A rush of water unleashed by an ailing glacier swelled an Alaska river to record levels Tuesday and caused destructive flooding in Juneau nearly a year to the date of a similar significant event.
More than 100 homes have been damaged or impacted by the so-called glacial lake outburst flooding along the Mendenhall River in the Mendenhall Valley, according to city officials, who characterized the flood severity as “unprecedented.”
Glacial lake outbursts happen when a lake of melting snow and ice and rain “drains rapidly – like pulling out the plug in a full bathtub” after pooling up so high it overtops the glacier that holds it back, the city of Juneau said in a news release.
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📷: USGS; Richard Ross/AP
Sustainable construction is entering the mainstream with new models proving that low carbon design and resource efficiency in construction can operate at scale. The 113‑home Zero Bills neighbourhood in Epping Forest integrates energy generation and storage into the fabric of housing, redefining sustainable building design through a decentralised microgrid that removes household energy bills for at least ten years. This approach demonstrates how net zero carbon buildings can merge renewable building materials, circular economy strategies and life cycle thinking in construction into practical delivery.
UKGBC’s latest Trends Report identifies a shift from climate declarations to tangible delivery, with sustainable building practices judged by disclosure and performance metrics including life cycle cost. This data-driven transition aligns with emerging frameworks for BREEAM v7 and net zero whole life carbon assessments, enhancing accountability across investors and developers.
Water management is being reframed as critical infrastructure in sustainable urban development. Integrated sustainable drainage systems are now core to eco-friendly construction, mitigating both drought and flood risk while advancing green infrastructure and whole life carbon optimisation. The move from isolated interventions to systems-based eco-design for buildings is reinforcing resilience within local planning policy.
Government investment through Great British Railways and bus network upgrades is generating a procurement pipeline that can embed carbon neutral construction and sustainable material specification. These programmes present opportunities to demonstrate circular construction strategies, environmental product declarations (EPDs) and low embodied carbon materials in major works.
International collaboration through InnovateUkraine extends UK expertise in environmental sustainability in construction to post-conflict resilience. The £17 million investment will foster modular, low carbon building systems designed for rapid deployment and rebuild, advancing circular economy in construction principles and end-of-life reuse in construction.
Global data from the United Nations reinforces the urgency of decarbonising the built environment. The environmental impact of construction—through embodied carbon, operational emissions and unaccounted waste—carries quantifiable social and economic costs. Zero Bills housing and similar models show how sustainable design, life cycle cost evaluation and whole life carbon consideration can transform the industry from aspiration to accountable delivery.
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