Renovating Carbon: Re-imagining the Carbon Form

(Paperback)

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Carbon is everywhere in the soil, in the air, in life. Carbon is the foundation of architecture and the built environment. Carbon is also infamous for intensifying the climate catastrophes around us. And architects by the nature of their education and practice are transforming this carbon into the built environment.

Twelve critical essays in this book present a constellation of voices surrounding carbon and its relationship with architecture, renovation, material, form, and design pedagogy. The renovation of two buildings on the Equator at the School of Design and Environment (SDE), National University of Singapore; serve as the protagonists for these reflections. The essays raise key questions on the values embedded in the architecture of architecture schools. What principles might a low-carbon future embody What do renovations mean for rapidly urbanising Asia How can they transform the relationship between climate and architecture on the Equator Do they demand new equatorial forms How can material innovations influence their design How can the design of architecture schools influence a new generation of architects towards a sustainable future These and other questions are set forth within while illustrating the models of thought that have shaped the architecture of SDE 1 & 3, offering ways to sustainably transform carbon in the context of our warming world.

Author Bio

Erik LHeureux FAIA is a Vice Dean, Master of Architecture Programme Director and Deans Chair Associate Professor at the School of Design and Environment, National University of Singapore, teaching a new generation of architects to be committed to the complexities and potentials of architecture located along the equator. His design research combines passive performance, pattern, and simplicity as a poetic response towards the equatorial hot, wet climate and a dense urban context. His design work and contribution to the discipline has been recognised by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), being elevated to the College of Fellows, AIA in 2020, and his buildings have won several AIA New York and SARA Design Awards among others.

Giovanni Cossu is a sustainable development professional and associate director at the National University of Singapore (NUS). With experience in real estate and sustainability services, he is part of the senior management group at the NUS School of Design and Environment (SDE) where he oversees and manages a portfolio of campus redevelopment projects, sustainable finance and corporate sustainability initiatives.