New concrete recipe enables the material to absorb CO2 twice as fast
Concrete is the most widely used material in the world. And as you might know already, it’s also one with a gargantuan environmental footprint, producing over eight percent of the world’s CO2 emissions. What’s less known about this binding material, however, is that it can also capture CO2 Read More...
This company uses coffee and plastic waste to build affordable homes
Coffee husks — the coffee bean skins that come off during the roasting process — are one of the main types of coffee production waste, which often becomes a source of potent greenhouse gas emissions when they enter the landfill. In a bid to divert them from becoming waste, a company in Read More...
Could mushroom bricks replace cement bricks?
A tenth of global carbon emissions is made up of building materials and construction. That’s why engineers are in search of better alternatives to polluting materials such as cement bricks, which require a whole lot of energy to produce and winds up in the landfill at the end of their lifecycle. Read More...
Startup gives ex-cons a second chance while upcycling construction waste
One year ago, industrial commercial designer Sasha Plotitsa launched Formr, a startup that repurposes waste while transforming the lives of formerly incarcerated people, so that both have a second chance. Plotitsa’s father was a contractor, so he spent a lot of time on job sites while he was Read More...
New bike lane construction bill in D.C. aims to boost cycling and safety
Last September, Washington D.C. passed the Vision Zero Enhancement Omnibus Amendment Act of 2019. The law, modeled after one in Cambridge, Massachusetts, takes a novel approach to designated bike lane development and is expected to boost bicycle use and safety in the city. How does it work? Let’s Read More...
Executive order shuts down construction of Keystone XL pipeline
In a major win for Native American tribes and environmental activists, an executive order was signed last week to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline permit and shut down the construction of the pipeline immediately. This may be the final chapter in what has become a notorious political game of Read More...
3D-printed buildings are reaching new heights in Germany
Earlier this month, we shared a story out of Belgium where a construction called Kamp C revealed the first 3D-printed two-story home. Although it is thought to be the biggest 3D-printed structure in the world right now, it won’t hold that title for long as architects in Germany are currently Read More...
San Francisco becomes latest city to ditch gas in new buildings
We recently discussed how Ojai, California is banning gas in new construction. Now, a much bigger city is tossing their hat in the gas-free ring. San Francisco’s board of supervisors unanimously voted this week to ban gas in new buildings, making it the second-largest city in the country to do so Read More...
This bridge in Montreal is made of 70,000 recycled glass bottles
A construction project in Montreal, Canada has taken bridge building to a whole new level: adding recycled glass to the concrete mix. In what the city calls a world first, the Darwin bridge construction project on Nuns’ Island in Montreal has given a second life to more than 70,000 recycled wine Read More...
Oakland-based startup is 3D-printing homes in 24 hours
We have previously written about a nonprofit called New Story that was building the world’s first 3D-printed neighborhood for impoverished people in Mexico. Now, we present to you a startup that is taking 3D-printing to another level when it comes to homebuilding. The startup, Mighty Buildings, Read More...