Browsed by
Category: Uncategorized

RECENT NSF GRANT TO REHAB VACANT HOMES IN DETROIT DEMONSTRATES ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

RECENT NSF GRANT TO REHAB VACANT HOMES IN DETROIT DEMONSTRATES ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

In October 2024, a group of researchers from the University of Michigan’s Taubman College won a grant from the National Science Foundation(NSF) to rehab vacant homes in Detroit. Led by Sharon Haar and titled “Rehab for America: Housing Resilience for Detroit Communities,” the initiative will help address the housing affordability crisis by restoring abandoned homes in Detroit, which has approximately 7,000 vacant properties. Team members will work to improve communication strategies with the Detroit Land Bank Authority (DLBA), streamline construction…

Read More Read More

Examples of Socially Responsible Architecture

Examples of Socially Responsible Architecture

Architects should consider how their buildings affect the way people live. They need to create spaces that help to improve social well-being, promote inclusivity, and encourage equity in the community. Buildings should have safe and inclusive public spaces that promote social change.  Erecting new buildings or renovating existing ones can revitalize a community. Architects can refresh a community that has been in decline, creating a more vibrant environment for its members.  For example, the Social Bite Village in Scotland addresses…

Read More Read More

Recent Environmentally and Socially Responsible Buildings That Have Won Accolades

Recent Environmentally and Socially Responsible Buildings That Have Won Accolades

In 4/23, COTE (The American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment) awarded HGA a Top Ten Award, the industry’s highest honor for sustainable design, for designing the Westwood Hills Nature Center, located in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. The honor was awarded for coupling design excellence with environmental achievement.  The Westwood Hills Nature Center functions as an interpretive retreat center. It’s located in the center of a 160-acre park; prairies, forests, marshes, and a lake surround it. Used for environmental…

Read More Read More

Architecture in Copenhagen – Voted the World’s Most Sustainable City

Architecture in Copenhagen – Voted the World’s Most Sustainable City

In 2021, Copenhagen was voted the world’s most sustainable city by TimeOut. Architects in this city are conscious of the types of resources they use in constructing new buildings, and they design new buildings to be climate resilient.  For example, the architects at BIG designed a waste-to-energy powerplant with a ski slope on its roof. Instead of burning coal or natural gas, this power plant converts 440,000 tons of waste into energy annually. In addition to the ski slope on…

Read More Read More

Using AI to Design Greener Buildings

Using AI to Design Greener Buildings

How can architects use AI (Artificial Intelligence) to be more responsible??? AI can help architects achieve sustainability goals. Computers using machine learning can analyze large amounts of data on factors such as climate conditions, building performance, and resident behavior to optimize energy use, conserve water, and reduce waste.  Energy Modeling and Simulation With AI, architects can design buildings that use less energy. AI can analyze data on energy consumption, weather, and occupant behavior and then suggest how to optimize a…

Read More Read More

Making Modern-Day Affordable Housing Design More Responsible

Making Modern-Day Affordable Housing Design More Responsible

Affordable housing, as defined by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, is housing in which the occupant pays 30% or less of gross income on total housing. This term also refers to housing assistance for low-income individuals, including those who receive housing vouchers, or housing set aside for residents below a locally-set level of income. Historically, affordable housing was characterized by tall, imposing concrete structures that discouraged community building and felt isolating. Architects today are rethinking affordable housing…

Read More Read More

Repurposing Old Buildings – France’s Post-War Public Housing

Repurposing Old Buildings – France’s Post-War Public Housing

For their three decades of work, Anne Lacaton and Jean-Phillippe Vassal won the 2021 Pritzker Architecture Prize, architecture’s highest honor. The selection committee cited their work for consistently contributing to humanity and the built environment. Their projects improve the lives of many and respond to current environmental and social urgencies, especially in the field of urban housing. Emphasizing sustainability, the pair believe firmly in the “never demolish” principle, instead favoring upgrading and transforming existing structures.  In 2011, Lacaton and Vassal…

Read More Read More

Repurposing Old Buildings – An Abandoned High School in Pennsylvania

Repurposing Old Buildings – An Abandoned High School in Pennsylvania

In 2019, Jessie Wig, together with investors, bought an old high school, which had been abandoned for 10 years, in Homestead, Pennsylvania, for $100,000 and converted it into a 31-unit apartment building. Renovations started in 2020, took 18 months to complete, and cost $3.3 million. In exchange for keeping the historical significance of the building intact, Wig and his team received historic tax credits from the state and the US government.  From a social perspective, Wig, who is a nearby…

Read More Read More

Examples of New Build Green Buildings

Examples of New Build Green Buildings

With environmental concerns leading design and construction decisions around the world, a new build’s “green” credentials have become more important.  Let’s take a look at 10 recently-constructed green buildings from around the world: Pixel Building; Melbourne, Australia; designed by Decibel Architecture Noteworthy green architectural elements: Bahrain World Trade Center 1 and 2; designed by Atkins Noteworthy green architectural elements: The Edge; Amsterdam, Netherlands; designed by PLP Architecture Noteworthy green architectural elements: Robinson Tower; Singapore; designed by Kohn Pederson Fox Associates…

Read More Read More

Why don’t we have energy efficiency ratings on properties for sale or rent in the United States like the European Union does?

Why don’t we have energy efficiency ratings on properties for sale or rent in the United States like the European Union does?

Recently, I was on vacation in France and noticed that advertisements of properties for sale contained 2 colorful charts ranking properties on a scale from A to G.  Here is an example of what I saw on every French real estate listing:  I took a picture of the charts and later used google translate to figure out what was being measured. The title in green translates to “Energetic performance,” which I assume is more correctly stated as Energy performance in…

Read More Read More