Advancing eco-friendly materials through building policy and education

Global environmental change is the defining challenge of our age. One main contributor to this challenge is the modern built environment, which accounts for more than 40% of global energy use and as much as 35% of global emissions, particularly due to buildings’ operational phase. This environmental challenge has essential implications for social justice, where disadvantaged and traditional communities are disproportionately impacted by rising global temperatures, drought, environmental degradation, and loss of biodiversity. Furthermore, this problem is accelerating due to these communities adopting industrialized building practices and international energy guidelines that supplant vernacular design.

To address these hurdles, this line of research aims to catalyze the broader implementation of natural building materials and methods within mainstream construction, in both the educational and policy realms of the AECM world.