Healthy Planet

Reestablishing resilience in our cities is key to counteract the adverse impacts of extreme climatic events. Being prepared for future shocks preserves existing structures, minimizes disruptions, saves human lives and improves the ability to recover. The Dryline in the USA is a flood and stormwater management intervention for the City of New York at the conjunction of climate mitigation and adaptation, achieved by a 12 km long infrastructural barrier that provides enhanced vaule by incorporating accessible and enjoyable civic spaces permeable surfaces and vegetation for increased resilience.

Circular economy is tackled in this project both at the micro and macro scales, being both a circular building itself, and hosting a logistic center for construction and demolition waste materials, with material transportation through the Brussels canal network. Material Flows in Belgium, enables the circular flow of water, energy, and materials. The project is located adjacent to urban sites that through proximity allows for a greater volume of logistics being kept close to the city center, while facilitating water-borne logistics that reduced road congestion, noise, and the carbon footprint of materials.

Building with sustainably sourced timber comes with a number of environmental advantages. Wood is not only less carbon intensive than traditional building materials, it also allows for ongoing carbon sequestration throughout the structure’s lifecycle, which results in a carbon neutral profile. Towering Virtuoso in Sweden combines locally prefabricated, engineered-wood modules with a glue-laminated, innovative timber structure frame. Wood clad interiors, extensive glazing, thermal efficient double clad faćades, and on-site solar power generation make this building work in harmony with nature.

Stewardship of wetlands significantly helps to mitigate the effects of climate change since wetlands are one of the most effective carbon sinks on our planet. A 5km linear park, comprising landscape design for environmental recovery and recreational facilities in Bogotá, Wetland Vitality in Colombia, restores a wetland to its splendor, in terms of both flora and fauna. The ancestral value of plants is restored through a botanical project which integrates educational plant practice, while at the same time promoting food security and generating economic viability for the local population.

Propagated Sanctuary in Vietnam counteracts the effects of urbanization and construction emissions, rewilding entire urban areas, and has the potential to amplify carbon sinks and increase resilience in the face of flood and extreme weather events. It also assists the recovery of polluted and damaged ecosystems in Hanoi by restoring lost biodiversity. This is the purpose behind the urban forest which enables a self-sustaining habitat planted with endemic vegetation to curb the local alluvial soil erosion and encourage the return of native fauna. In a synergetic effort, urban agriculture and educational nature fruition are also part of the plan.

Allowing the natural forces of nature to be harnessed and thus work for the benefit of humans is the philosophy behind the Accumulating Shelter in Spain. Leveraging natural geomorphological conditions on site, the proposal creates dune infrastructure that naturally accumulates sand through the adoption of two main design elements: a wind wall hosting services, and a park. The technology driven approach offers benefits for inhabitants and the local ecosystem, through renewable energy production using solely the power of sea and wind.

The current paradigm of the built environment is resource-intensive, as construction is still largely relying on natural resource, which comes with significant environmental impacts. Reuse of salvaged building materials from selective dismantling and construction and demolition waste represents a massive opportunity to preserve the health of our planet. Extending the Cycle in Switzerland reuses available material stock to extend this structure in Winterthur. The focus on materials enables a very low lifecycle impact when buildingared to a traditional building, and achieves a 60% reduction in the carbon footprint.

Weaving and Stamping in Morocco reclaims the use of clay as a suitable building material for the area. The project in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Aït Benhaddou restores local artisanship and combines long term viability with optimum thermal performance and building efficiency. The forms of the building follow the principles of passive climate control, which makes for low operational energy requirements. The project also incorporates local wool and cane weaving to create shades and canopies that enhances the passive building performance. Local labor and material sourcing contribute to the environmental performance of the project.