Looking back at season 2 from the cutting floor
Season 2 of Ecogradia has come to an end. Before we move on, let’s take a peek at some of the talking points that didn’t make the cut in the last ten episodes. Here is what was left ‘unsaid’.
Wong Mun Summ and Richard Hassell, WOHA: (Re)Defining beauty
Can sustainable buildings be both high-performing and beautiful? In the age of social media, image is king. Is our appetite for novel forms at odds with our goals for better performance?
Alyssa-Amor Gibbons, Studio Amor: Standing up to hurricanes
Extreme weather is often a matter of life and death. How do we design for the growing frequency and ferocity of storms? Do we resist at all costs or should we build structures that give in a little to save the whole?
Herbert Dreiseitl, DREISEITLconsulting: Thinking fluid
Water is a pressing design challenge of the climate crisis. Too much or too little and we struggle to survive. What is the sweet spot where we, our cities and the ecosystems that we rely on, can thrive?
Prasoon Kumar, BillionBricks: Innovating homes for the homeless
More than a billion people are without shelter today. They could be 3 billion by 2050. Is the growing demand a giant opportunity? What if houses for those in need could produce both renewable energy and long-term profits?
Daliana Suryawinata and Florian Heinzelmann, SHAU: Being tropical
Tropical architecture: is it a perspective on place or a question of performance? How can architects from nations along the equator, like Indonesia, draw on local know-how rather than imported technology?
Kotchakorn Voraakhom, LANDPROCESS: Designing cities for water
Bangkok, Thailand’s capital, is sinking fast, like many other cities around the world. How can urbanists turn this congested megacity, threatened by flood and saltwater intrusion, into a resilient amphibious metropolis?
Bill Browning, Terrapin Bright Green: Crafting biophilic solutions
As a species, we seek closeness to nature. Designing for well-being, therefore, aims to bring nature to the heart of the built environment. But what do these ‘biophilic’ spaces feel like? And how do we set the stage to reap their benefits?
Chrisna du Plessis and Bill Reed: Regenerating life by design
Should our buildings and cities minimise harm or do ‘good’ by design? In a world already at risk, less harm is no longer enough. We must repair, regenerate and create new life. So where do we start?
Gregers Reimann, IEN Consultants: Building higher performance
What is a high-performing building? Do the two yardsticks of performance — efficiency and well-being — complement each other? If there are trade-offs, how do we prioritise?
Ashok B. Lall, Ashok B Lall Architects: Bridging the social and environmental
Can design bridge the social and the environmental? How would a building do both, effectively? Is it possible to marry beauty and wellness with intelligence and efficiency?
Ten new episodes to keep the ball rolling, starting end-January
What matters more to a sustainable future? Better buildings or better urban systems?
What do we do, where do we start, when the answer also hinges on our relationship with natural systems?
