I think it was the science fiction writer Harry Harrison who first proposed the idea of genetically engineered buildings: you plant a seed, and in 24 hours it grows into the building you want, according to the design embedded in the seed. This summer, a step towards that idea will be built in New York. A new cooling tower is …
Category archives: Housing
Climate change and human survival
Even the British Medical Journal is talking about climate change. “The IPCC has already concluded that it is ‘virtually certain that human influence has warmed the global climate system’ and … its new report outlines the future threats of… increased scarcity of food and fresh water; extreme weather events; rise in sea level; loss of …
Straw buildings cut energy bills by 90%
Better living doesn’t have to be high-tech or expensive. Residents of a new housing development in Yorkshire are paying only a tenth of their previous energy bills, by living in homes built from straw. The pre-fabricated panels used to construct the buildings were developed at Bath university.
Biomimicry in architecture
It is the thesis of permabusiness that by working with nature’s patterns we will not only create a system is less bad than the one we have today, but actually create one that is better. Biomimicry (copying nature) is clearly part of that and this book review predicts that biomimicry in architecture “will produce not …