building materials
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Image by beauty_of_nature from Pixabay
Can we create 'living buildings' made of fungi? And could they help us adapt to climate change?
A team of Vancouver academics is spanning the boundary between microbiology and architecture, thanks to oyster mushrooms and other common fungi. It could help construction's environmental impact, and help with insulation and even air quality.
Newsletter
CO2 carbon and construction: Recycling materials could cut emissions
New buildings account for more than one in every 10 tons of carbon emissions worldwide, forcing the industry to change its ways.
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Growing fungus in low carbon, sustainable building materials
Two new studies show how a lightweight construction material and a fire-retardant, both made from fungi, could be safe, sustainable alternatives to the chemicals, foams, and plastics in our homes.
To ease global warming, the whitest of paints
Scientists at Purdue have created a white paint that, when applied, can reduce the surface temperature on a roof and cool the building beneath it.
Photo by Tolu Olubode on Unsplash
Embodied carbon: An increasing focus of building emissions
In Massachusetts and elsewhere, advocates and policymakers are increasingly turning their attention to “embodied carbon” in building materials.
Photo by Justin Wilkens on Unsplash
A notorious invasive plant shows promise in green construction
Imported from Japan in 1876, kudzu strangles forests and farmland throughout the South. Could it build cities instead?
Why cities want old buildings taken down gently
A growing number of US cities are adopting “deconstruction” policies that involve taking structures apart by hand in the name of sustainability.
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