news 2023

An industry survey has found Australian architects are worried about the climate crisis and frustrated by barriers to action but are confident the profession can contribute to a sustainable future.

First of its kind AI-model can help policymakers efficiently identify and prioritize houses for retrofitting and other decarbonizing measures. This is the first time that AI has been trained to identify hard-to-decarbonize buildings Ronita Bardhan 'Hard-to-decarbonize' (HtD) houses are responsible for over a quarter of all direct housing emissions - a major obstacle to achieving net zero - but are rarely identified or targeted for improvement.

The MyCampus system will be trialled in six buildings from 6 November, before being rolled out across UCL. Staff and students can report maintenance issues and track progress. What do I need to know?  MyCampus is an integrated workplace management system (IWMS), of the type used by many large organisations, which provides a single source of truth for all Estates data to inform decision-making on the operational requirements of UCL's estate.

CITRIS and the Banatao Institute Creating information technology solutions for society's most pressing challenges An alliance between UC Berkeley researchers and academic and industry partners in Singapore has demonstrated that combining ceiling fans with higher air conditioning set points can lower energy use by one-third - without sacrificing occupant comfort.

Researchers set out to achieve passive cooling inside naturally conditioned buildings in hot, arid climates As the planet gets hotter, the need for cool living environments is becoming more urgent. But air conditioning is a major contributor to global warming since units use potent greenhouse gases and lots of energy.

Embracing the Rural Exception Site planning policy can significantly increase the delivery of affordable homes in the English countryside, while maintaining the community's local character, finds a new report by researchers from UCL and the English Rural Housing Association. The report, titled Land, Landowners, and the Delivery of Affordable Homes in Rural Areas , outlines the housing affordability issues facing rural towns and parishes, and highlights how greater use of the already-established Rural Exception Site policy could help deliver much needed affordable homes.

Paolo Tombesi has rewritten an important part of the history of this gem of Australian architecture.

Two University of Luxembourg researchers of the Master in Architecture programme and the Department of Geography and Spatial Planning, Francelle Cane and Marija Maric, were selected to represent Luxembourg at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale with their project titled - Down to Earth -. The Luxembourg Pavilion opened on 18 May in Sale d'Armi, Arsenale, as a part of this year's edition of La Biennale - The Laboratory of the Future - curated by Lesley Lokko.

Modern brick facades mostly consist of homogeneous bricks. The Keller companies and HSLU researchers have developed a production process for bricks that opens up completely new design possibilities for architects. The joint Innosuisse research project arose from an award-winning thesis in the Master Design at HSLU.

Research tracks geographic patterns of rising costs and declining housing affordability Frontline workers in essential public services play a critical role in our cities, but new research shows it's becoming more difficult for essential workers to live within reasonable commuting distance of their workplace.

Financial firms have moved in on Montreal's rental housing market New research indicates that a small percentage of financial landlords, like private equity firms and institutional investors, own four times more of Montreal's rental housing stock than was previously estimated. Neighbourhoods with more financial landlords are also experiencing higher housing stress levels.

Architects at EPFL have developed a new, multi-criteria evaluation method to support better decision-making for the redevelopment of brownfield sites in Geneva, Sion and elsewhere along the Rhone.

Research shows how data and staff expertise play a vital role in ensuring sustainable buildings deliver on their promise to put clean energy back into the grid Office buildings are typically not energy efficient, and globally they contribute to nearly a third of greenhouse gas emissions from construction to end of life.

Loneliness is more than just a personal problem. Drs Jennifer Kent, Emily Rugel and Marlee Bower explore how the places in which we live, work and play can be an important factor in fostering connections and building relationships. If you're feeling lonely, you're not alone. Loneliness is an  increasingly common experience , and it can have severe consequences.

Inspired by the dynamic colour-changing skin of organisms such as squid, University of Toronto researchers have developed a multilayered fluidic system that can reduce the energy costs of heating, cooling and lighting buildings. The platform, which optimizes the wavelength, intensity and dispersion of light transmitted through windows, offers much greater control than existing technologies while keeping costs low due to its use of simple, off-the-shelf components.

The newest research centre at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering will develop innovative ways to meet the urgent and growing need for infrastructure - without further exacerbating the climate crisis. The Centre for the Sustainable Built Environment brings together seven researchers from across University of Toronto, as well as a dozen companies in construction and related industries.