Built environment
The built environment is a field where some of the most drastic changes will be needed. Currently, building materials leave a large environmental footprint, and cement and tar-dominated infrastructure puts a severe limitation on the opportunities for plant and animal life to exist within cities. This infrastructure furthermore disrupts natural cycles, like the water cycle, and is a key contributor to the urban heat island effect.
In a compostable and ecologically restorative city, building materials need to change. The good news is that there are various technologies - ancient and modern - that provide promising alternatives to explore. Wooden skycrapers or buildings made from mud come to mind. Some key questions to think about include the following:
- What can we learn from the past? Buildings have been around long before the industrial revolution, and were for long made necessarily from naturally available materials.
- When selecting natural materials, what kinds of treatments will be needed to make them last? Will these treatment affect compostability?
- In buildings, how heating and cooling energy requirements be minimized?
- What could be suitable replacements for windows? Is any compostable alternative available?
The built environment is directly linked with the transport and energy sector. To discuss and suggest ideas around infrastructure for these other sectors, please use the corresponding pages.
Ideas and resources
We are looking for ideas and resources in the field of Built environment that may enable a city to adhere to the Triple 95 rule. Please help out!
| Title | Author(s) | Relevance |
|---|---|---|
|
The warmth and wisdom of mud buildings
Video Recording |
Anna Heringer Anna Heringer | Strong arguments for using mud as a building material. |
|
Emergency shelters made from paper
Video Recording |
Shigeru Ban Shigeru Ban | Great example of cardboard/paper being used as a building material! |
|
Why we should build wooden skyscrapers
Video Recording |
Michael Green Michael Green | Encouraging talk that explains that building large buildings from wood may be quite feasible. |
Discussion
Questions or comments around Built environment? Let's chat!