When architect Ed Mazria announced that buildings account for nearly 50% of man-made greenhouse gas emissions, the building industry was taken aback. After a long career in passive solar architecture, he has taken on the goal of steeply reducing the carbon footprint of architecture – most notably with his 2030 Challenge, which aims to eliminate the use of fossil fuels in new construction, and to cut the use of fossil fuels in existing buildings by 50% by 2030. To help hit those targets, Mazria is launching a new initiative called the 2030 Palette—a robust, visually oriented online design tool which strives to help produce low-impact, people friendly projects. We recently visited Mazria’s offices in Santa Fe, where we spoke to the architect in-depth about his work and how sustainable development can save us from the worst climate change has to offer.

Read the rest of INTERVIEW: Ed Mazria, Founder of Architecture 2030 Introduces the 2030 Palette

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Post tags: 2030 Palette, Architecture 2030, carbon neutral architecture, Ed Mazria, global warming, green architecture, green construction, Sustainable Building

Read the rest of Mod Cott is a Low-Energy Guest House on Lake Buchanan in Texas

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", eco design, eco house, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green house, guest house, lake buchanan, low energy house, mell lawrence architects, mod cott, rainwater collection, solar house, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, texas, vacation house

Read the rest of Sky City: World’s Tallest Tower to Break Ground in June

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Broad Sustainable Building, changsha, china, City in the Sky, eco design, eco skyscraper, eco tower, extreme density, green architecture, green buildings, green design, prefab sky city, prefab skyscraper, prefab tower, sky city, Sky City One, Sustainable Building, Tallest Building in the World, urban density

Read the rest of BIG Unveils Plans for Massive Green Overhaul of Miami Beach Convention Center

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Art, Art Basel, Art Basel Miami Beach, big, Bjarke Ingels Group, Convention Center, eco design, eco-art, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green landscaping, green renovation, green roof, miami beach, miami beach convention center, miami beach square, pedestrian friendly, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, Urban design, west 8

Read the rest of Apartment No. 1 is Built Completely Out of Recycled Stone in Mahallat, Iran

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", AbCT, apartment, architecture by collective terrain, eco apartment, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green housing, iran, mahallat, Recycled Materials, recycled stone, scrap stone, stone, stone building, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, tehran, upcycled materials

Read the rest of Historic Barn to be Transformed into Live-Work Architecture and Art Studios Near Moscow

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", adaptive reuse, Architecture, architecture studio, Art, art and architecture, art institute, art studio, barn conversion, barn renovation, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green renovation, housing, Moscow, Moto Designshop, Nikola-Lenivets, russia, Sustainable Building, sustainable design

Read the rest of Abandoned Pearl Brewery Adapted into a Vibrant Mixed-Use Project in San Antonio

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", adaptive reuse, brewery, brewery renovation, eco design, full goods warehouse, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green renovation, lake flato architects, lakeflato architects, lake|flato, mixed-use development, pearl brewery, pearl brewery redevelopment project, San Antonio, san antonio river, Sustainable Building, sustainable design

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Post tags: Aga Khan Award 2013, Aga Khan Award finalists, architectural award, green architecture, High Rise Architecture, natural ventilation, natural ventilation skyscraper, residential towers Bangkok, Sustainable buildings, Thailand, Thailand towers, tropical housing, woha architects, WOHA Met Tower Bangkok

Read the rest of INRA Research Laboratory is Dedicated to Ecology and Forest Genomics in France

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", eco design, eco lab, eco laboratory, france, green architecture, Green Building, green design, INRA Research Laboratory, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, national argronomic research institute, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, sustainable timber, sustainably sourced timber, tectoniques

Read the rest of UC San Diego’s Charles David Keeling Apartments Set the Bar for Sustainable Student Housing

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", charles david keeling apartments, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green roof, grey water, Kieran Timberlake, KieranTimberlake, san diego, shade screen, shading devices, student housing, sun shade, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, UC San Diego, water recycling

Read the rest of MVRDV Breaks Ground on Green-Roofed Business District at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport

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Post tags: aedas, central business district, china, Daylighting, energy efficient building, global development, green roof, International Business District, MVRDV, natural ventilation, shanghai, Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, Sustainable Building

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Post tags: 3Gatti Architecture Studio, bamboo, Corten steel, Daylighting, eco design, foreign office architects, green design, madrid, natural ventilation, parasols, shanghai pavilion, Spain, steel, steel umbrellas, sustainable design, sustainable renovation

Read the rest of KAUST’s Breakwater Beacon is a Naturally-Cooled Lighthouse in Saudi Arabia

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", contemporary lighthouse, eco tower, eco-art, green architecture, green art, Green Building, green design, KAUST, kaust beacon, kaust breakwater beacon, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, lighthouse, naturally cooled tower, saudi arabia, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, uap, urban art projecs

The world’s first algae-powered building just opened in Hamburg! Dubbed the BIQ House, the project features a bio-adaptive algae facade and it will serve as a testing bed for sustainable energy production in urban areas and self-sufficient living buildings. International design firm Arup worked with Germany’s SSC Strategic Science Consultants and Austria-based Splitterwerk Architects to develop the BIQ House, which launched as part of Hamburg’s International Building Exhibition.

Read the rest of The World’s First Algae-Powered Building Opens in Hamburg

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Post tags: algae as insulator, algae as shade, algae power, arup, bio-reactor facade, biomass, BIQ House, BIQ House opens, high-rise farms, Hmaburg, International Building Exhibition, jet-powered maintenance robots, photovoltaic paint, self-sufficient living buildings, solar thermal heat, Splitterwerk Architects, SSC Strategic Science Consultant, the future of green building

Read the rest of A-Lab Completes Stacked Energy-Efficient Statoil Headquarters in Norway

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", a-lab, eco design, eco offices, green architecture, Green Building, green design, high performance facade, norway, Prefab, prefab construction, statoil, statoil headquarters, statoil offices, Sustainable Building, sustainable design

Read the rest of Take a Virtual Tour Through the 2013 HGTV Smart Home + See How You Can Win It!

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Post tags: energy monitoring, energy usage, green home, green interiors, green technology, hgtv, HGTV Sweepstakes, home monitoring, ipad home, Jack Thomasson, Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, know your carbon footprint, locally sourced materials, native plants, paradise key, reclaimed wood, recycled carpet, Savant Systems, smart home, Smart Home 2013, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, zero-voc, zeroscaping

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Post tags: artificial island, Daylighting, eco design, glazing, green design, IJburg Villa, manmade island, Marc Prosman Architecten, natural light, pine, shade, sustainable design, timber

Read the rest of Weiss/Manfredi Unveils Plans for Kent State’s New Green-Roofed Design Loft

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", architecture school, Daylighting, design loft, Design school, eco design, eco school, eco university, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green roof, kent state, kent state design loft, kent state university, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, weiss manfredi, Weiss/Manfredi

Under pressure from other more sustainable buildings popping up around the world, London’s Gherkin Tower, designed by Norman Foster, has recently begun testing an innovative vegetated facade panel which promises to change the face of building design forever. This new “Green wall” product, known as the Core Hydraulic Integrated Arboury panel, promises to bring the benefits of green roofs to any exterior surface of any skyscraper.


Read the rest of London’s Famous Gherkin Building Goes Green – Literally

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Post tags: "april fools", 30 St. Mary Ax, April Fools Joke, Chia Gherkin, CHIA_Gherkin, Core Hydraulic Integrated Arboury panel, Foster + Partners, Green Gherkin, Illustrations from Jorge Chapa and Jill Fehrenbacher, Inhabitat April Fools, London Gherkin, Norman Foster, Sir Norman Foster

“We’re already one of the world’s most livable cities, our challenge now is to ensure we are one of the world’s most sustainable cities,” says Melbourne’s Environment Portfolio Chair Councillor Arron Wood. Last week, the City of Melbourne announced that it has been certified a carbon-neutral city by Low Carbon Australia using the National Carbon Offset Standard. This certification is part of Melbourne’s long-term target towards net zero emissions by 2020.

Read the rest of Melbourne Becomes a Certified Carbon-Neutral City

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Post tags: 1200 Buildings program, arron wood, carbon offsetting, CH2, city of melbourne, city of melbourne one of the most sustainable cities in the world, council house 2, cycle melbourne, environmental upgrade agreements, low carbon australia, meg mcdonald, melbourne low-carbon future, melbourne sustainable city operations, net zero emissions by 2020, public transportation in melbourne, sustainable transportation in melbourne