The idea sounds deceptively simple: use ice, one of the oldest cooling tricks known to humanity, to help power the future. But this isn’t about tossing cubes into your drink—it’s about freezing entire buildings. Researchers at Texas A&M University are refining “ice batteries,” thermal storage systems that could transform how cities manage energy, shifting demand from peak hours to off-peak times. It’s a vision where skyscrapers and homes alike chill themselves overnight and ride through the hottest hours of the day without straining the grid.
Continue reading… “Ice Batteries: Why the Future of Buildings May Be Frozen at Night”Concrete Goes Blue: How Seaweed and AI Are Cracking Cement’s Dirtiest Secret
It’s hard to overstate the paradox of cement: it holds up our buildings, our bridges, our entire civilization—yet it also quietly poisons the process. Pound for pound, producing cement releases almost as much CO₂ as the material itself weighs. It’s an unavoidable chemistry problem baked into the modern world.
Until now.
A team of scientists at the University of Washington, working in partnership with Microsoft, has taken an unexpected detour through the ocean—and come back with powdered seaweed as a concrete additive that radically alters the equation.
This isn’t just a quirky material swap. It’s the beginning of a full-blown materials intelligence revolution—where biology meets AI to rewrite what we think infrastructure should be made of.
Continue reading… “Concrete Goes Blue: How Seaweed and AI Are Cracking Cement’s Dirtiest Secret”Concrete’s Carbon Dilemma: Building the Future of Data Centers While Tackling Climate Change
Along a dusty country road leading to ATL4, a massive new data center under construction east of Atlanta, the sight of dozens of cars and pickups parked haphazardly on narrow dirt shoulders is common. The out-of-state license plates are a clear sign of the skilled tradespeople from across the country who have descended on the site for one of the largest construction projects in the area. With the global battle for artificial intelligence (AI) dominance driving tech companies, utilities, and governments to invest upwards of US $1 trillion into capital expansion, data centers have become the critical infrastructure underpinning this competition. In this new era, data centers serve as the bunkers, factories, and laboratories of AI, powered by a seemingly insatiable need for concrete and electricity.
At first glance, the data industry might appear to be intangible, with its products existing as weightless bits and bytes. But standing next to the bustling construction site for DataBank’s ATL4, the enormity of the physical labor and materials involved is striking. The most prominent material in sight? Concrete—poured, pre-fabricated, and stacked in vast quantities. Big data is, quite literally, big concrete. And this poses a major challenge: concrete’s heavy environmental toll.
Continue reading… “Concrete’s Carbon Dilemma: Building the Future of Data Centers While Tackling Climate Change”Heatherwick Studio Unveils Vision for Rippled Hourglass Shopping Center in Seoul
UK architecture firm Heatherwick Studio has unveiled its design for the transformation of the Hanwha Galleria shopping center in Seoul, introducing striking volumes that resemble “rippled hourglasses.” Located at a major crossroad near the Han River, the existing structures will be replaced with two nearly identical buildings made of curved glass.
The innovative design aims to “redefine the store’s connection to the local area,” according to Heatherwick Studio. Developed in collaboration with local studio Haeahn Architecture and city authorities, the distinctive shape of the buildings is crafted to frame views of the nearby river.
Continue reading… “Heatherwick Studio Unveils Vision for Rippled Hourglass Shopping Center in Seoul”Seoul Twin Eye: A Marvel of Innovation and Tradition Set to Redefine the Skyline
In a city where tradition intersects with innovation, the collaborative efforts of UNStudio, Arup, and local firm Heerim Architecture are about to unveil a groundbreaking architectural wonder—the Seoul Twin Eye. Poised proudly at Sangam World Cup Park in Seoul, this spokeless Ferris wheel marks a significant step forward in architectural achievement.
The brainchild of the Mayor’s visionary initiative, ‘Han River with a Thousand Sunsets,’ the Seoul Twin Eye stands as a symbol of unity, progress, and innovation. Soaring to a height of 180 meters, it is poised to become the world’s tallest spokeless Ferris wheel, gracing the banks of the Han River.
Continue reading… “Seoul Twin Eye: A Marvel of Innovation and Tradition Set to Redefine the Skyline”Unused rooftop space transformed into stunning sustainable farm
The Thammasat University Rooftop Farm measures roughly 236,800 sq ft (22,000 sq m), making it the largest organic rooftop farm in Asia
The Thammasat University Rooftop Farm (or TURF), by Landprocess, puts an abandoned rooftop area belonging to Thammasat University’s Rangsit Campus to fine use as an organic farm. The project incorporates solar power and rainwater collection, and is used to teach sustainable farming techniques.
Continue reading… “Unused rooftop space transformed into stunning sustainable farm”
World’s tallest prefab skyscrapers will rise in Singapore — but they’re being built in Malaysia
A pair of skyscrapers are set to become the tallest prefabricated buildings in the world.
And while the two 192-meter-tall (630 feet) towers will rise in densely populated Singapore, large parts of the structures are being built over the border in Malaysia.
The residential project, named Avenue South Residences, will see 988 apartments formed from almost 3,000 vertically stacked “modules.” The firm behind the project, ADDP Architects, says the building method, known as Prefabricated Prefinished Volumetric Construction (PPVC), is less labor-intensive and can help reduce waste and noise pollution.
Goodbye to open office spaces? How experts are rethinking the workplace.
The coronavirus pandemic is exacerbating workers’ worries about returning to jobs in these often debated floor plans.
DISTRACTING, INTRUSIVE, AND now a potential health hazard. The list of grievances against crowded open office floor plans is mounting, and as state officials mull how to safely reopen offices shuttered by the coronavirus, some people are wondering whether the design is on its way out the door.
“Before [the coronavirus outbreak], I requested to move to a corner desk to kind of get away from the coworkers who were more social and talkative,” says Ayla Larick, an employee at a Texas insurance broker. Larick is set to return to her office on May 1, as Texas reopens non-essential businesses, though her asthma puts her at heightened risk for COVID-19 complications, and she’s requested an extension to work remotely.
“I am a little nervous about returning, only because I’m less than six feet away from three other people the entire time I’m working on my computer,” she says.
Most companies are only just beginning to think about how they might change their corporate workspaces, with some experts saying the open floor plan could be redone with better consideration for personal space and stricter cleaning schedules. Others, however, say the pandemic is the final straw for the open office.
Continue reading… “Goodbye to open office spaces? How experts are rethinking the workplace.”
10 ways COVID-19 could change office design
COVID-19 has upended working life, changing how and where people do their jobs.
Millions of people in China have returned to work, and other countries are considering easing lockdowns in phases.
Organizations should plan how to adapt offices to comply with social distancing rules.
Real estate company Cushman & Wakefield has designed an office where workers can keep six feet apart.
But with governments and companies around the world looking to ease lockdowns, minimizing virus transmission at work is now at the top of many organizations’ agendas.
Continue reading… “10 ways COVID-19 could change office design”
The visual trends that will define 2020
The creative industries help to define the look of an era. As much as architecture and literature have an enormous impact, the style and flavour of a decade is primarily decided by the creatives. While that’s a privilege, it is also a responsibility that means creatives must be the ones to constantly push themselves to try new things. After all, nothing’s worse than stagnation.
That’s especially true in the media and marketing world. Too often brands find themselves playing catch-up with the trends being created for younger audiences, instead of working with them collaboratively. That risks alienating savvy millennial and Generation Z consumers, who recognise when they’re being sold to.
In order for marketers and creatives to stay abreast of visual trends,The Drum, in conversation with Adobe Stock and Dentsu in their latest webinar, will draw from Adobe’s 2020 Creative Trends report and explore some of the most important visual trends and sub trends for the year.
Continue reading… “The visual trends that will define 2020”
These luxury prefabs are going fully off-grid
Dvele homes will now come with a new thermal enevelop, solar power, and a backup battery system
High-end prefab home builder Dvele just got a little more high-tech—and eco-conscious. The San Diego-based company, which is known for its luxury prefab designs, announced this week that it would start exclusively building fully self-powered homes going forward.
Since its founding in 2017, Dvele has branded itself as a sustainable option in the prefab space, but its new initiative takes it a step further with homes that run entirely on solar power and stored energy. Dvele’s models are similar to other eco-minded prefab homes in that a major focus is to limit the amount of wasted energy produced in the first place.
Continue reading… “These luxury prefabs are going fully off-grid”
From privacy booths to smart parking garages: These photos show what offices of the future will look like
Technology has dramatically changed where, when and how people work. Another contributing factor that isn’t as sexy but is arguably just as influential for the working world: the rising price of commercial real estate.
As the cost of traditional 10- to 15-year office leases has ticked up nationwide, corporate tenants who want to be able to scale quickly are turning to shorter and less costly 1- to 5-year leases where they can add (or reduce) square footage at a much faster pace. As a result, flexible and co-working spaces are now the fastest-growing type of office space in commercial real estate. They currently comprise less than 5% of the market and are expected to make up 30% by 2030, according to real-estate company JLL.
CNBC Make It spoke with experts in the office design space for what workers can expect in 2020 and beyond.
NOTE: For more information about Colony Workspace at the DaVinci Institute in Westminster, Colorado, please go to ColonyWorkspace.com.
