Few human-made construction materials stand the test of time as the good-old, humble brick does. Historians believe bricks are the oldest-known construction materials. Archaeologists uncovered bricks dating back to 7,000 BC in some ancient settlements in present-day Southern Turkey. The ancient craft of brick-making continued during the Middle Ages in Europe, and peaked during the Industrial Revolution in the […]
Over the last decades, sustainability has become one of the most defining forces across all industries, and architecture is no exception. A growing number of architectural firms and practitioners aspire for their buildings to be as green as possible. To do so, they utilize new digital technologies, innovations, and materials — and also tap into their own […]
“Expressive, unapologetic, and ahead of her time in ecological and participative design” are the words that The Architectural Review uses to describe Minneta De Silva — widely considered the first female architect in Sri Lanka and one of the most important figures in South Asian modernist architecture. Minneta De Silva was born in 1918 in Kandy, Sri Lanka, thirty years […]
Smart cities are among our best bets for a livable and prosperous future. By leveraging technology to solve problems, smart cities can improve the quality of life for residents, promote sustainability, increase efficiency, enable better decision-making, create new opportunities, and foster economic growth. Hence, it’s no surprise that smart cities have rapidly spread worldwide. In […]
The greatest injustice of climate change is the fact that those who are most vulnerable to it are the people who contributed the least — such as the indigenous communities around the world. On the other hand, these communities also have the wisdom, experience, and the technologies to construct buildings in a way to minimize the notoriously high environmental impact of […]
When Natalie de Blois (1924-2013) completed her professional degree in architecture at Columbia University in 1944, only a handful of women had a substantial career in architecture in the United States. Starting her career in architecture’s so-called “Mad Men Era“, it comes as no surprise that she was once let go of a job as […]
Japan is arguably going through the biggest demographic challenge of modern history. After lingering around zero growth at the beginning of the 21st century, Japan‘s population has continued to shrink since 2010, with the decline rate accelerating in recent years. In 2022, the island nation, with a population of about 125 million, recorded its largest decline due to the combination […]
Our built environment generates about 40 percent of the global carbon emissions. Almost a quarter of this comes from operational emissions, such as the energy needed to heat, cool, and run our buildings, while the remaining quarter is from materials and construction. Cement, the most ubiquitous material used in most modern buildings, is responsible for a total […]
As our world moves towards Industry 4.0, manufacturing requires fewer resources in terms of raw materials, energy, and space. Hence, particularly in advanced economies, an increasing number of factories and industrial buildings are losing their relevance and lie abandoned. But especially given the sheer size of these vacant sites, can they still add value outside traditional […]
2022 has seen some crucial developments in the history of architecture: The push for ecologically responsible building practices, simplicity, and wellness continued to dominate the industry. This year, the Pritzker Prize, nicknamed the “Nobel prize of architecture”, went to Francis Kéré, an African national, for the first time. Exciting new projects, many of which have been […]
It’s increasingly apparent that BIM is not just a design tool; it’s a new way of working. Even professionals in non design jobs can benefit from the training and find their roles more rewarding.