Hisho / Oscar

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Hello listeners and welcome to Fighting Failure! This episode is applicable to everyone, everywhere, anytime, anyhow, so we want this to reach as many people as possible. If you like this episode, please share this episode with others, and let Spotify, YouTube or iTunes know you enjoyed it.

Today’s episode is probably the one I’ve looked forward to the most, because today we’re covering sustainable architecture and urban design.

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From Generation, this is Fighting Failure. I’m Hisham Kanaan.

I’m your co-host and producer, Oscar Archibald. This is Episode 30.

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First, for those of us who might not know what sustainable architecture is, let’s give a quick definition.

Sustainable development is a general term that refers to architecture, and an architectural vision of human suburbia that limits its impact on the environment, and may even be integrated with the environment.

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How Urban Expansion is Done Today

What’s wrong with how we build buildings today?

• Firstly, the materials.

  • Concrete

    • According to an article by The Guardian, in one year enough concrete is produced globally to cover the entire United Kingdom.

    • Concrete is second only to water in the list of our most used resources, yet we think so little of it.

    • In modern history, concrete is one of the most foundational building blocks. We use it for everything from

      • buildings,
      • to walls,
      • to foundations

      and almost all manmade structures.

      The use of concrete to build structures could date back centuries. In ancient Rome, a form of concrete was used to build the colosseum which is still standing today.

      But one of the moments that defined the importance of concrete in our lives was the use of concrete after the Second World War to rebuild entire cities. It was used as it was an easy to manipulate and cheap to buy.

    • Not only does concrete degrade from the natural beauty of an environment, but its accessibility promotes urban expansion and encroachment on natural habitats.

    • It has been proven to degrade soil quality, water cleanliness and many other crucial parts of surrounding ecosystems.

      • This affects wild animals, but problems with water cleanliness and soil quality come back to haunt us too.

    • The production of cement is carbon intensive. According to Our World in Data, More than 3% of emissions come from the production of cement, about on par with all the emissions from global waste.

      • This is because Carbon Dioxide is a by-product of the chemical conversion of chalk to lime.

    • Particulate pollution when concrete crumbles.

  • Foundational structures are made from steel, the global production of which makes up 7.8% of greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Fake wood & plastic - obvious issues.
  • Wood, if sourced unsustainably.

• Secondly, urban sprawl

  • Listen to episode 25

  [extracts from episode 25 play]

• Thirdly, the need to import products from far beyond the city’s boundaries, creates carbon emissions and puts strain on ecosystems outside of the urban area.

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[plugs Patreon, Apple Podcasts 5⭐ review, YT channel, Instagram...]

Hi I’m Sandhya Stapleton. I cofounded this podcast and co-hosted in Season 1. I’ve recently given a TEDx talk about climate change. If you want to listen to that, it’ll the first link in the show notes. [pause] Miss you all, enjoy the episode, and please give us a good review on Apple Podcasts!