Underwater construction is a complex and difficult task, but engineers have developed several ways to build underwater … mostly by not building underwater at all.
Innovative materials and modular buildings offer New Zealand a way to build back better after Cyclone Gabrielle. But to do this, we need to develop the framework to support the new approach.
As more companies feature wood and other bio-based products in their offices, what are opportunities and limitations of making corporate net-zero carbon pledges about building materials?
Building collapses in Lagos are a frequent occurence.
US UTOMI EKPEI/AFP via Getty Images
Current building codes do not include the most efficient way to keep houses standing and intact during tornadoes.
Bendable concrete created at the University of Michigan allows for thinner structures with less need for steel reinforcement.
Joseph Xu/University of Michigan College of Engineering
Researchers are developing ways to lock captured CO2 into cement. It could help rebuild America’s crumbling infrastructure and deal with climate change at the same time.
Glass windows like these could be replaced with wood.
Shutterstock/Visions-AD
Treating wood with bleach can make it transparent.
In a year tied for the warmest on record globally, the U.S. was hit with costly hurricanes, wildfires, storms and drought.
AP Photo/Noah Berger and Gerald Herbert
NOAA released its list of climate and weather disasters that cost the nation more than $1 billion each. Like many climate and weather events this past year, it shattered the record.
A building designed to be easily taken apart so the components can be reused is a model for much less wasteful construction. It reduces resource use and environmental impacts, and can be cheaper too.