Green Building

For most of architectural history, buildings served their environmental function despite rather than in harmony with natural systems. Construction consumed vast material resources. Manufacturing processes generated substantial emissions and waste. Completed structures often proved thermally inefficient, requiring continuous mechanical...

Bridges represent some of humanity’s most ambitious engineering achievements—structures spanning vast distances while supporting extraordinary loads under dynamic and often harsh environmental conditions. Traditional bridge construction has relied upon steel and concrete—materials perfected over generations, understood thoroughly, and standardized...

The construction industry stands at a critical juncture where environmental imperatives have transitioned from optional consideration to fundamental business necessity. Buildings account for over 40 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions throughout their complete lifecycle—from material extraction and manufacturing...

Throughout history, material science advances have enabled architectural breakthroughs. Bronze enabled durable weapons and tools. Iron enabled longer spans and greater heights. Steel revolutionized skyscraper development. Concrete democratized infrastructure availability to populations worldwide. Today, another materials revolution unfolds through...

Researchers have gone ahead and developed a method repurposing agricultural and industrial waste into low-cost, durable bricks and tiles, which, by the way, outperform traditional materials, thereby decreasing both production costs and carbon emissions, while at the same time...

The Fragmented Construction Paradigm Construction’s value chain remains remarkably fragmented despite decades of industry evolution. Manufacturers, suppliers, contractors, and project owners operate with limited information sharing and coordination. This fragmentation reflects historical practices developed when communication technologies restricted real-time collaboration....

The Construction Industry’s Carbon Reckoning The built environment accounts for approximately 39% of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, with construction activities and building operations representing the largest contributors to atmospheric carbon accumulation. This sobering reality has catalyzed unprecedented industry transformation....