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.Author Archives: Ann Thorpe
Transparency for Materials
My colleague Amanda Sturgeon of the Living Building Challenge, is leading efforts to make building materials more transparent. A year ago the International Living Future Institute, parent of the Challenge, launched a new program: “Declare, the ingredients label for building products.” An important part of the Declare process is an online database of materials. Amanda… Continue Reading
From Denmark: The Index Awards
If the road could talk to you, what would it say–Dutch Smart Highway by Daan Roosegaarde and Heijmans Infrastructure. The 2013 INDEX awards were announced in Denmark recently and from 59 finalists there were several winning Designs to Improve Life. Rasberry Pie: a $25 computer for digitalizing the whole world Copenhagen Climate Adaptation Plan: pioneering… Continue Reading
Lofts in the gaps between buildings
One tenet of sustainability is to use space and material efficiently, an idea exemplified by entries in a design competition sponsored by Poland-based global skylight/roof window manufacturer FAKRO (possibly another opportunity for student design competitions). The competition, called New Vision of the Loft 2, asked entrants to “design a functional space full of natural light, using… Continue Reading
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