In 2008 Gensler broke ground on the sustainable Shanghai Tower in the Pudong district of Shanghai, China. The tower is currently in construction and it’s one of three supertall buildings in Pudong, including the Jin Mao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center. The elegant structure spirals up to the sky, and once it is completed in 2014 it will become the second tallest tower in the world — only second to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The 632 meter tall structure is a testament to both modern architecture and the potential of engineering, and it also sets a precedent for sustainable super structures. The tower will take the form of nine cylindrical buildings stacked atop each other, enclosed by layers of glass, and hosting public space for visitors including atriums, gardens, cafes, restaurants, retail space, a hotel, and 360-degree views of the city. The building will also include a rainwater recycling system and a series of wind turbines able to generate up to 350,000 kWh of electricity per year. But most notably, the tower’s glass façade was designed specifically to reduce wind loads on the building by 24%, which means that fewer construction materials are needed (including 25% less structural steel). We recently spoke to Gensler‘s Chris Chan, Design Director and member of the tower’s design team, who gave us some insight on what it has taken to get the Shanghai Tower built, and how Building Information Modeling (BIM) has played a crucial role from concept to construction. Jump ahead for our fascinating interview with Chris!

This interview is brought to you by Autodesk – Removing the barriers to better business.

Author Angela Youngman has released a guidebook that will immerse you in world of green roofs through case studies, imagery, and must-know terminology related to design, build, and installation of these vegetated scapes. Green Roofs is not a self-help manual, but rather a light read that takes a broad stroke look at many of the variables and considerations surrounding what should really be called “living buildings.”

 

 

Diogo Aguiar and Teresa Otto of LIKEArchitects create architecture with humor, subjectivity, and a focus on using sustainable building materials and maximizing energy-efficiency. In the past we've featured their gorgeous frozen trees made from plastic bags and their pop-up prefab bar made from re-usable containers and LED lights. We recently talked to Diogo and Teresa about their architectural philosophies, the challenges and rewards of sustainability, and performance architecture. Read on for a look at some of LIKEArchitects' most innovative and exciting projects!

 

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The term ‘building science’ is used quite often now in sustainable building circles, but much of what we understand of it can be traced back to the work of Dr. Joe Lstiburek, founder of Building Science Corporation. He is anything but your typical engineer or scientist who spends time crunching numbers or hiding away in a lab. Lstiburek has spent most of his career out in the field, testing and examining what works and what doesn’t. Many of the building standards today — from building codes to ASHRE to testing methodology — have his finger prints all over them, and his tough love criticism of building design is undercut with his wry humor and, of course, an encyclopedic knowledge of building construction. Read on to learn where buildings go wrong and what we can do about it.

 

 

As Mother's Day approaches, Habitat for Humanity and Lowe's are offering female volunteers across the nation a chance to help other mothers while honoring their own. From May 5-13, close to 10,000 women will come out to Habitat for Humanity's sites for National Women Build Week to create affordable housing for those who need it in all 50 states. According to the Census Bureau, one in every six children in the U.S. (over 12 million kids) live in poverty, and many of them live in a home where a woman is the head of the household. If you're not afraid to roll up your sleeves, pick up a hammer and put some elbow grease in to help some folks who really needs homes, we encourage you to take part in this incredibly meaningful national event. We recently had the chance to talk to Lisa Marie Nickerson, the Associate Director of Women Build about the event and how just a little time contribution on your part can make a world of difference for a single mom or someone else who could really use it.

 

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The Buckminster Fuller Institute (BFI) is an organization after Inhabitat’s own heart. It was formed by the visionary eco architect/designer’s family in 1983 to champion Buckminster Fuller’s amazing legacy and provide the design world — and the rest of humanity, for that matter — with the tools we need to solve the world’s most pressing problems. Buckminster Fuller was a “full systems thinker” — he was a renaissance man who foresaw the problems we are facing now decades before anyone else, and came up with innovative, thoughtful ways to solve humanity’s most pressing problems around energy, shelter and natural resources. Sadly, this amazing man is no longer with us, but The Buckminster Fuller Institute marches forward in his name with a handful of thought-provoking programs for designers. Their flagship initiative is the Buckminster Fuller Challenge design competition to provide solutions to complicated social/environmental problems. Inhabitat covered the BFI Challenge finalists back in April, and we are thrilled to announce the winner of the competition here in our latest video! Watch our video profile (above) to learn about BFI, Bucky’s legacy, and the inspiring winner of last year’s $100,000 prize.

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You might know Lisa Katayama from her articles on Popular Science, Wired and Fast Company - or perhaps she taught you "everything you ever wanted to know about the birth city of Godzilla, Gundam, all-you-can-eat shabu shabu and panty vending machines" on her blog TokyoMango. It's clear that Katayama has a true passion for Japan, where she spent the first 18 years of her life, so when disaster hit the country last March, she knew she couldn't just stand idly by. Her desire to do something led her to create We Are All Radioactive, an online episodic documentary series that follows the lives of surfers and fishermen as they work to rebuild small coastal towns that were affected by the tsunami. The series, produced with TED film director Jason Wishnow, is entirely crowdfunded, meaning that it's up to you to keep new episodes rolling out. We recently spoke to Lisa about why she decided to start We Are All Radioactive, what we can expect to see in the latest episode, and how funders can actually influence what is shown in coming episodes - choose-your-own-adventure-style. Read on to learn more!

 

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This morning, eBay announced the official launch of their new site devoted to helping drivers research, find and buy fuel-friendly vehicles. Called eBay Green Driving, the new site facilitates the sale and purchase of electric vehicles, hybrids and other greener cars, but its other educational resources - like its fuel type comparison tool, popular green vehicles spotlight, and green driving news and reviews - are what set it apart from similar marketplace sites. The launch couldn't come at a better time since summer is just around the corner and gas prices continue to soar. To find out more about what the site has to offer, we caught up with eBay Green Driving expert Brad Berman. Read on to see his tips on how to maximize the site's features and find the green vehicle you've been looking for at great price.

 

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We've been followers of Dwell ever since they launched in 2000, and we just got another reason to keep reading - the design mag's first ever Light & Energy issue just hit newsstands this month. Like past editions, the April issue is chock full of home design eye candy, but it specifically zeroes in on two topics that are near and dear to us - green innovation and sustainability. We recently had the chance to catch up with Dwell Editor-in-Chief Amanda Dameron about what readers can expect to find in the glossy pages of the Light & Energy edition, and we even heard about some of the energy-efficient, passive strategies she uses in her own apartment. Read on for all of the details.

 

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Last week we reported on the groundbreaking new media platform Earth 2 Hub which aims to create a space for the world’s most creative artists, designers, scientists, and storytellers to explore and share their solutions to the numerous problems facing earth and its inhabitants. To shed more light on Earth 2.0 and the newly-unveiled hub, we talked to Melissa Sterry, who is one of the most well-known futurists on the planet. A design scientist and transformational change strategist for the built environment, utilities, manufacturing, design, publishing, media and communications industries, Melissa is also a PhD researcher at AVATAR – the Advanced Virtual and Technological Architecture Research group, where she is developing The Bionic City – a sustainable smart city that transfers knowledge from earth’s ecosystems to create a mega-city blueprint that can withstand extreme meteorological and geological events such as flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, eruptions and earthquakes. Step on in for a fascinating glimpse of what the future of design and architecture might hold.

Earlier this year we reported on the opening of the stunning Salvador Dalí Museum located in St. Petersburg, Florida. The museum is home to the world’s largest collection of Dalí works, and since its debut this past April, the dazzling venue has already welcomed over 300,000 visitors. With its clean minimalist lines juxtaposed against a sparkling geodesic glass atrium, the spectacular structure designed by HOK stands as a work of art in its own right, while still paying homage to the spirit of Salvador Dalí. The building also brings more to the table than just its looks. Housing over 2,000 pieces of Dalí’s most important works, the museum is sited within a corner of the country that often finds itself battered by severe storms with catastrophic results. To prepare for the worst, HOK designed the shell of the structure to withstand a Category 5 hurricane. The design also features numerous green systems, including a solar hot water powered dehumidification system, high efficiency HVAC and ventilation systems, and strategic daylighting to illuminate the interiors. We recently sat down with principal architect and Senior Vice President of HOK Yann Weymouth who enlightened us on the intricacies of the design, and what it took to get the museum built. Jump ahead for our exclusive interview with Yann as he explains the design, and how his team of architects and engineers used Building Information Modeling to build a space that’s not only beautiful and sustainable, but disaster-proof.

This interview is brought to you by Autodesk – Removing the barriers to better business.

 

 

Often when we hear "prefab houses," we conjure up thoughts of structures pieced together on a site like a puzzle made from mass produced parts that were shipped as separate pieces. While these homes are often more sustainable, they can leave much to be desired in regards to character, aesthetic, and durability. But Reclaimed Space, founded by Tracen Gardner in Austin, Texas, is changing the way we think about prefabricated buildings. Instead of using anonymous materials from mega-factories, Gardner and his team salvage beautiful woods and metals from old homes, barns, and buildings across Texas and use these unique materials to build one of a kind, handmade spaces. We recently had the opportunity to speak with Gardner and learn how Reclaimed Space is carving an artisan niche in the prefab world and why Gardner believes that all designers have a responsibility to be sustainable.

 

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The Andrea Air Purifier is a brilliant partnership between man and plant that accelerates nature’s natural ability to clean air in order to detoxify the atmosphere inside your home. We had a chance to sit down with Tom Hadfield from Andrea to talk about how this amazing gadget is able to clean the air in your home 1000% better than a normal houseplant. Check out our video interview above!

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