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using AI, vincent callebaut reimagines 'haussmannian' paris architecture as green, breathable buildings Vincent Callebaut envisions A Resilient, Green & Breathable Paris Drawing from the work of Baron Haussmann, who was responsible for the urban transformation of Paris between 1853 and 1870, architectural firm Vincent Callebaut Architectures presents a series of futuristic, biologically inspired architectures for the French capital. The architects harness the power of new artificial intelligence tools to create a collection of green ‘Haussmannian’ buildings and biomimetic positive-energy structures called ‘Archibiotics’.  The resulting units are built from biobased materials (such as rammed earth, bamboo, microalgae, mycelium, etc.) and are...

Five ways drones will change the way buildings are designed Authors Paul Cureton Senior Lecturer in Design (People, Places, Products), Lancaster University Ole B. Jensen Professor of Urban Theory and Urban Design, Aalborg University Drones are already shaping the face of our cities – used for building planning, heritage, construction and safety enhancement. But, as studies by the UK’s Department of Transport have found, swathes of the public have a limited understanding of how drones might be practically applied. It’s crucial that the ways drones are affecting our future are understood by the majority of people. As experts in design futures...

Cooling buildings by nearly 5ºC possible thanks to new whiter-than-white paint Author Andrew Parnell Research Fellow in Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield From icy tundras to billowing clouds, the colour white crops up repeatedly in our planet’s palette. This colour provides a natural way for light from the sun to reflect back from the Earth’s surface and into space. This effect – known as the planet’s albedo – has a huge impact on average global temperature. Imagine a world covered entirely with oceans. Although the idea might evoke a refreshing sense of coolness, the absence of reflective white areas...

Ecomimicry: the nature-inspired approach to design that could be the antidote to urban ‘blandscapes’ Published: June 29, 2021 2.42pm BST Authors Stuart Connop Senior Research Fellow, University of East London Caroline Nash Research Fellow in Biodiversity Conservation, University of East London With skyscrapers climbing ever higher and unoccupied city areas increasingly scarce, demands on urban space are increasing. Making the most out of this space requires a careful balancing act between short-term human needs and long-term planetary benefits. All too often, attempting this balancing act ends up in “blandscaping”. Blandscaping is the practice of creating virtually uniform green spaces that are...

Wooden housing boom needed to boost climate goals, says new study – but is it possible? Author Ljubomir Jankovic Professor of Advanced Building Design, University of Hertfordshire Housing 90% of people moving to cities in mid-rise buildings made from engineered wood could save the construction industry 106 billion tonnes of CO₂ by 2100, according to a new study. This, the researchers argued, would rein in the industry’s total emissions, which threaten to consume between 35% and 60% of the remaining carbon budget for halting global heating at 2°C with the continued use of cement and steel. I did not contribute to...