From our annual guide to building sustainably to our inside look at the auto industry’s carbon-fibre future, Azure‘s May issue is devoted to the rapid evolution of sustainable design.
During his State of the Union address last month, President Obama pledged to put the full weight of his executive powers behind climate change policies. But sustainable architects are way ahead of him, envisioning and building a greener future. Case in point, Lawrence Scarpa and Angela Brooks’ Green Dot School in Los Angeles. The south facade is clad entirely in solar panels, while roll-up glass doors and custom-made louvres maximize daylight, diffuse glare and reduce cooling loads. It’s one of five green projects, including a home in Montreal by Gervais Fortin and the Bullitt Center in Seattle by Miller Hull, that we feature in our guide to eco-building.
Also in this issue, we take a tour of GXN, the green-research arm of Copenhagen architecture firm 3XN, which is developing a selection of eco-materials from scratch. Its experiments include re-tooling NASA’s Aerogel as lightweight insulation for glass facades. In other material news, we find out how carbon fibre is reshaping the automotive industry, with Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagon prototyping new cars in the super-strong, ultra-lightweight material.
We also present our top product picks from IMM Cologne, the year’s first furniture extravaganza, and Toronto’s Interior Design Show, which was the launching pad for the upcoming collaboration between Nendo and Caesarstone during Milan Design Week. And we show off the best poolside and patio seating options and the latest eco-tubs and faucets.
