Stories About Building/Construction/Real Estate
Found 214 stories. Page 1 of 11.
2022 ‘World-Changing Ideas’ Tease Sustainable Models for Building, Power, Finance, Animal-Free Protein
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - It’s that time of year, again — when we pore excitedly over Fast Company’s annual list of World-Changing Ideas. Here are a few of our favorites.
Construction Evolved: Optimizing the Built World for the Health of People and the Planet
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - While integrating embodied-carbon tracking and reporting onto connected platforms is a complex feat, it ultimately will transform and revolutionize ESG efforts for the construction industry.
Racing to Zero, Part 3: Reimagining Construction for Circularity
THE NEXT ECONOMY - The latent circular revolution is slow in getting off the ground in construction — but it’s time to reimagine and transform the industry. Here we explore eight key shifts to help construction actors rise to the circular challenge.
5 Key Trends at the Intersection of Health, Wellbeing and Design
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - Here, Shaw Industries’ VP of Global Sustainability, Kellie Ballew; and Rachel Hodgdon, CEO of the International WELL Building Institute, discuss game-changing trends in building design — all centered around a new focus on human health and wellbeing.
Rural Studio Immersion Program Enriching Students, Reviving West Alabama’s Black Belt
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - At Auburn University’s architectural-training program, “housing is health.” Associate Director Rusty Smith asserts: “As architects, we have a professional responsibility. It's not only an ethical or moral responsibility; it's a professional responsibility, as well, to act when we see people in crisis.”
Social Infrastructure: Construction Projects as a Force for Good
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - If an organization commissions a multimillion-dollar building or renovation, how can it double or triple the social and environmental benefits from its investment? Many green building standards already exist, but what if it was possible to go beyond them — to design a building process that was transformational in its execution?
Climate Action Plans: How Do We Know If We’re Making Real Progress?
WALKING THE TALK - In our experience, it’s challenging to proceed from knowing your company’s emissions profile to crafting a climate action plan to reduce it. Successful companies will adopt the right mix of strategies for them — which is where the bigger challenge comes in.
Dome Sweet Dome: Geoship’s ‘Livingry’ Model Aims to Reconnect Home and Nature
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - Geoship’s bioceramic, climate-resilient dome villages offer a glimpse into a new model of zero-carbon community living and a future-proof world built through regenerative architecture.
Transforming Plastic Waste into Asphalt: Paving the Way for Sustainable Roads
FROM PURPOSE TO ACTION: BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE TOGETHER - In order for truly sustainable and circular systems to be realized, every facet of normal life must be re-considered — from the cars we drive to the roads we drive them on.
Why Material Is Material: Another Definition of Double Materiality
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - What is 'material'? And how can a slight play on words help brands make more sustainable, healthier material choices in the built environment to reduce risk and benefit all stakeholders — from investors to employees and communities, to the planet?
Parsons’ Healthy Materials Lab and Library Offers Resources for Designers, Architects, Students
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - Shaw’s Tim Conway recently spoke with the Lab's director, Alison Mears, about how it is raising awareness about building material ingredients and educating the next generation of designers and architects.
Full-Circle: AZEK Disrupts PVC Recycling by Revolutionizing Takeback
WASTE NOT - AZEK’s FULL-CIRCLE PVC Recycling program helped it collect approximately 400M pounds of recycled product for reuse in 2020 — with the hope that this entire value-chain approach can disrupt the plastic waste paradigm meaningfully, as AZEK continues to scale up collection and processing.
A Deconstructive Tool for a Constructive Future
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - An awareness of these circular strategies will identify opportunities for any project team to consider the potential of a more 'constructive' future for the built environment.
Carbon Footprint Measurement and Challenges: A Case Study
THE NEXT ECONOMY - Cuningham was commissioned to estimate GHG emissions for a company with $6.6B in annual sales and operations in 14 states, with 305 locations comprising more than 4M square feet. Companies’ real work begins when their GHGs are known and they can decide how to respond to newfound knowledge about their impacts.
Brightworks: Looking at the ‘Brightside’ of Material Health & Sustainable Design
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING - Brightworks’ materials scoring methodology distills existing product sustainability standards and attributes into holistic, comparable, numerical scores — making it easier for manufacturers, the design industry and design clients to create and select more sustainable materials.
How ESG Is Forever Changing Investing, Design in the Built Environment
FINANCE & INVESTMENT - Simply returning profits to investors is no longer a good enough measure of success. If any stakeholder does not see benefits in the design of a capital project, then gaining support is unlikely. Is your organization ready for multi-stakeholder investment and design?
Mighty Buildings Now Further Reduce Carbon Footprint of Homes with CO2-Based Cement
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING - New partner Fortera’s material converts carbon dioxide into cement, reducing CO₂ emissions by more than 60% — and costs 10% less than conventional cement.
Indigenous-Inspired Design to Help Future-Proof Tulum’s New Train Station
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - Aidia Studio’s pre-Hispanic Mayan-inspired design is a much-needed evolutionary twist on current architecture that will help ensure the survival of the Mexican city’s transport links during increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
Stanley Black & Decker Commits $25M to Train Over 3M Skilled Trade Workers
THE NEXT ECONOMY - As the latest company to use its size and scale to help equip the next generation of workers, SBD’s ‘Empower Makers’ grants aim to advance and accelerate vocational skills training programs in the next five years — and change misconceptions that these careers are not financially rewarding.
Getting to Net-Zero Buildings Helps the Climate — and the Bottom Line
CLEANTECH - Though it will involve substantive changes, the move to net zero is not something companies should dread — and they lose money to inefficient systems every day they wait.
