"If pollinators designed gardens, what would humans see?" Over a video call, the London-based artist Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg is talking about "Pollinator Pathmaker," an online tool she developed that allows users to design gardens for the benefit of pollinating insects, such as bees — many species of which are facing extinction. The planting designs are generated using an algorithm that prioritizes flowering plants that pollinators like to feed on, and the project has resulted in flower-filled gardens around the world, which Ginsberg calls "living artworks."
The project is one of many on show at "More than Human," an exhibition at the Design Museum in London, running until October 5. Exploring the interconnected relationship between humans and animals, plants and other living beings, the exhibition showcases ideas for how to live in better harmony with the natural world.
Bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, wasps and hummingbirds, are essential for maintaining biodiversity and the health of the Earth's ecosystems. But bee populations have been declining.
"One of the main causes of declines (of pollinators) is landscape change and the decline of flowers in anthropogenic landscapes," said Harland Patch, an assistant research professor in the department of entomology at Pennsylvania State University and co-author of "The Lives of Bees." Scientists attribute the loss of natural, biodiverse habitat to climate change, pollution, pesticides and human-driven development.
Read more at the link in @cnnstyle's bio.
📸: Irina Boersma; Royston Hunt/Courtesy Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg Ltd; Harland Patch; Luke Hayes/Courtesy Design Museum; Maiju Suomi; Courtesy Layer; Gamaliel Mendez Garcia/SFER IK Museum; SFER IK Museum
Sustainable construction is transitioning from concept to systemic implementation, where water management, land scarcity and resource efficiency are dictating the principles of sustainable building design. Developers across the US Mountain West are applying whole life carbon assessment and lifecycle assessment methodologies to guide construction that reflects environmental sustainability in construction practice. These models prioritise embodied carbon reduction, low carbon design and life cycle cost optimisation to enhance building lifecycle performance and ensure projects achieve measurable sustainability outcomes.
Corporate redevelopment pipelines are shifting toward net zero carbon buildings, integrating eco‑design for buildings and sustainable building practices that embed resource efficiency in construction processes. The large‑scale modernisation of major technology campuses demonstrates that sustainable architecture informed by whole life carbon and embodied carbon in materials can deliver both operational excellence and long‑term value. Strategic procurement of renewable building materials and implementation of low embodied carbon materials are reinforcing circular economy in construction models that support carbon footprint reduction and circular construction strategies.
The housing sector is adopting sustainable material specification principles, with mixed‑income and high‑performance developments achieving BREEAM and BREEAM v7 standards while addressing whole life performance. Such schemes align with life cycle thinking in construction, proving that environmental product declarations (EPDs) and low carbon building methods can achieve both affordability and environmental credibility.
Post‑disaster rebuilding efforts in Indian townships are revealing the cost-effectiveness of nature‑based planning and green infrastructure compared to reactive reconstruction. Investments in eco‑friendly construction are highlighting that resilience demands integration of circular economy principles and decarbonising the built environment.
Amid uneven global decarbonisation, supply chains are evolving to accommodate low carbon construction materials and net zero whole life carbon benchmarks. The most competitive teams are uniting green construction and sustainable urban development approaches that measure the environmental impact of construction and demonstrate continual carbon footprint of construction reduction. By embedding circular economy frameworks into the design, delivery and end‑of‑life reuse in construction, the sector is progressing toward authentic carbon neutral construction and a built environment driven by sustainability and long‑term performance.
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