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Climate-Positive Architecture Has Arrived In Norway

Tracey Lindeman

December 13, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Norway, Trondheim

Powerhouse, a collective of architects, engineers, environmentalists, and designers based in Oslo, reimagines building design to address climate change. Not only are many of their structures energy-neutral, but they actually produce surplus energy. For example, Powerhouse Brattørkaia in Trondheim is an eight-story office that will generate 485,000 kWh annually. Such "energy-positive" building has made great strides in Norway.

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How the Ghana ThinkTank Challenges the White Savior Complex

Sara Rose Sharp

November 27, 2018 |

Hyperallergic |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

The Ghana ThinkTank connects planners in the so-called “first world” to planners in the so-called “third world” to challenge notions of development and spread ideas from overlooked sources. For a recent project, planners in Detroit worked with a think tank in Morocco to adapt a staple of Moroccan architecture to promote the use of public space.

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House That! Your Dream Home Could Be Made Out of Plastic

Deepa Padmanaban

November 25, 2018 |

News18 India |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Hyderabad, Telangana

A social entrepreneur in India is taking plastic waste and using it to make housing structures. Prashanth Lingam takes the waste and turns it into roofing sheets, tiles, and other objects. For example, he built a house for parking staff at a local metro station and 5 million plastic bags were used just on the roof. The cost of these structures are higher than regular houses, but repurposing plastic into other objects could be a potential sustainability solution for the country.

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Calgary's New Public Library Opens with Ambition and Style

Tim Querengesser

November 07, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Canada, Calgary

In Calgary, the new Central Library does more than just provide a beautiful space in which to read books. It also provides a place to access technology and acts as a connection space between the more and less affluent areas surrounding it. Though the architecture and design are impressive, some might say the most lasting impact is that “ this space unambiguously welcomes anyone from either side of the tracks.”

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Houses intact after Hurricane Michael were often saved by low-cost reinforcements

Patricia Sullivan

October 17, 2018 |

The Washington Post |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Blountstown, Florida

Small, cost-effective improvements to home construction were often the difference between houses that suffered small amounts of damage from Florida hurricanes and those that were destroyed. Knowing to ask for extra nails, strong windows, and hurricane clips for their roof, home owners can not only save their homes but save money from decreased insurance and energy costs.

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Beyond Hot Wings: How Architecture Is Helping Buffalo Make Its Comeback

Joseph Darius Jaafari

October 13, 2018 |

NationSwell |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Buffalo, New York

Buffalo uses its historic architecture to attract international visitors. The city offers tax credits to developers who remodel and renovate old buildings. The effort also helps attract young people back to the city.

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Lessons From A School Without Walls

Daisy Yuhas

October 02, 2018 |

Bright Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Denmark, Copenhagen

A school near Copenhagen, Denmark utilizes a unique open floor plan - no walls and no separate classrooms - to help advance their mission of "personalized learning," a holistic approach to education that emphasizes student freedom and empowerment. While some students (and teachers) love the system, it isn't an approach for everyone; throughout the years it's been open, they school has made changes and adjustments using feedback and new ideas.

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This building designed to flood is a glimpse of things to come

Katharine Schwab

September 28, 2018 |

FastCompany |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: India, Mumbai

At a factory in Mumbai, clever design and “resilient architecture” join together to form the “Concrete Void,” a space designed to hold water during India’s monsoon season. Rather than trying to keep the water out, the architect designed the factory such that this Concrete Void, positioned below the higher level of the factory, holds water in the rainy season. In the off-season, it functions as an amphitheater space for workers to gather. As climate change becomes more of a threat, more types of this resilient architecture are expected to be created.

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Why your favorite bench might be there to thwart a terrorist attack

Katherine Shaver

August 27, 2018 |

The Washington Post |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

How do you make a public space inviting so people will gather, but also safe from the growing danger of attackers using vehicles to ram large numbers of people? Many cities have responded to such attacks with concrete bollards and other barriers. But designers and architects are increasingly innovating other options that protect people via planters, fountains, trees, bike racks, steps and traffic calming designs to stop or slow down vehicles.

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Can community design take the loneliness and angst out of aging?

Erika Fredrickson

July 19, 2018 |

Missoula Independent |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Missoula, Montana

By 2025, 25% of Montana’s population is expected to be over the age of 65. Bill Thomas and Kavan Peterson are two leaders in approaching how to improve the experience of aging, in Montana and around the globe. They have tried many approaches, but what unites them all is using creative design tactics to make a more positive living experience for the elderly. By focusing on integrating architecture, culture, and technology, nursing homes can be transformed, loneliness can decrease, and aging people’s quality of health and life can improve.

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