Is it possible to build cities that are resilient to earthquakes and flooding? Architecture firm Foster + Partners hopes to do just that with its climate-first master plan for the city of Antakya, in southeastern Turkey.
More than 50,000 people died and millions more were displaced when two earthquakes of magnitude 7.8 and 7.5 rocked the country's southern region and northern Syria on February 6 last year. The United Nations put the rebuild cost for the region at more than $100 billion.
The city of Antakya (historically known as Antioch), capital of Hatay Province, was one of the worst hit in Turkey, with almost 80% of buildings reportedly damaged beyond repair.
It was devastation "beyond imagination," according to Nicola Scaranaro of Foster + Partners. The architectural firm last month published its master plan to not only rebuild and revitalize the city, but to "future proof" it against earthquakes, flooding and other natural disasters.
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📸: Artist rendering courtesy the Türkiye Design Council | Hassan Ayadi / AFP via Getty Images
Sustainable construction is accelerating towards measurable decarbonisation as innovation, policy, and supply chain governance begin to align. In London, bio‑based wallboards such as Adaptavate’s Breathaboard—used in Legal & General’s new headquarters—demonstrate how low embodied carbon materials with environmental product declarations (EPDs) are entering large‑scale deployment. This marks a shift from theory to delivery in eco‑friendly construction and underscores the importance of Whole Life Carbon Assessment across sustainable building design.
UK policy now links agriculture and the built environment through a £240 million expansion of the Sustainable Farming Incentive, improving soil health and cutting reliance on high‑carbon fertilisers. These measures support decarbonising the built environment and address the embodied carbon in materials central to net zero Whole Life Carbon targets. As scrutiny of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol exposes inconsistencies in corporate carbon reporting, reliable lifecycle assessment frameworks are becoming critical to verifying low carbon building outcomes and aligning procurement with sustainable material specification.
Growth in renewables, driven by projections of a fourfold expansion in offshore wind capacity by 2035, is reshaping operational emissions and strengthening the foundation for carbon neutral construction and energy‑efficient buildings designed under BREEAM V7 guidelines. This integration of renewable building materials and design principles reflects a more mature phase in the industry’s evolution towards net zero carbon buildings and a functioning Circular Economy in construction.
The sector’s trajectory points towards verified performance, where Whole Life Carbon, Life Cycle Cost, and transparent building lifecycle performance replace aspirations with measurable delivery. The transition from demonstration to large‑scale adaptation defines modern environmental sustainability in construction, confirming that the next decade will test implementation rather than intent across every level of sustainable building practices and green construction worldwide.
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