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How Asia's 5,000-year-old rice terraces are inspiring modern flood control

Xiaoying You

August 06, 2024 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Thailand, Bangkok

Architects across Asia are taking inspiration from a traditional form of agriculture called rice terraces to create flood-resilient infrastructure in cities that lack places for excess water to go. In Bangkok, for example, a university’s roof mimics the step-like design, and the water it holds is used to grow rice.

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How Frankfurt Harnesses Local Wind Currents for Urban Cooling

Jana Randow Laura Millan

August 03, 2024 |

Bloomberg |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Germany, Frankfurt

Frankfurt is changing the way it designs its buildings to adapt to extreme heat. The city works with urban climatology researchers to ensure new housing and skyscrapers won’t impact the wind corridors that keep residents cool, and it promotes practices like installing green roofs.

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As temperatures in India break records, ancient terracotta air coolers are helping fight extreme heat

Kamala Thiagarajan

May 31, 2024 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India

Artists, architects, and urban designers in India are reimagining the ancient practice of cooling water in terracotta pots to create terracotta structures that cool the air nearby during extreme heat.

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Giving buildings a new, green lease on life

Krithiga Narayanan

February 02, 2024 |

Deutsche Welle (DW) |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: India, Chennai

An architect in Chennai, India, is retrofitting private residences and public buildings to be more sustainable. They make changes like installing energy-efficient upgrades, solar panels, improved ventilation, and low-flow plumbing fixtures to reduce water and energy consumption.

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Houses that breathe: Vietnamese architects turning the tide to tackle climate change

Nhung Nguyen

January 15, 2024 |

Mekong Eye |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Vietnam

Architects in Vietnam are creating climate-resilient buildings with nature-based designs and materials that adapt to the local weather to reduce the building’s emissions throughout its lifespan by naturally regulating the temperature.

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What the Golden Gate Is (Finally) Doing About Suicides

John Branch

November 05, 2023 |

The New York Times |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

In an effort to reduce the staggering number of suicides each year off the Golde Gate Bridge, the city is installing 3 ½ miles of stainless steel nets strung end to end on both sides of the bridge. While it’s not a perfect solution, this “suicide deterrent system” has already proven successful at reducing the number of deaths each year.

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How ancient 'skywells' are keeping Chinese homes cool

Xiaoying You

July 13, 2023 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: China

Architects in China are drawing inspiration from the ancient practice of building skywells, and restoring old ones, as a low-carbon way to keep homes cool in modern times. Skywells are rectangular tunnels in the middle of a building that function similarly to a chimney, allowing cool air from outside to flow in and push the warmer air out.

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Campaña del mes: señalá la falta de accesibilidad arquitectónica y ayudá a derribar barreras

David Flier

April 25, 2023 |

Red/Acción |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Argentina, Buenos Aires

Acceso Ya trabaja desde 2004 señalando los obstáculos físicos que afrontan quienes tienen movilidad reducida. Cuenta con un centro de denuncias con el cual podés señalar lugares de la ciudad de Buenos Aires en los que no pueden circular personas con movilidad reducida.

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How Catholic institutions are building sustainability into aging infrastructure

Brian Roewe

January 10, 2023 |

EarthBeat |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Kansas City, Missouri

Instead of demolishing a campus building in need of many renovations Rockhurst University repurposed it. The focus on sustainability during the rebuild made it the most energy-efficient building on campus and prevented the release of the carbon embedded in its concrete.

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The Clever Architectural Feature That Makes Life on Bermuda Possible

Luke Fater

March 31, 2021 |

Atlas Obscura |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Bermuda

There is no natural freshwater source on Bermuda, so residents turn to rainfall as a way to fulfill their water needs. The white limestone Bermuda roofs are used to catch and redirect rain into underground tanks that serve as their primary source of freshwater. Droughts happen, which has led to other solutions, but the limestone roofs are still primarily their largest source of freshwater.

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