogenic climate change, as well as an omnipresent energy crisis fuelled by the war in Ukraine.
A surging population risks putting an even greater strain on the environment
A surging population risks putting an even greater strain on the environment and comes with even more demand for energy. No one, particularly not in the West, has the right to wish these newcomers away or deny them the housing, mobility, technology, food, and yes, the energy, they will need to live their lives.
How can our housing needs be part of the solution rather than part of the problem? How can we use today’s technologies to design new housing that is not only sustainable, not only low in embodied energy, but also truly carbon negative?
We simply don’t have the technology today to build carbon negative towers
We can conserve where we can, such as by adaptively reusing some of our existing building stock, particularly older office buildings made obsolete by the pandemic. But this alone won’t make a dent in our impending housing needs – we must build, and we must build better.
I for one am tired of hearing about solutions that don’t have a chance of widespread, affordable, global adoption for decades, even the great technology of mass-timber skyscrapers made from carbon-sinking, environmentally friendly and fire-retardant wood.
I love a good skyscraper, but we simply don’t have the technology today to build carbon negative towers.
We’re also decades away from realising clean grids in our existing cities, where most global population growth will occur, because of challenges ranging from inefficient transmission lines to the fossil fuel lobby’s chokehold on our governments.
The tyranny of today’s challenges demands a widely attainable answer now. We cannot wait until 2050.
Goldilocks-scale housing would enable us to house everyone while drastically reducing the emissions impact of our homes
The answer is hiding in plain sight: a “Goldilocks” type of high-density, low-rise urban housing that sits between the scale of sprawling single-family houses and large-scale towers, advocated by many architects and urbanists for decades.
From the hutongs of Beijing to the rowhouses of Boston, this scale of housing has created some of our most beloved urban neighbourhoods.
If adopted en masse, it would enable us to house everyone while drastically reducing the emissions impact of our homes.
Importantly, at two to three stories – but no higher – under the international building code this low-rise housing is required to have only one communal stair if wheelchair accessible units are provided at grade.
“Goldilocks housing could finally provide affordable, communal, equitable housing for communities in dire need of it,” argues Vishaan Chakrabarti
That allows for less concrete, lower building costs, and more community connection by dispensing with elevators and the banal experience of double-loaded corridors, while small shops and workspaces can also occupy the ground floor.
It is also, based on research my own studio conducted alongside engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti, the maximum scale possible for carbon negativity with today’s technology.
In most sunny climates, which is where we anticipate the most population growth, this Goldilocks prototype hits the sweet spot between the number of residents it can house and the amount of roof area needed for enough solar panels to supply more energy than these residents need.
Solar panels, which are decreasing in cost while gaining in efficiency, could also be supplemented with existing state-of-the-art battery systems that level out solar supply and user demand to provide a constant energy source.
Because of its structural simplicity, Goldilocks housing can be built by local workers in accordance with local climates
Air conditioning and heating can be provided through electric pumps that are readily available today. These can create thermal storage by producing ice or hot water off-peak for use on-peak, enough at the Goldilocks scale to offset their energy use.
Additional sustainability measures, such as systems to compost food scraps and solid waste, can also be implemented with today’s technologies and can be self-contained within Goldilocks housing unlike in large towers where much more space is required.
The footprint is compact, leaving room for substantial tree and ground cover, decreasing stormwater impacts, reducing the heat island effect, and lowering the demand for air conditioning.
Because of its structural simplicity, Goldilocks housing can be built by local workers in accordance with local climates and customs out of simple local materials, like wood or brick, both of which have relatively low embodied carbon compared to concrete and steel.
We need not fear new neighbours
Goldilocks housing could finally provide affordable, communal, equitable housing for communities in dire need of it.
Architects can work with communities to make this low-rise housing appealing, visually and socially, integrating it into the lives of existing neighbourhoods.
When woven into the fabric of our cities, the Goldilocks scale is dense enough, at almost 50 units per acre, to support mass transit, biking, and walkability, connecting people with jobs, schools, parks and other daily destinations in an environmentally friendly way.
This isn’t rocket science. It is advocacy for simple, small-scale housing with solar panels above, transit below, known technologies throughout, all organised into affordable green, mixed-use neighbourhoods.
If the entire world lived at this scale, all 11 billion of us in 2100 would occupy a land mass equivalent to the size of France, leaving the rest of the world for nature, farming and clean oceans.
According to the International Energy Agency, the Goldilocks model offsets so much carbon that it would effectively cancel out the emissions of every car in the world if we all lived this way. The impact would be staggering.
We need not fear new neighbours. We can accommodate 11 billion people without being beholden to autocrats and fossil fuel companies who continually threaten our collective existence.
We don’t have a lack of land or technology. We just have a lack of vision and will, because the answers are hiding in plain sight.
Vishaan Chakrabarti is an architect, urbanist, and author focused on cities and sustainability. He is the founder and creative director of global architecture studio Practice for Architecture and Urbanism. He served as director of planning for Manhattan under former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg, working on the rebuilding of the World Trade Center and the preservation of the High Line. He has presented multiple TED Talks, with the most recent on Goldilocks-scale housing.
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MINNEAPOLIS, December 2, 2021 (Newswire.com) – The Energy & Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA) is embarking on the 6th annual EEBA Team Zero Inventory of Zero Energy Homes and invites all zero energy (ZE) builders, designers, architects, developers and owners to upload their projects to the database.
The yearly report tracks ZE single and multifamily home trends and leaders across the U.S. and Canada. Currently, the Inventory includes ~28,000 ZE projects voluntarily submitted.
As of the 2020 report, all projects are zero-energy ready and above, with the minority of projects listed in the Inventory as net zero or net producers. “The reality is that many homes, although they may not achieve that absolute goal, are designed as part of the larger movement towards zero energy, and we can learn from all of them. So, we included all of them,” the report explains.
“Maintaining the Inventory is important because it sheds light on North American ZE growth patterns, high-performance technologies used, as well as the major players who are adopting ZE design and construction as a profitable business model,” EEBA’s CEO, Aaron Smith, says.
The need for ZE housing is clear. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. homes consume ~ 21% of the total energy used annually. As for carbon emissions, the average home releases 70% more CO2 into the environment than a typical car or about 17,320 lbs. yearly. Thus, reducing home energy demand to net zero is economically and environmentally critical as well as achievable.
EEBA Team Zero started tracking the proliferation of U.S. and Canadian ZE homes in 2015. Since then, the yearly report has shown a consistent upward trend, with the multifamily sector leading the pack. “Multiunit developers don’t adopt practices that aren’t profitable,” concluded Smith.
Those interested in submitting their projects to the Inventory can go to https://teamzero.org/add-your-listing/. Projects approved before Feb. 15, 2022, will be added to the 2021 report. For questions regarding the Inventory or other media inquiries, please contact mary@eeba.org.
About EEBA Team Zero
For over 35 years, EEBA has provided the most trusted resources for building science information and education in the construction industry. EEBA delivers turn-key educational resources and events designed to transform residential construction practices through high-performance design, marketing, materials, and technologies. In addition, EEBA reaches thousands of key decision-makers and other essential industry players each year through our educational events, the annual Summit, and various publications and resources. In 2021, the nonprofit Team Zero integrated their services and expertise into EEBA’s organization. This integration includes “The Gateway to Zero” and The Inventory of Zero Energy Homes Database and related reports. To learn more about EEBA Team Zero, visit www.eeba.org.
Spotted: As the world strives to achieve carbon neutrality, energy storage technology is becoming increasingly important. Renewable energy sources like wind and solar power are intermittent, meaning they’re not always available when needed. Energy storage can help to even out these fluctuations, making renewables a more reliable and consistent source of power. One of the largest energy storage projects in the world is currently being completed in Dalian, China.
The Dalian Flow Battery Energy Storage Peak-shaving Power Station will have a capacity of 100 megawatts/400 megawatt-hours, making it one of the largest storage facilities in terms of both power and capacity. The project is due to be completed in mid-October and will play an important role in helping China meet its climate goals.
The Dalian Power Station, which is based on vanadium flow battery technology developed by the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP), will serve as the city’s power bank while helping Dalian make use of renewable energy – such as wind and solar energy. The Power Station will convert electrical energy into battery-stored chemical energy and back into electrical energy, providing a reliable source of power for the city.
The power station plans to meet the daily electricity demand of about 200,000 residents. Looking ahead the aim is for these numbers to increase as the power station eventually produces 200 megawatts/800 megawatt-hours of electricity. The Power Station is an important step in Dalian’s transition to a clean energy future, and it is hoped that it will help to make the city a model for others in China and around the world.
The roll-out of renewables is gathering pace and with that roll-out comes innovation in energy storage. Springwise has recently spotted innovations such as a thermal energy storage system and a new system that stores energy in the form of heat and compressed air.
In this week’s comments update, readers are debating an opinion piece by urbanist Vishaan Chakrabarti on the global housing problem and discussing other top stories.
Architect and urbanist Vishaan Chakrabarti has caused a stir by suggesting that high-density, low-rise urban housing is the key to accommodating another three billion people over the next 80 years without costing the Earth.
“The answer is hiding in plain sight,” said the architect. “A ‘Goldilocks’ type of high-density, low-rise urban housing that sits between the scale of sprawling single-family houses and large-scale towers, advocated by many architects and urbanists for decades.”
“This is the right idea for the inner suburbs”
Readers are torn. “I’m no architect, but this does make sense to me,” said Andre C.
“Providing it is done right. I live with solar, battery and a heat pump in a semi-detached London suburb and can attest to the semi-self sufficiency of the concept from spring to autumn.”
“This is the right idea for the inner suburbs,” added Chris D, “but probably too low for all the gap sites in city centres.”
James C agreed: “I think that the logic of this is pretty sound, but my biggest preoccupation with these arguments is urban densification and the steps needed to move more and more of (especially) the Western world to public transit systems.”
Dilgreen was unconvinced: “Sensible proposals that get made time and again but are not adopted indicate a failure of design thinking. Since the proposal makes lots of sense in its own terms, clearly the reason for non-adoption lies in another domain.”
Is high-density, low-rise urban housing key to solving the housing shortage? Join the discussion ›
Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is “the greatest building of our time”
Reader says Franky Gehry’s Guggenheium Museum Bilbao is “the most exhibitionistic building of our time”
Commenters disagree with architect Philip Johnson’s view that Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is “the greatest building of our time”. The structure is featured in our deconstructivism series.
“It is unquestionably one of the most exhibitionistic buildings of our time,” said Tom Roberts. “Best? It might be truly significant if the structure was not an afterthought.”
Alfred Hitchcock continued: “It’s certainly a remarkable, striking and interesting building as well as being a great tourist draw. But in my experience, as a museum, it doesn’t work very well at all.”
“‘Greatest building of our time’, dunno, maybe it is, maybe it isn’t,” concluded Apsco Radiales. “But the picture of Gehry and Johnson visiting it is a gem. Gehry looks happy with his work, and Johnson wide-eyed in amazement. Both giants, and craftsmen of the highest order.”
Is the Guggenheium Museum Bilbao the greatest building? Join the discussion ›
De Matos Ryan adds timber playspace to garden of London home
Commenter calls “treeless treehouse” an “absolutely joyous thing”
Readers are divided over a “treeless treehouse” named Penfold, which architecture studio De Matos Ryan created for a London garden. The pyramidal timber structure is accessible only by crawling beneath it.
Flex agreed: “Oh, to be a child again! I could almost live in this playhouse!”
“Maybe speaking out of envy,” replied Jack Mclathass, “but if I was one of the neighbours I would be mad at this structure stealing precious minutes of sunlight and projecting extra shade in my garden.”
Does Penfold bring a smile to your face? Join the discussion ›
BIG and Heatherwick complete Google campus topped with “dragonscale” roofs
Reader thinks BIG and Heatherwick Studio-designed Google campus interiors “look like a generic trade fair”
Commenters are discussing Google’s new Bay View campus in Silicon Valley, California. It features sweeping, scale-like panels across its roof and was designed by BIG and Heatherwick Studio.
“This is my favorite building among the tech giants,” said Puzzello. “Not another boxy, suburban, curtainwall structure with their logo slapped on the parapet.”
“That interior does bring up an emotion,” continued Ima Nerdee, “a claustrophobic 1970s cubicle nightmare feeling. Did the budget run out?”
Tom agreed: “Somehow looks like a generic trade fair when the exhibitors are still setting up.”
What do you think of Bay View campus? Join the discussion ›
Comments update
Dezeen is the world’s most commented architecture and design magazine, receiving thousands of comments each month from readers. Keep up to date on the latest discussions on our comments page.
Buildings account for at least 39% of energy-related global carbon emissions on an annual basis. At least one-quarter of these emissions result from embodied carbon, or the carbon emissions associated with building materials and construction. The solutions for addressing embodied carbon in buildings have not been widely studied in the United States, leaving a significant knowledge gap for engineers, architects, contractors, policymakers, and building owners. Further, there is little information about the cost-effectiveness of reducing embodied carbon in buildings.
RMI’s new report, Reducing Embodied Carbon in Buildings: Low-Cost, High-Value Opportunities, helps fill this knowledge gap. The report demonstrates low- or no-cost options to reduce embodied carbon in buildings and provides design and construction strategies that can help limit a project’s embodied carbon. The case studies showcased in the report show an embodied carbon savings potential of 19% to 46% at cost premiums of less than 1%. Current practice indicates that we can achieve these reductions by specifying and substituting material alternatives with lower embodied carbon during the design and specification process. Far greater reductions are possible through a whole-building design approach.
This report was developed to help building owners, designers, contractors, and policymakers understand the low-cost and no-cost solutions for reducing embodied carbon in buildings. To accomplish that, we studied three building types and considered design strategies that can reduce embodied carbon at any stage of a project’s design and construction phases. The report quantifies the construction cost difference associated with low-embodied-carbon solutions and points to next-generation solutions that could drive even greater reductions.
Top categories of building materials for reducing embodied carbon.
Critical Materials Driving Embodied Carbon in US Buildings
In order to tackle embodied carbon in buildings, we first need to understand the carbon impact of the industries driving embodied carbon emissions. A building’s structure and substructure typically constitute the largest source of its up-front embodied carbon, up to 80% depending on building type. However, because of the relatively rapid renovation cycle of building interiors associated with tenancy and turnover, the total embodied carbon associated with interiors can account for a similar amount of emissions over the lifetime of a building. Our report focuses primarily on structural materials, metals (including steel and aluminum), cement, and timber. Each of these materials has a different embodied carbon content but is critical to our consideration of structural systems in this context.
Proven Solutions and Strategies to Reduce Embodied Carbon
Today, there are many solutions that can be leveraged to limit embodied carbon in new buildings. The totality of low-embodied-carbon solutions includes a long list of offerings that span a wide range of complexity.
Most simply, low-embodied-carbon solutions for buildings can be broken down into three main categories: whole-building design, one-for-one material substitution, and specification. In general, whole-building design solutions can drive the greatest embodied carbon savings. However, material substitution and specification can also result in substantial embodied carbon savings, especially when these solutions target carbon-intensive materials such as concrete and steel. Furthermore, these categories are not mutually exclusive — they can be combined or performed in parallel to drive deeper embodied carbon savings.
The following graphic demonstrates embodied carbon best practices that can be implemented throughout the building design and construction process.
Case Studies in the Economics of Low-Embodied-Carbon Buildings
One core objective of the report is to answer the question: How much can we reduce embodied carbon in new buildings at no additional cost?
In short, this study shows that embodied carbon can be reduced by 19% to 46% in mid-rise commercial office, multifamily, and tilt-up-style buildings by leveraging low- and no-cost measures. Together, these measures increased overall project costs by less than 1%, which is within the margin of error for most construction project budgets.
Skanska, one of the world’s leading sustainable construction firms, provided cost data from three actual projects in the Pacific Northwest and conducted an analysis under the guidance of RMI to generate the results of this study.
These case studies lead us to a few powerful observations. Even though the strategies employed do not include comprehensive, whole-building design strategies, they still yielded reductions of up to 46% in up-front embodied carbon through specification and material substitution measures. Given that these conclusions are based on three case studies in the Pacific Northwest, we can note them as strong anecdotal evidence, rather than broadly applicable conclusions.
Given the fact that we were not able to redesign building structural systems, we were unable to draw deep conclusions about the cost, carbon, and material impacts of whole-building design solutions, such as substituting more structural steel and concrete with wood. Given this scope, our key findings are:
Optimizing the ready-mix concrete design can lead to significant embodied carbon reductions (14% to 33%) at no cost, or with a possible cost reduction in some cases.
Rebar contributed up to 10% of total project embodied carbon in two case study buildings, but rebar’s up-front embodied carbon can be cut in half with minimal cost impact to the overall projects. These results may vary by location, as rebar with high recycled material content may not be available at a low cost premium in other regions.
Insulation material selection can be a significant factor in project-level embodied carbon, with insulation making up approximately 20% of one building’s baseline embodied carbon content. Insulation products utilizing hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) or other foaming agents with low global warming potential can reduce embodied carbon impacts significantly, and several emerging plant-based products have the potential to store more carbon than is emitted in their production.
Glazing remains a critical challenge for reducing embodied carbon, between the significant amount of heat required for glass production and the high-embodied-carbon materials often used for framing. Products available today can cut embodied carbon in glazing by approximately 25%, but at a 10% cost premium.
For some finish materials such as flooring, carpet tiles, ceiling tiles, and paint, embodied carbon reductions of more than 50% are possible at no up-front cost premium. In some locales, carbon-sequestering materials may even be available.
Read the Report to Learn More
The Reducing Embodied Carbon in Buildings report includes detailed information about each of the three building case studies, sections exploring related topics such as tenant fit-outs and building reuse, and further analysis of our key conclusions. Download the report to learn more about opportunities for reducing embodied carbon in buildings, and why embodied carbon needs to be addressed now to drive the most impact.
At the heart of all our hopes for future development is a simple equation. According to the United Nations, the world will need 70 per cent more food by 2050 to feed a population of nearly 10 million. To do this, we will need to improve agricultural yields while simultaneously tackling climate change, a thorny issue as food production accounts for one-quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The food industry faces both immediate and slow-burning challenges. In the short term, the war in Ukraine has exposed the vulnerability of global supply chains, while highlighting the link between energy and food prices. But over the long term, food production also needs to use less land and become less water-intensive and wasteful. And our reliance on synthetic fertiliser, produced through the energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process, is further driving fossil fuel consumption while causing damaging nutrient pollution. Finding new, smarter ways to fertilise crops is therefore vital.
In many ways, the question of food is key to the achievement of all the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. And while the challenges are great, innovators around the world are showing that progress is possible.
SDG 2: Zero hunger
The most obvious SDG relevant to the food industry is SDG 2, which calls for zero hunger. Across the globe, there are 3.1 billion people who can’t afford a healthy, nutritious diet, and one of the key targets within SDG 2 is to end all forms of malnutrition by 2030. To solve this problem, we need to identify those who are undernourished. And here innovators can help. For example, Action Against Hunger has developed the SAM app, which uses images to identify those suffering from acute or chronic malnutrition.
The next step is to treat people. Fortifying food with micro-nutrients is a common solution, and innovators are working to make food fortification more efficient. For example, social enterprise Sanku has developed smart technology that helps small-scale maize millers fortify their flour without passing costs on to consumers. And it’s not only in developing countries where there is a need to tackle malnutrition. Even in the most developed countries, malnutrition is a common condition in hospitals. Startup HealthLeap has developed an AI-powered clinical assistant to tackle this issue.
SDG 1: No poverty
Hunger and poverty are closely linked. Most obviously, those with little money, have little money to spend on food. But the link also exists on the supply side. Small farmers form a large bulk of the people most affected by poverty. According to a World Bank study, 65 per cent of poor working adults make a living through agriculture, and the organisation believes that farming innovation is one of the surest ways to alleviate poverty.
Innovators are rising to the challenge. In Nigeria, ThriveAgric is using software and hands-on assistance to help small farmers earn top dollar for their produce. And in Brazil, TerraMagna is using fintech to help smallholders access affordable credit to invest in their farms. Meanwhile, in Southeast Asia, Wavemaker is making it easier for agricultural producers to turn biomass into higher-value products – all while helping to fight climate change.
SDG 15: Life on land
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the global food system is the primary driver of biodiversity loss. As we work to feed a growing population, it is vital that we ensure that we are not doing so at the expense of natural ecosystems.
In broad terms, innovators are taking two approaches to this issue. One approach is to reduce the amount of land used for agriculture. For example, New York-based UpFarm plans to add the world’s largest vertical farm to its network in 2023. The new facility will conserve more than 120 acres of land on an annual basis. Meanwhile, others are working to make farmland more compatible with nature. For example, researchers in Germany have found that fields planted in strips of different crops support insects and birds better than conventional farming methods. Meanwhile, in Canada, Bee Vectoring Technologies is reducing the need for harmful chemicals by using bees to deliver organic fungicide as they pollinate.
SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation
Agriculture has a big impact on the availability of clean water in two ways. First, traditional agriculture is water intensive with agricultural irrigation accounting for 70 per cent of water use worldwide. And second, fertilisers, pesticides, and salts from agriculture end up in watercourses leading to water pollution.
Innovators are tackling the first problem through solutions such as solar-powered water pumps that enable farmers to increase their crop yields while using less water, and quick-growing cultured meat that uses only a tiny fraction of the water used in animal husbandry. And to tackle water pollution caused by fertilisers, microTERRA is creating food additives out of an aquatic plant that doesn’t require fertiliser at all: duckweed. Meanwhile, another company, Wyvern, is using satellite technology to help farmers use fewer chemicals, and a solar-powered weed-seeking robot is reducing the amount of chemicals needed to manage weeds.
SDG 12: Responsible production and consumption
Food waste is a huge issue, with one-third of food produced for human consumption lost or wasted globally. It is therefore little wonder that target 12.3 within SDG 12 calls for food waste to be halved by 2030. In the Netherlands, Orbisk is tackling the issue with a system that uses artificial intelligence and computer vision to help commercial kitchens manage food waste. And another AI system from Neolithics checks food for signs of rot, helping to reduce the amount of food that is lost before it even reaches the shelves.
Another way of approaching this problem is to find uses for food that does end up as waste. UK startup LyteGro, for example, uses waste bananas as a growth enhancer that turbo-charges fermentation in food, agricultural, and pharmaceutical processes. Meanwhile, a team of Japanese researchers has discovered a way to use vegetable scraps, such as cabbage leaves and orange peels to create cement.
Words: Matthew Hempstead
Looking for inspiration on sustainability? Why not download our free SDG report.
Architecture firm BIG has constructed a mass-timber Passivhaus factory in a Norwegian forest for outdoor furniture maker Vestre, which features a green roof and solar panels as well as an exterior slide.
Instead of being hidden away on an industrial estate, The Plus factory development is nestled in 300 acres of woodland near the village of Magnor on the Swedish border.
The cross-shaped building consists of four double-height wings, each housing a different stage of Vestre‘s production process and radiating out from a central office area with an internal courtyard at its heart.
The Plus factory has a distinctive cross shape
Constructed in just 18 months, the 7,000-square-metre factory is made mostly from wood and stores 1,400 tons of carbon dioxide in its structure made of PEFC-certified cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glued-laminated timber (glulam), Vestre said.
The building combines energy-efficient Passivhaus strategies with a streamlined, robot-assisted production line, which according to Vestre reduces its energy consumption by 90 per cent compared to a conventional factory.
Its energy and heating demands will be partly met with the help of 900 rooftop solar panels, 17 geothermal wells and heat pumps hidden behind the walls to capture excess heat from the production process.
The factory is nestled into a forest on Norway’s border with Sweden
Taken together, Vestre says this makes The Plus the “world’s most environmentally-friendly furniture factory”, generating 55 per cent lower emissions from energy and materials than a comparable building.
The company claims this also makes the project “Paris-proof”, bringing it in line with global targets set out in the Paris Agreement to halve emissions by 2030.
However, this assessment does not account for emissions generated during the building’s whole lifecycle including those related to Vestre’s production process.
Overall, The Plus falls short of achieving net-zero emissions, which every building both old and new would have to reach by 2050 to help limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in accordance with the Paris Agreement.
Its exterior is clad in charred larch
Instead, the project is reportedly on track to become the first industrial building in the Nordic countries to reach the highest rating in the BREEAM environmental certification scheme, which is only awarded to the top one per cent of projects.
“There are no industrial buildings that have even come close to the highest standard, not even the second-highest,” BIG design lead Viktoria Millentrup told Dezeen. “So BREEAM-wise, there was not even an example building we could follow.”
“It’s untraditional for a factory to focus so much on sustainability,” agreed lead architect David Zahle. “For a lot of companies, production is about keeping costs low and hiding it away.”
Exterior stairs allow the public to access the roof and look into the factory
In comparison, the interior of The Plus is laid bare by huge windows running up its charred-larch facade and by the glazed courtyard punctuating its centre, both of which are accessible to the public using huge exterior staircases.
In this way, Vestre says The Plus is meant to bring ideas about more sustainable building and production methods to the general public and “build a bridge between the Greta Thunberg generation and industrialists”.
“The project is very transparent, almost open-source both in terms of how the products are made but also in how we’ve opened up the facade to bring people closer,” Zahle said.
“You invite people to play and you invite people to walk up on the roof and you create a park around it so that even a factory can become part of creating a good life.”
A yellow spiral staircase leads from the roof into an internal courtyard
Each of the Plus’s four wings is topped with green roofs grown from seeds that were collected from the surrounding forest and solar panels that together will produce 250,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy a year.
Underneath, the roofs are held up by giant glulam girders spanning up to 14 metres and weighing up to five tons, bent into a double-curved structure using “long screws and a lot of force”, according to Magnus Holm Andersen, project manager at timber supplier Woodcon.
“As far as we know, this has never been done before,” he added.
From the central roof, visitors can take a yellow spiral staircase down past glazed office spaces and into the internal courtyard, which is supported by recycled reinforced steel beams and centred on a lone Norwegian maple tree.
A slide, visible in the top left-corner of the building, leads from the roof to the forest floor
Alternatively, a 14-metre long slide – reportedly Norway’s tallest – winds its way around the side of the building and back down onto the forest floor.
The square roof above the office area is one of only two concrete elements in the building alongside the foundation, both made from a mixture of high-strength and low-carbon concrete to minimise emissions and material use.
Stairs are mirrored on the interior and exterior of the building
On the inside, the factory is clad in light pinewood that stands in stark contrast to the exterior’s charred black finish.
Each of the four wings – housing Vestre’s woodwork and powder-coating workshops, as well as a warehouse and an assembly station – features colour-coded equipment and flow-chart-style floor markings designed to help visitors follow the production process from above.
The production line itself combines efficient machinery and artificial intelligence, which Vestre says helps it to “manufacture faster, greener and less expensively”.
Colourful floor markings illustrate the production process
In the colour workshop, for example, two industrial robots named after Norway’s first female engineers are powder-coating metal components using AI and object recognition, and are capable of changing colours in seconds rather than minutes.
Hidden behind the walls of each wing is a technical corridor, in which waste products from the manufacturing process are recycled for reuse.
Here, the water needed for washing metal components is cleaned and filtered so that 90 per cent of it can be cycled back into the process, while wood chips and sawdust are collected and sent off to a biomass power plant to be burned for electricity.
Two self-learning industrial robots paint metal furniture parts
Meanwhile, heat pumps capture excess energy from the process of drying the components and convert it into heat that is then fed back into the production line and used to warm the building.
“Since there’s one owner, it’s easy to do that,” said project manager Jan Myrlund. “Normally, one company owns the plant and another the inside and they deliver their own systems.”
Reducing waste and emissions was also a key consideration in the construction phase, with all equipment powered either by electricity or biodiesel and all felled trees reused as part of the building’s structure or stored for use in Vestre’s furniture.
Trees surround the building on almost all sides
The building’s footprint was deliberately rolled back to leave as many trees standing as possible and where the forest floor was removed, it was preserved and put back in so that greenery hugs the building on all but two sides.
“Normally, when we construct a building in the middle of the forest, we would take a lot more trees away,” said the project’s design manager Sindre Myrlund.
“Originally, we drew a line 10 metres away from the factory, which is more normal. And Vestre moved the line five metres in and said: if you need to remove more trees, you need to ask and get it approved.”
Vestre has previously claimed to be the “first furniture manufacturer in the world” to declare the carbon footprint of all its products.
These figures were prominently displayed on the brand’s award-winning stand at the 2020 Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair, which was later disassembled and reused to form an installation at Milan design week.
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While some large-scale builders still cling to huge home floor plans and many upscale buyers still demand them, there is a rapidly growing interest in smaller homes. Small homes use less energy, require a lower carbon input, and cost less to maintain than the typical suburban estate. If you’re building a new home, you have many options for reducing size and living very comfortably (link to Part I). If you’re buying or living in an existing small home, you also have opportunities to make it live bigger without ripping into walls or raising the roof. It’s amazing how creative interior design can expand the visual space and increase the comfort and utility of a small home. Here are some tips.
Interior Design
Keep it light. Paint the walls a light color. Various shades of white or beige are classic choices. If you’re more adventurous, consider light yellow or pastels. Accent walls of brighter hues can add interest. To make a room seem brighter, select an eggshell finish that is slightly more reflective than flat wall paint. Use semi-gloss paint in bathrooms to reflect light and reduce vapor diffusion into walls.
Choose flooring material. Using the same flooring material for connected spaces will tie the spaces together visually and make them look larger. For example, a kitchen and dining area could have the same tile flooring. Using different materials, distinguishes spaces without actually interrupting the view. A living room next to the dining area can be defined with a hardwood floor, but not blocked off.
Install mirrors. Reflecting light and extending interior views can be accomplished with strategically placed mirrors.
Occupy window sills. Most zero energy homes have thick walls, which brings the added benefit of wide window sills. Consider enhancing their interest with bold sill material, such as stone, tile, or another unique finish. Make the most of these built-in shelves to grow houseplants or display decorative items.
Enhance trim and detail. High-quality trim and detail can be a key focus of a small house. For example, high-quality hardware and moulding, and other aesthetic touches, can draw attention to the details creating more visual interest with less need to clutter the room with knick-knacks.
Add a focal point. Each room should have one attractive attention-getting feature. This can be a building element, such as built-in furniture, a work of art, or an intriguing light fixture.
Furnishings
Choose quality. Too much clutter makes homes seem small. Small homes should have small comfortable furniture or a smaller amount of carefully selected larger furniture.
Open up. Select chairs and sofas with open legs instead of those with enclosed bases. These pieces seem lighter and offer a bit more visual space in the room because you can see below them.
Include storage. Some furniture pieces come with storage, such as an ottoman or footstool, that opens up and contains storage. Some bed frames come with storage below the mattress, either in drawers or the mattress itself may lift.
Make it tall. Well-designed small homes have high ceilings. Much like clothes with vertical stripes make people look taller, tall furniture pieces will accentuate tall ceilings and draw the eye upward. Similarly, a tall plant will reach into the higher spaces and create visual interest.
Fold it. Find furniture that transforms to different uses. A coffee table can become a dining table. Tables that hinge down from the wall will allow them to be deployed without moving objects sitting on the floor. The classic space-saving transformer is the Murphy bed. This allows the bedroom to have a day job, too.
Hidden offices. There are many “hidden” desk ideas that allow for a home office to be discreetly hidden or camouflaged in a living area or bedroom.
Seek niche storage. Look for the small empty spaces that can hold your stuff and reduce clutter. Cabinets can hide less attractive household items, while open shelves can display your treasures. Examine the back side of the closet and pantry doors. Is there space for wall-mounted storage baskets or hooks that will be out of site, but easily accessible?
Few small homes will use all these ideas, but each one has its merits. Apply the ones that make sense for your situation to make your small home look and live bigger. Be proud that your small home reduces your carbon footprint, has less upkeep, and saves you money without sacrificing comfort.
Spotted: Hydrogen has been touted as a potential fuel for the future. Hydrogen is light, storable, energy-dense, and produces no direct emissions of pollutants or greenhouse gases. However, one major stumbling block is that most hydrogen is currently produced from fossil fuel sources, with around 6 per cent of global natural gas going to hydrogen production in 2019. As a result, production of hydrogen is responsible for CO2 emissions equivalent to that of the United Kingdom and Indonesia combined.
To find a ‘green’ source of hydrogen production, US startup Cemvita Factory is using special microbes to generate hydrogen from depleted and abandoned oil and gas wells. The company’s process uses naturally occurring micro-organisms that consume the carbon in the gas and oil and release hydrogen – generating up to 20-50 tonnes of what it terms ‘gold’ hydrogen per field. Cemvita defines gold hydrogen as “the biological production of hydrogen in the subsurface through the consumption of trapped or abandoned resources”.
Cemvita claims that its researchers have been able to increase the performance of the microbes by six and a half times their natural rate – enough to produce hydrogen at a cost of $1 per kilogramme. This is thought to be a key cost target needed to advance toward commercialisation. In addition, by producing the gold hydrogen from depleted oil reservoirs that are ready for abandonment, the life of wells is significantly extended – saving money.
Traditional methods of producing hydrogen cleanly include electrolysis powered by renewable sources like wind, solar, or hydro. But Cemvita is confident that its process could prove equally sustainable. “In a very short time frame, we moved our microbes from the lab to the field. The hydrogen production in this trial exceeded our expectations,” said Zach Broussard, Director of Gold H2 at Cemvita.
The race is on to produce and transport green hydrogen cheaply and at scale. Springwise has seen this in many recent innovations which range from a new way to produce renewable hydrogen fuel using sunlight to repurposing natural gas pipelines to transport hydrogen.
