solutions Archives

A COP summit held in a petrostate was always going to be controversial. Some announcements got a gold star, such as the launch of a loss and damage fund (although the devil will be in the details) or the pledge to triple global renewable energy capability by 2030. But while the final agreement promised a transition away from fossil fuels, many observers criticised it for falling short of a full phase-out.

Outside of the main negotiation rooms and talking shops, entrepreneurs and founders come to COP summits to make contacts and do business. It felt like they were in the right place this year – the appetite for solutions over more pledges was palpable in the conversations we had and during the sessions we attended.

More than a hundred clean tech startups had travelled to Dubai to be present in the Startup Village or to speak on panels on the various stages around Expo City. It was great to see some familiar faces, such as Sabrine Chennaoui, CEO and co-founder of Monsapo, a company that makes cleaning products from used cooking oil. Monsapo addresses a critical issue: 20 per cent of ocean pollution comes from used cooking oils, harming marine life responsible for 95 per cent of Earth’s oxygen.

It seemed fitting during the hottest year on record RedSea were at COP28, a sustainable agritech startup we featured earlier this year, which has developed a complete system aimed at helping farmers grow food in adverse conditions. This includes greenhouse technologies designed to keep plants cool in hot climates. The platform incorporates artificial intelligence (AI), solar power, and desalination technologies in order to save on energy and water use.

Likewise FortyGuard, an analytics platform we first spotted in December 2022 that collects data from a mixture of local and global sources. The company uses this to provide analytics about temperatures down to the level of a single square metre. The insights can then be used to guide designers, engineers, and contractors as they attempt to make cities cooler.

The fourth annual Hydrogen Transition Summit was held during COP28 – green hydrogen has been on our radar all year and developments in this area will only advance as innovation drives production and transportation costs down. Geopura is developing a technology that promises to eradicate the need for diesel powered generators on construction sites. Following ten years of research and development, GeoPura has developed its Hydrogen Power Unit (HPU), which combines hydrogen fuel cell technology with battery storage and real-time electrical conversion. The fuel cell splits the hydrogen into protons and electrons, which creates an electrical current that charges the batteries. The batteries, in turn, provide power to the site for applications such as electric vehicle charging, heating, and hot water (read our full write up from November here).

Levidian is a UK firm that is ready to capitalise on the Global Methane Pledge, launched at COP28, to reduce methane emissions by 30 per cent from 2020 levels by 2030. It trying to decarbonise hard to abate sectors – and counts waste water companies, oil and gas, and heavy industry, amongst its potential customers. It has created a device called ‘Loop’, which cracks methane into hydrogen, which can be used as a clean energy source and carbon, which is locked into graphene and then has the potential to be used in a variety of ways. Levidian claims that using Loop could cut CO2 emissions by 40 per cent instantly.

Words: Angela Everitt

Reference

Sustainable News

Volcanic batteries for industrial heat solutions

By Zarkon Group,23/11/2023

Spotted: Heat is crucial for many manufacturing processes. However, generating that heat is also emissions-intensive, with industry responsible for 30 per cent of all of the UK’s heating-related greenhouse gas emissions. One solution is the use of renewable sources, like solar, but this is an intermittent energy source and is not always available when it is needed. To solve this problem, British startup Caldera has developed a new type of heat storage system.

Caldera’s system includes a solar array of almost any size. The solar power is stored as heat, using novel storage cells made of an aluminium-volcanic rock composite encased in vacuum insulation. These highly efficient modular cells are rapidly heated to 500 degrees Celsius and can store this energy for hours, ready to deliver heat on demand at temperatures between 80 to 200 degrees Celsius, which is the temperature range needed for many industrial processes.

The cells can deliver heat whenever required, allowing businesses to substitute on-site solar for more expensive, and non-renewable, gas and electricity. As Caldera explained, the system allows industrial players to capitalise on affordable and abundant solar energy, which can be generated on-site or nearby, and stored until it’s ready to be used.

Video source Caldera

In June of this year, Caldera was awarded £4.3 million (around €4.9 million) from the UK Department for Energy Security & Net Zero to build a full-scale demonstrator of the system.

Heat storage is a focus of a number of recent innovations spotted by Springwise, including using scrap aluminium to transport heat and hydrogen and a storage system that captures waste energy for reuse.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

Sustainable News

Smart parking solutions – Springwise

By Zarkon Group,03/09/2023

Spotted: By 2050, the proportion of the global population living in urban areas is expected to reach 68 per cent, creating a further 2.5 billion city-dwellers compared to today’s number.

To accommodate this growing population, while also improving sustainability and quality of life, there is growing interest in the concept of smart cities. One company that is improving urban life today is Eleven-X, which has created eXactpark, a smart parking solution.

Using a specially designed wireless sensor, eXactpark collects real-time data on parking space occupancy in indoor or outdoor structures and tracks when spaces are filled or vacated. This information can then be used in a variety of ways. For example, drivers can use the Space Guidance app to find available parking.

The data can also be integrated into back-office parking management applications to enable better decisions, including dynamic pricing and optimisation of infrastructure planning. The platform can deliver a customised dashboard that monitors factors such as turnover, zone counts, demand over time, pinch points, average parking duration, and other indicators.

Eleven-X’s sensors are wireless, cost-effective, and designed to last more than 10 years. They also require almost zero maintenance. This means that the total cost of ownership for the sensors is low compared to other solutions.

The startup is a graduate of Canada’s Accelerator Centre and has completed a pre-seed financing round.

Making cities more efficient is crucial for minimising their carbon footprint and improving the lives of inhabitants. In the archive, Springwise has also spotted a smart urban planning platform and the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) to improve traffic flow.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

Interior Design

“Not having architectural education makes you find solutions” says Charlotte Taylor

By Zarkon Group,17/08/2023

Visualisation artist Charlotte Taylor discusses how she is translating her digital design work into built architecture projects for the first time in this interview.

Taylor is the founder of 3D-design studio Maison de Sable, where she collaborates with other 3D designers on renderings of imaginary, fantastical interiors and buildings.

Recently Taylor’s designs have become less fantasy-driven and closer to real spaces, with some of them set to get built as physical architecture projects.

“In the long term, I’d like to move more into architecture,” Taylor told Dezeen.

Having not pursued formal architecture training, the designer believes there should be more non-traditional pathways to designing buildings.

“I didn’t train in architecture at all,” she said. “I think it would be great if there were more entries into architecture because it’s such a hard career to get into.”

“I’d like to think that there’s hope that you can get into building physical spaces through unconventional means.”

3D render of a modern building in the jungle by Charlotte Taylor — Casa Atibaia is a fictional home in Brazil that is due to be built. Image by Nicholas Préaud

One of Taylor’s designs due to be built is Casa Atibaia, a house that was originally conceived as an imaginary project in collaboration with designer Nicholas Préaud.

The duo imagined the house situated by the Atibaia River in São Paulo, creating a digital model of part of the riverbank based on information from Google Maps.

Front cover of the Design Dreams book by Charlotte Taylor — The interior of Casa Atibaia features on the front cover of Taylor’s book

From this, Taylor and Préaud designed a concrete and glass fantasy home raised on huge boulders, the interior of which features on the front cover of Taylor’s first book, Design Dreams, published last month.

Although the project was not originally intended to be built, Taylor is now in the process of finding a plot of land suitable to actualise the design.

Modernist home raised on large boulders in the jungle — The fantasy home is raised from the floor on boulders. Image by Nicholas Préaud

Taylor has also collaborated with architectural designer Andrew Trotter on a house in Utah, which forms part of Trotter’s wider design for a hotel and retreat centre named Paréa.

The house, which is currently under construction, was designed to blend into the desert landscape with large spans of glazing and walls finished in lime plaster.

Modernist house in the Utah desert with floor-to-ceiling glazing — Taylor also worked on a house in Utah that is currently under construction. Image by Klaudia Adamiak

According to Taylor her fictional designs have received a mixed response from architects, with some saying that “in the real world, it doesn’t work like that”.

But for Taylor, not having an architecture degree and exploring spatial design digitally without being constrained by lighting, noise, safety and budget requirements allows for more creativity.

Interior with an armchair and views of a desert landscape — The house in Utah was designed to blend into the landscape. Image by Klaudia Adamiak

“It acts as a sort of creative playground for me in which I can test out all these concepts and see how they work visually,” said Taylor.

“Then bringing that into the physical world and working with engineers and architects, it becomes pared down.”

“I think not having architectural education makes you find different solutions or ideas to bring to the real world that wouldn’t have come from just designing an actual space,” she added.

Kitchen interior with wood kitchen units and floor-to-ceiling windows with sheer curtains — According to Taylor, digital design allows for more creativity than designing for the real world. Image by Klaudia Adamiak

The designer mentioned that her design icon Carlo Scarpa also never became a licenced architect.

“My icon, Carlo Scarpa, never had his full qualification, so there are little stories that inspire me, but the general thinking is quite rigid – this particular entry is a bit frowned upon from what I’ve experienced,” said Taylor.

Having learned most of her design skills from experimenting with digital design and collaborating with other designers, Taylor describes herself as “self-studious” and encourages other designers to create work that they feel best represents themselves.

“Strive to build a portfolio that excites you and represents you the most,” Taylor said.

“Through building a portfolio and working with 3D designers and architects was how I learnt – it’s very research-heavy.”

Taylor’s Design Dreams book features 3D designs of buildings and interiors created by herself and other artists.

The curation includes fantasy-like environments as well as renderings of interiors that appear like real, tangible spaces.

“[The book] became a space in which to share my personal projects, the artists I work with and work I admire around the field of interiors and architecture,” said Taylor.

Modernist house at night in the Utah desert with floor-to-ceiling glazing — Taylor recently published her first book. Image by Klaudia Adamiak

Although most of the images are already widely shared online, by collating them all into one volume Taylor hopes readers will enjoy getting lost in the printed format.

“The same way that the Instagram page acts where people go to get lost in the images, to have that in a physical format means you are able to spend more time in detail than you can on a phone screen,” she said.

The Design Dreams book open on a table — Design Dreams features work by Taylor and other digital designers

“To take something digital that doesn’t exist in the physical world and bring it to print was quite important for me, to see it in that way,” the designer added.

Although they work in the digital sphere, Taylor maintains that 3D-visual creators play a part in interior design trends.

Rendered images in the Design Dreams book by Charlotte Taylor — It collates digital designs into a physical format

“The arts trends that happen in 3D gradually make their way into interior spaces, and it’s really interesting to see the Pinterest effect,” she said.

“People love to collect images and make their ideal moodboard with them, and these spaces really play into that. People are constructing their own ideas and making architecture and interiors more accessible rather than something very professional.”

In her own interior visual designs, Taylor includes elements from her actual home to make the spaces feel more relatable than traditional architecture renderings.

Page spread of the Design Dreams book — The Design Dreams book includes fantasy interiors and ones that look like real spaces

“It’s down to the construction of the images, they have this sort of lightning and familiarity, and we always put little props that will often be things from my home,” she said.

“These little details make it lived-in and more relatable versus traditional architectural visualisation, which can be very sterile and not aesthetically relatable.”

Taylor has also previously worked on various NFT projects, including a video artwork informed by an OMA-design sculpture and NFT capsules that contain digital images of fantasy architecture projects.

The images are by Charlotte Taylor unless stated.

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Wine room in Maison du Parc by La Shed Architecture

Interior Design

Wine storage solutions feature in this Dezeen lookbook

By Zarkon Group,30/07/2023

For those who don’t want to keep their wine collection hidden away, our latest lookbook showcases some of the most inventive ways of showcasing wine bottles within a contemporary home interior.

Wine storage solutions can be created in homes of any size, by cleverly integrating shelving into wall niches or built-in furniture.

For those with enough space for a wine cellar, or even just a dedicated wine fridge, well-designed glazing and lighting can turn these spaces into focal points.

A more casual wine drinker could simply slot a small wine rack into a kitchen island or bookshelf.

Read on for 10 examples to suit homes of any size, including a wine cellar that doubles as a lightbox and a blue wine-rack wall.

This is the latest in Dezeen’s lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from our archive. Other recent editions showcase serene bedrooms and wood-panelled dining rooms.

Maison du Parc, Canada, by La Shed Architecture

Visible from both the staircase and a grand basement bathroom, this wine room was designed to be a key feature in a three-storey home in Montreal.

With frosted glass walls and stark lighting, it makes the bottles visible but partially obscured. They appear as a grid of spots across the surfaces of the bright white volume.

Find out more about Maison du Parc ›

Wine rack in AML Apartment by David Ito Architecture — Photo by Pedro Kok

AML Apartment, Brazil, by David Ito Arquitetura

Bright blue wine storage extends floor to ceiling in this apartment in São Paulo, lining up exactly with a doorway in front.

The wine rack sits alongside a utility area but it is also visible from the living and dining room, so it made sense to make it a feature. It offers space for 108 wine bottles.

Find out more about AML Apartment ›

Kitchen island in Gallery House Stoke Newington by Neil Dusheiko Architects — Photo by Agnese Sanvito

Gallery House, UK, by Neil Dusheiko

Wine bottles are not the primary focus in this kitchen extension in north London, which features an entire wall of treasured objects including ceramics, glassware and framed pictures.

Instead, they neatly slot into 10 circular cubby holes within the oak kitchen island. These holes extend through, creating room for two bottles in each opening.

Find out more about Gallery House ›

Pantry with wine shelves in Casa em Cotia by Una Arquitetos — Photo by Nelson Kon

Casa em Cotia, Brazil, by Una Arquitetos

The kitchen of this family home in São Paulo centres around a full-height glass-fronted pantry, offering plenty of storage space for food and crockery.

Wine storage is located within the front cupboard, slotted in underneath shelves for mugs and glasses. This places it within easy access of the adjacent dining room.

Find out more about Casa em Cotia ›

Wine storage in City Beach residence in Perth by Design Theory — Photo by Jack Lovel

City Beach Residence, Australia, by Design Theory

Hexagonal terracotta modules are stacked up to create storage space for 50 wine bottles in this renovated 1960s beach house in Perth.

The arrangement slots into a niche in the wall, with the clay-based material helping to keep the wine at a stable temperature.

Find out more about City Beach Residence ›

Wine storage in Raft Loft by Dash Marshall — Photo by Mark Wickens

Raft Loft, USA, by Dash Marshall

There is plenty of space for storing wine in this two-level home in New York’s Tribeca, which was converted from two previously separate apartments.

In addition to the main kitchen, the residence has a kitchenette that features both a wine fridge and a wine rack that slots in above the wall-mounted high cupboards.

Find out more about Raft Loft ›

Ski Slope Residence, USA, by LaRue Architects and Britt Design Group

The owners of this lakeside cabin in Austin, Texas, also own a vineyard in Argentina, so they were understandably keen to put their wine collection on full display.

A wine room takes pride of place near the main entrance. It is visible behind a glass door that extends from floor to ceiling, creating an unusual backdrop to a grand piano.

Find out more about Ski Slope Residence ›

Wine rack in Charred House kitchen — Photo by Adam Scott

Charred House, UK, by Rider Stirland Architects

In this London home, wine storage forms part of a bespoke kitchen created by Plykea, a British brand that specialises in customising IKEA kitchens.

The bottles are held in place by simple supports that sit within a series of shelves, offering space for 30 bottles.

Find out more about Charred House ›

Wine rack in Salva46 by Miel Arquitectos and Studio P10 — Photo by Asier Rua

Salva46, Spain, by Miel Arquitectos and Studio P10

Storage helps to organise the floor plan in this highly compact Barcelona apartment.

A very simple wood-framed wine rack slots alongside a set of drawers, which together create a soft divide between the entrance lobby and the kitchen.

Find out more about Salva46 ›

Soho Loft by Julian King — Photo by Michael Moran and Julian King Architect

Soho Loft, USA, by Julian King

This warehouse apartment in New York offers a highly simple wine storage solution.

The living space features a series of shelves that together form a sizeable bookcase. A wooden rack slots into the bottom shelf, allowing wine to sit alongside the literature.

Find out more about Soho Loft ›

This is the latest in Dezeen’s lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from our archive. Other recent editions showcase serene bedrooms and wood-panelled dining rooms.

Reference

Sustainable News

Climate Solutions From the Global South: Why the Future of Architecture Is Regional

By Zarkon Group,19/07/2023

This article was written by Carl Elefante. Architecture 2030’s mission is to rapidly transform the built environment from a major emitter of greenhouse gases to a central source of solutions to the climate crisis. For 20 years, the nonprofit has provided leadership and designed actions toward this shift and a healthy future for all.

A year after the UN climate summit relaunch in Glasgow, many participants departed COP27 in Sharm el Sheikh searching for a silver lining. For some, the bright spot was action taken toward climate justice. Although the 2015 Paris Agreement acknowledged that circumstances in developed and developing nations differ, by establishing the Loss and Damage Fund, COP27 reconfigured the international climate action framework.

The nations primarily responsible for carbon pollution are not the most vulnerable to its life-and-death consequences. Global peace and justice demand that polluting nations (largely in the “Global North”) clean up their mess and help protect others (largely in the “Global South”) from the havoc they are causing.

While nations in the Global South earnestly turn to the Global North for financial support, there is hesitation to look to the Global North for climate solutions. Too many fail to account for regional conditions and cultures.

Sana’a’s foundation dates back over 2,500 years; the city in Yemen is filled with tower-houses built of rammed earth (pisé). | Photo by: Antti Salonen, Old Sana’a, CC BY-SA 3.0

In the building sector, the mismatch between accepted Global North solutions and the needs of the Global South is pronounced. For a century, the Global North has exported its energy-consuming glass towers and concrete roadways regardless of climate zone or social structure. Still-favored Global North models are far from problem-free today, and opportunities for appropriate regional adaptation remain largely unexplored, neglecting knowledge that could benefit both the Global North and South.

For those in “advanced” countries, it can be difficult to appreciate that less-modernized cultures have ideas and know-how that are relevant and valuable today. The oldest cities, like Damascus and Cairo, have been inhabited for at least six thousand years. Until about 1800, with the rapid proliferation of fossil-fuel-driven, resource-hungry, technology-infatuated modern-era development, cities thrived without creating a global climate crisis, ecological collapse or systemic resource exhaustion.

Consider the contrast between preferred modern-era and traditional construction materials. Today, concrete is the dominant construction material in developed countries. Concrete production accounts for eight percent (8%) of annual global greenhouse gas emissions — a number greater than the annual national emissions of Canada, Germany, South Korea and Saudi Arabia combined. Concrete does not decompose and cannot be reshaped or recycled — only down-cycled from a high-value material (structural concrete) to a lower-value material (aggregate).

Nicknamed the Manhattan of the Desert,’ Shibam is a vertical city made of sun-dried mud brick tower houses that dates back to the 16th-century (Yemen). | Photo by Dan from Brussels, Europe, Shibam (2286380141), CC BY-SA 2.0

In contrast, about one-third of the world’s population (mostly in the Global South) lives in buildings constructed with air-dried, clay-based materials like adobe and cob. The clay, sand and straw used to make them are locally sourced and decompose after use. Methods are so basic that many clay-based buildings are constructed by the people who occupy them — no global supply chain required. Incorporating wood-supported floor decks allows multi-story structures like those in the Yemeni cities of Sanaa and Shibam. Faced with lime-plaster stuccos, clay-based buildings are weather tight and durable, their heavy thermal mass beneficial in both hot and cold climates.

Some contemporary architects are taking note. Schools designed by 2022 Pritzker Laureate Diébédo Francis Kéré for his home village of Gando, Burkina Faso, are constructed by villagers from clay brick.

Yet, Kéré’s buildings are unmistakably modern. For the first school, Kéré introduced a non-traditional vaulted ceiling. The building is shaded by an overhanging sheet metal canopy on trusses fabricated from bent steel rods. With louvered wall openings, the canopy and vault produce a passive ventilation system: hot air at the canopy draws cooler air through openings in the ceiling vault and louvered windows below.

Gando Primary School Extension uses vaulted ceilings to increase the school’s thermal comfort by allowing hot air to escape upwards through integrated ventilation gap. |GandoIT, Kéré Primary School Extension Gando, CC BY-SA 3.0

To better engage diverse cultural and heritage perspectives in UN climate and sustainable development activities, a coalition of cultural organizations formed the Climate Heritage Network (CHN) in 2019. CHN was launched following the publication of The Future of Our Pasts: Engaging Climate Heritage in Climate Action. Prepared by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), The Future of Our Pasts provides a detailed roadmap for integrating cultural and heritage considerations into the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Compelling scientific evidence about the risk of climate change was first highlighted by the UN at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. Carbon polluters in the Global North have not needed better science to act but greater resolve. Their inability to make sufficient progress for more than three decades has changed the international landscape. The Loss and Damage Fund adopted at COP27 acknowledges the responsibility of developed nations to act decisively and rapidly on behalf of all people.

Culture and heritage advocates such as CHN believe it must also begin a period of profound awakening in the Global North. Ideas that brought progress in the modern era have ossified into biases that are inhibiting the fresh thinking necessary to overcome the climate emergency. For those of us in the building sector, words written by Jane Jacobs ring loud and clear: “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” Her wisdom is most urgently needed for global climate solutions.

Carl Elefante, FAIA, FAPT, is a Senior Fellow with Architecture 2030 and Principal Emeritus with Quinn Evans Architects. Known for coining the phrase: “The greenest building is one that is already built,” Elefante writes and lectures nationally on historic preservation and sustainable design topics. Carl serves on the International Steering Committee of the Climate Heritage Network. In 2018, Carl served as the 94th President of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). He is a Fellow of the AIA and the Association for Preservation Technology (APT).

Reference

Interior Design

Eight pared-back kitchens with minimalist storage solutions

By Zarkon Group,01/07/2023

Sometimes the simple solutions are the best, as seen in this lookbook featuring tidy kitchen interiors where minimalist closed cabinets are combined with decorative materials.

In these kitchens, found in homes from Sweden to Mexico, architects and designers largely chose simple storage solutions but added material interest in the form of marble, steel and brick details.

By hiding utensils and crockery away, benches and kitchen islands are freed up to use for food preparation. In some of these kitchens, open shelves above the work areas also provide spaces to hold decorative plates, bowls and cookbooks.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring homes where the wardrobe is the focal point, bedrooms with statement headboards and homes with pergolas.

Steele’s Road House, UK, by Neiheiser Argyros

The original brickwork was uncovered in parts of this London flat, including in the kitchen where it forms the backdrop to the room’s minimalist cabinets.

Pale-wood cupboards sit underneath the brick wall, which also features shelves to add more storage.

Designers Neiheiser Argyros added a curved window seat, as well as a wooden kitchen table and stool to match the cabinets and give the room a more natural feel.

Find out more about Steele’s Road House ›

Canal Saint-Martin apartment by Rodolphe Parente — Photo by Giulio Ghirardi

Hausmann apartment, France, by Rodolphe Parente

This Parisian apartment in a 19th-century Haussmann building in Paris was given an overhaul by interior designer Rodolphe Parente, who took cues from the owner’s art collection.

In the kitchen, stainless steel cabinets were used to form storage and workspaces, creating an industrial feel that is tempered by pastel-pink walls.

“The kitchen is a deconstructed block sitting in the Haussmanian environment,” Parente told Dezeen. “It is connected to the historical elements through its composition.”

Find out more about the Hausmann apartment ›

Kitchen in Studio Vaaro's House M — Photo by Scott Norsworthy

House M, Canada, by Studio Vaaro

Studio Vaaro used oak cabinetry for the kitchen of this home in Canada, while matching oak shelving provides additional storage above the workspaces.

To contrast the warm wood, the studio chose grey marble for the countertops and splashbacks, which gives the kitchen an organic feel. Additional storage can be found in the pale grey cabinets that frame the kitchen.

Find out more about House M ›

Kitchen in apartment by Holloway Li — Photo by Edmund Dabney

London apartment, UK, by Holloway Li

A kitchen clad in circle-brushed stainless steel clads one wall in this London flat by local studio Holloway Li. Designed in reference to the city’s many fish-and-chip shops, it features a striking curved splashback.

Above the workspaces, a built-in open shelf provides space to store glasses and cooking utensils, with the rest of the storage is hidden behind patterned-steel cabinet doors.

Find out more about London apartment ›

Quesnel apartment — Photo by Ronan Mézière

Montreal apartment, Canada, by Naturehumanie

Fresh minty hues decorate the kitchen of this Montreal apartment, which was given a modern update while retaining many of its traditional details.

The green colour matches that of the apartment’s existing stained glass doors. And the kitchen island and cabinets both have inviting curved forms, finished in a glossy paint that complements the rougher tiles above the counters.

Find out more about the Montreal apartment ›

Kitchen in Highbury House by Daytrip — Photo by Gareth Hacker

Highbury House, UK, by Daytrip

Located in Highbury in north London, this home juxtaposes a gallery-like minimalism with more organic forms.

This is evident in the kitchen, where pared-back storage cabinets in an unusual rectangular shape sit underneath a decorative marble countertop.

Sculptural vases, plates and cooking utensils decorate the matching marble kitchen island as well as a small ledge that functions as both storage and display counter.

Find out more about Highbury House ›

Kitchen with white oak and Florida Brush quartzite — Photo by Yoshihiro Makino

Eastern Columbia Loft, US, by Sheft Farrace

Architecture studio Sheft Farrace renovated this flat, which is located in the iconic art deco Eastern Columbia building in Los Angeles, creating minimalist interiors that draw on the building’s exterior.

In the kitchen, this can be seen in the curved corners of the counters and the elongated cabinet hardware, which reference 1930s design. Florida Brush quartzite was used to cover much of the kitchen, adding a striking decorative detail that is complemented by white oak.

Find out more about Eastern Columbia Loft ›

Kitchen inside Archipelago House by Norm Architects — Photo courtesy of Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen of Norm Architects

Archipelago House, Sweden, by Norm Architects

Danish studio Norm Architects designed this home on the west coast of Sweden to embody both Scandinavian and Japanese aesthetics.

In the white-walled kitchen, a stainless-steel kitchen island offers both a practical workspace and cupboards for storage. Open wood shelving was decorated with black ceramics to create an art installation-style feature on one wall.

Find out more about Archipelago House ›

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Sustainable News

Springwise Solutions: A Conversation With Santiago Lefebvre

By Zarkon Group,13/06/2023

Five takeaways from ChangeNOW 2023

1. Every part of society needs to be included in the transition

The original purpose of ChangeNOW was to showcase entrepreneurs trying to solve concrete issues. But this year the summit included a broad mix of people – from big brands to investors, activists, and artists. Lefebvre explains that this is because the team increasingly understands that the transition to a sustainable world needs to integrate every part of society. What we need, he argues, is complementary strategies because: “If you attack the system on just one side you can’t really change it.”

2. You can look at the issues differently

Lefebvre highlights that CEOs and policymakers at ChangeNOW are discovering frameworks and tools such as Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics and MIT’s Climate Pathways. These are helping them to shift their mindset, and approach old issues with fresh eyes.

3. Connections are key

This year, ChangeNOW has brought together changemakers from all over the world. And while travelling such a long distance is a big commitment, the opportunity for stakeholders to connect is invaluable. For example, Lefebvre highlights how the director of The Great Green Wall, a project pursuing reforestation in the Sahel region of Africa, met the president of COP 15, Alain-Richard Donwahi, for the first time at ChangeNOW.

4. The agenda is broader than climate

ChangeNOW is moving beyond a conventional focus on climate alone, with Lefebvre highlighting that there are four main equations that we must solve together: the climate, biodiversity, resources, and inclusion. Solving these one by one would take many decades, and the planet doesn’t have time for that. We must therefore tackle them at the same time.

5. We need courage

As we make the transition to a more sustainable world, many people will need to show courage. Lefebvre points to the inspiration of one of ChangeNOW’s keynote speakers, Francisco Vera, who, at just nine years old, created a climate change education platform in Colombia. He did this despite the pressures that this brought on him.

To find out more about ChangeNOW and to watch replays of the talks at the 2023 summit click here.

Reference

Sustainable News

Five climate solutions making a change for the better

By Zarkon Group,17/05/2023

We live in an age of mass production and mass consumption – never before have so many products and services been so readily available to us. And at the same time, leaps and bounds in the transport industry over the past 100 years have made journeys quicker and easier than previously thought possible, allowing us to cross oceans in mere hours without lifting a finger. But all of these advancements come at a cost.

The modern era was largely built on fossil fuels, with our cars, homes, and production methods all emitting vast volumes of greenhouse gases. And these gases have been detrimental to our climate – since the 1880s, the Earth’s temperature has risen 0.08 degrees Celsius per decade, and this rate of warming has more than doubled to 0.18 degrees Celsius per decade since 1981. With this rising temperature comes an increase in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, including drought, floods, hurricanes, and tsunamis, particularly in developing countries.

In 2021, the famous naturalist David Attenborough called climate change “the biggest threat to security that modern humans have ever faced”. If global warming isn’t stopped or drastically slowed, the results will be catastrophic. Such a huge challenge, naturally, does not have a simple answer, but collaboration across multiple industries to cut greenhouse gas emissions and prevent further pollution will allow us to get global warming under control. Slowing climate change is possible, but we will need to get creative.

Innovators across all industries are exploring ways we can all cut carbon and effectively tackle the climate crisis, as well as developing technologies to help build resilience in the face of changing climate and more extreme weather.

There are many exciting solutions fighting climate change that will be featured at ChangeNOW in Paris between 25^th and 27^th May. Take a look at five of the best.

One global survey in 2015 revealed that over a third of all adults had never even heard of climate change. The researchers emphasised that basic education and public understanding of climate issues are vital to garner support for climate action. Awareness has grown since the survey, but 2021 UNESCO data from 100 countries still showed that only 53 per cent of the world’s national education curricula refer to climate change, and even when it is mentioned, it is not made a priority. This is where Climate Pitch comes in. The company delivers public sessions or workshops and conferences for a specific business to help build public knowledge of climate change. The sessions combine visual presentations with clear explanations and exercises to help audiences quickly understand the issues, and motivate them to engage on a personal, professional, and collective level. Read more

As is set out in the European Green Deal, Europe aims to be the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Central to achieving this ambition is encouraging the energy transition, and the European Union (EU) is well on its way – renewable energy sources made up 37.5 per cent of gross electricity consumption in 2021. But in order to make renewables the primary, if not only, energy source in Europe and beyond, we need to continue development of technologies that use reliable and consistent green energy sources. Doing just that is startup Minesto, which has created a ‘kite’ with a turbine that ‘flies’ underwater to generate electricity from predictable tidal streams and ocean currents. The device is attached to vessel with a tether, and a control system onboard autonomously steers the kite in figure-of-eight motions. This movement pulls the turbine through the water at a water flow much higher than the actual stream speed – and this faster speed generates extra power. Read more

Around the world, the loss of crops caused by untreatable pest damage or plant disease is estimated to be between 20 and 40 per cent. And at the same time, increasing extreme weather is putting additional pressure on growers. With the global population continuing to rise, the agricultural industry needs to find effective and sustainable ways of building resilience. One way of doing this is taking advantage of technology. Data science company Fermata has created an artificial-intelligence-powered (AI) solution, called Croptimus, that helps growers spot disease early and track plant changes over time. With the technology, farmers can cut labour costs and reduce pesticide usage by 25 per cent. Read more

One study conducted by Oxfam in 2021 that analysed the investments of 125 of the world’s wealthiest billionaires discovered that up to 70 per cent of their emissions come from investments in polluting industries, resulting in an average of 3 million tonnes of carbon emissions every year. As much as we may be trying to fight climate change with daily actions, there needs to be a drastic change in where the world’s money is going and what it is funding. Enter Goodvest, a fintech that makes sure your savings are not going towards harmful sectors, such as the production and extraction of fossil fuels, armaments, tobacco. Goodvest analyses the entire carbon footprint of a user’s investments in order to limit the global warming trajectory of funds, helping individuals invest responsibly without contributing to climate change. Read more

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that a staggering 931 million tonnes of food are thrown away in households, retail, and the food service industry every year. Not only does this mean resources are wasted with the growing of this food, but when it’s not disposed of properly and ends up in landfill, food products break down and release methane, which is detrimental for climate change. To help reduce the volume of food being thrown away unnecessarily, Ryp Labs developed StixFresh. Once placed on produce, these food-grade stickers make items last up to twice as long, reducing the chances of food getting thrown away due to spoilage. Read more

Springwise is a proud partner of ChangeNOW, which takes place in Paris 25-27 May 2023. As the world’s largest event for the planet, the three-day international summit brings together entrepreneurs, business leaders, and policymakers to accelerate change. Tickets are available now and Springwise readers can get a discount of 20% by using the code: SPRINGWISECN23

Words: Matilda Cox

Reference

Sustainable News

Five exciting solutions for a circular economy

By Zarkon Group,20/04/2023

Economic growth has been a defining feature of the past 50 years of human history. And this has had a positive impact by lifting billions out of poverty. In fact, the World Bank reports that, in China alone, 800 million people have risen above the poverty line over the past forty years.

However, to date, economic growth has been inextricably linked to the ever-more-intensive extraction and consumption of natural resources. ‘Material footprint’ is a measure of the total amount of raw materials extracted to meet global demand. And, according to the UN, this figure has risen from 43 billion metric tonnes in 1990 to 92 billion tonnes in 2017. Moreover, the International Resource Panel estimates that we could be consuming 140 billion tonnes of minerals, ores, fossil fuels, and biomass annually by 2050.

This situation is clearly unsustainable, which has led to the rise of the concept of the ‘circular economy’. Today, we can think of our economy as ‘linear’ in the sense that, for the most part, our resources are converted into products that are then disposed of as waste at the end of their useful life. By contrast, in a circular economy, waste materials are turned back into fresh resources.

If successfully implemented, this economic model could reduce our reliance on virgin materials and de-couple growth from resource consumption. But to make the circular economy a reality, we need solutions that promote the ‘five Rs’: reduce, refuse, recycle, repair, and reuse.

Many such solutions will be on display at ChangeNOW in Paris between 25^th and 27^th May. Here are five of the best.

Europe’s top three coffee-consuming countries drink more than 1,000 cups per person every year. Many companies encourage the use and washing of mugs and bowls in the office, and with a goal of reducing the water used to provide such a service, French company Auum has created a new method of cleaning. The Auum-S single glass dishwasher is made from a patented design that disinfects reusable cups in 10 seconds, allowing one washer to clean up to 2,000 glasses per day. The company is building a circular economy with French-made parts and assembly, along with a rental service that ensures that machines are properly maintained, and glasses recycled at the end of their life. The countertop washer cleans a single glass using 140-degree Celsius dry steam and less than a single ounce of water per wash. The high temperature negates the need for chemicals. Read more

Batteries are found everywhere in modern life, and around 15 billion are produced and sold for household use every year around the world. All these batteries need to go somewhere when they run out, and the vast majority end up in landfills, where they leach toxic substances that pollute the soil, water, and air. To tackle this problem, startup BeFC (Bio-enzymatic Fuel Cells) has developed a battery made from paper cellulose. The twist? Instead of incorporating metal or chemical catalysts, which are often expensive to source and harmful to the environment, BeFC’s system uses biological enzymes to convert natural substrates, such as oxygen and glucose, into electricity. The paper-based cells are extremely thin and flexible. This means they are highly compact and perfect for use in low-power, portable, and disposable electronics – including medical wearables, which are normally powered by button-cell or lithium batteries. And because the batteries are bio-based, they are biodegradable, which means that they can be easily and safely disposed of or recycled. Find out more

Polyurethane is a polymer material used in a range of common products from plastics and construction filler foams to adhesives. A group of compounds known as polyols are essential for making polyurethane, and today these are mostly derived from petroleum. However, polyols can also be derived from natural plant-based sources. To date, most of these alternative ‘biopolyols’ have been derived from virgin feedstocks or plants that compete with food production for land resources. As a result, they pose their own sustainability challenges. Now, Cyprus-based company Ecorbia has developed ‘Crudyol’ – a biopolyol made through chemical upcycling of biomass byproducts. This material is truly compatible with circular economy principles as it provides a cost-effective method for putting a range of industrial waste streams to good use. Find out more

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that the buildings and construction industry was responsible for 39 per cent of process and energy-related carbon emissions in 2018, 11 per cent of which come from the production of building materials. Italy-based architectural firm Ricehouse is on a mission to build houses more sustainably, by using rice by-products. The company uses natural waste residues, such as rice straw, husk, and chaff to create circular construction materials, including thermal insulating plasters, finishings, lightweight screeds, and prefabricated panels. Read more

Animal leather has multiple negative environmental impacts. To start with, raising livestock takes up a lot of land and contributes to deforestation and the disruption of vital carbon sinks. On top of that, leather tanning can lead to toxic chemicals, such as chromium, entering the environment. And, at the same time, huge amounts of fashion waste is sent to landfill each year. Now, North Macedonia’s L&E Studio is developing a new, more sustainable approach to designing and producing handbags. The studio employs local craftsmen who use cruelty-free leather alternatives to make the fashion accessories. Each bag comes with a lifetime guarantee and a repair service, and is made exclusively of recycled or upcycled materials. Find out more

Words: Matthew Hempstead

Reference

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Five takeaways from ChangeNOW 2023

1. Every part of society needs to be included in the transition

2. You can look at the issues differently

3. Connections are key

4. The agenda is broader than climate

5. We need courage

Five climate solutions making a change for the better

Five exciting solutions for a circular economy

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