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Unlocking resilience and sustainability with earth-based materials: a principled framework for urban transformation
Get PDFThis paper introduces a transformative “living” hypothesis in architecture and engineering, proposing a paradigm shift from conventional design to regenerative, ecologically interconnected resilient systems. At the heart of our hypothesis is the integration of earth-bound materials and bioreceptive surfaces through metabolic exchanges that can be directly monitored via bioelectricity using advanced computational models and cooperative governance structures. This innovative approach that links the living world with natural materials and digital computing, aims to foster sustainable urban development that dynamically and meaningfully responds to ecological shifts, thereby enhancing social sustainability and environmental resilience. Founded on an active relationship with Earth Based Materials (EBMs) our work operationalises the foundational link between organic life and inorganic matter, e.g., minerals, to establish a dynamic relationship between building materials, and ecological systems drawing on the foundational metabolisms of microbes. To enable this ambitious synthesis, our work builds upon and diverges from traditional foundations by operationalizing actor-network theory, new materialism, and regenerative design principles through the application of bioelectrical microbes to “living” materials and digital twins. We propose a novel resilience framework that not only advocates for a symbiotic relationship between human habitats and natural ecosystems but also outlines practical pathways for the creation of adaptive, self-organizing built environments that are informed by data collection and metabolic feedback loops. These environments are fundamentally regenerative, dynamic, and environmentally responsive in ways that can be understood and engaged by human engineers and designers, transcending current sustainability and resilience targets through a methodology rooted in interdisciplinary collaboration. We address challenges such as regulatory barriers, lack of standardization, and perceptions of inferiority compared to conventional materials, proposing a new standardization framework adaptable to the unique properties of these materials. Our vision is supported by advanced predictive digital modelling techniques and sensors, including the integration of biofilms that generate action potentials, enabling the development of Digital Twins that respond to metabolic signals to enhance sustainability, biodiversity, and ultimately generate environmentally positive socio-economic outcomes. This paper reviews existing methodologies to establish an overview of state-of-the-art developments and offers a clear, actionable plan and recommendations for the realization of regenerative and resilient systems in urban development. It contributes a unique perspective on sustainable urban development, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach, which integrates the foundational metabolism of microbes, assisted by big biological data and artificial intelligences that act in concert to respect both the environment and the intricate dynamics of living systems
Data Cooperatives to Empower SMEs in the Construction Sector
No full textThe construction sector, characterized by a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), faces particular challenges in the digital age. Data cooperatives, such as the Bavarian Construction Data Cooperative (Bauform eG), currently being founded, represent a transformative solution by providing these SMEs with a platform to leverage their collective strength in data management, sharing and use. Initiated by GemeinWerk Ventures and supported by the Bavarian Construction Industry Association, Bauform eG provides shared services and construction data through its member companies via a digital collaboration platform. This innovative approach improves collaboration and organization within the construction value chain and aims at governance innovation to enable trustful data exchange between stakeholders and create a pre-competitive space of trust. This model promotes SME productivity and innovation through ecosystem collaboration and represents an important step in the digital transformation of the construction sector
On the heterogeneous trade and welfare effects of GATT/WTO membership
No full textWe quantify the effects of GATT/WTO membership on trade and welfare. Using an extensive database covering manufacturing trade for 186 countries over the period 1980–2016, we find that the average partial equilibrium impact of GATT/WTO membership on trade among member countries is large, positive, and significant. We contribute to the literature by estimating country-specific estimates and find them to vary widely across the countries in our sample with poorer members benefitting more. Using these estimates, we simulate the general equilibrium effects of GATT/WTO on welfare, which are sizable and heterogeneous across members. We show that countries not experiencing positive trade effects from joining GATT/WTO can still gain in terms of welfare, due to lower import prices and higher export demand
The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and its Influence on Imports from India
No full textIn its “Fit for 55” program, the European Union (EU) integrates several instruments with the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. One of the cornerstones of the program is the EU Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS), which imposes a levy on CO2 and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, thus internalizing external costs, restoring fair competition, incentivizing sustainable investment and efficiently distributing the remaining greenhouse gas budget through a cost-effective, market-oriented mechanism. This carbon pricing scheme, however, only affects companies which emit GHGs within the EU. Imported products thereby achieve a cost advantage over products produced within the scope of the EU-ETS, leading to competitive pressure on EU-ETS companies and the risk that they might move production facilities outside the scope of the EU-ETS (“carbon leakage”). In order to avoid carbon leakage and encourage cleaner industrial production in partner countries, the EU decided to introduce the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to put a fair price on carbon emissions from the manufacturing of products imported into the EU. The CBAM transitional phase will go into effect on October 1, 2023. Initially, it will only apply to selected industrial products and precursors whose production is particularly carbon intensive and which are deemed to have the highest potential risk of carbon leakage. Once the CBAM is fully active, all importing companies will have to declare the embedded emissions for their products and surrender the corresponding amount of CBAM certificates. It is to be expected that importing companies will strongly rely on their international suppliers to provide information on the embedded emissions. India is both an important trade partner of the EU and, because of its strong reliance on coal power plants, a heavy greenhouse gas emitter both in absolute and relative terms. Importers of products from India into the EU will therefore have to purchase a significant number of carbon allowances under the CBAM regulations. This paper explains the functional mechanism of the CBAM and identifies the product flows from India to the EU for the affected products. It describes the product groups, their importance for Indian companies as well as the future requirements, and is intended to support Indian companies that export to the European Union to prepare for the CBAM requirements both during the transition phase and once the system is fully active
Sprache für die Form - Forum für Design und Rhetorik
No full textErscheinungsverlauf:
Ausgabe Nr. 1, Herbst 2012
Ausgabe Nr. 2, Frühjahr 2013
Ausgabe Nr. 3, Herbst 2013
Ausgabe Nr. 4, Frühjahr 2014
Ausgabe Nr. 5, Herbst 2014
Ausgabe Nr. 6, Frühjahr 2015
Ausgabe Nr. 7, Herbst 2015
Doppelausgabe Nr. 8. und 9, Herbst 2016
Ausgabe Nr. 10, Frühjahr 2017
Ausgabe Nr. 11, Herbst 2017
Doppelausgabe Nr. 12 und 13, Frühjahr 2018
Doppelausgabe Nr. 14 und 15, Herbst 2019
Doppelausgabe Nr. 16 und 17, Herbst 2020
Ausgabe Nr. 18, Frühjahr 2021
Doppelausgabe Nr. 19 und 20, Frühjahr 2022
Ausgabe Nr. 21, Herbst 2022
Ausgabe Nr. 22, Frühjahr 2022
Ausgabe Nr. 23, Herbst 202
