Built environment
Site news
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Bringing new life to old buildings and working with communities to sustainably rebuild after a disaster were some of the topics discussed during an event in the Big Ideas in Sustainability series at Stanford.
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Soil-packed floors common in rural, low-income households in developing countries are breeding grounds for intestinal diseases. Stanford epidemiologists and engineers are developing a lower-emission concrete flooring that could improve families’ well-being with less environmental impact.
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Researchers have developed a sprayable gel that creates a shield to protect buildings from wildfire damage. It lasts longer and is more effective than existing commercial options.
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The majority of people in the United States support affordable housing, but attitudes often shift when local developments are proposed. Stanford researchers have found that negative emotional associations with the idea of affordable housing, as well as racist beliefs, contribute significantly to neighborhood-level opposition.
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The alliance equips future architects, engineers, and builders with the necessary tools and empathy to address the challenges of managing responsible construction projects.
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From a single footfall to catastrophic tremors, waves of impact are all around us. The researchers at the John A. Blume Earthquake Engineering Center study the world’s vibrations – big and small.
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Researchers estimate the electricity used per square foot to cool buildings in U.S. cities will increase on average by nearly 14% for every degree of warming.
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"As a kid I would go to construction sites with my dad, a civil engineer, and he’d show me plans for putting reinforcement inside concrete columns. Together, we would count that the right amount of steel was there to protect a structure."
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Stanford scientist Tiziana Vanorio learned the value of public service from growing up in a family with a calling for ethics and justice. Now, she sees her work developing a low-carbon cement as her way of giving back.
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Professor Sarah Billington joins Professor William P. Barnett and undergraduate student Ingrid Ackermann to discuss takeaways from a February 2023 conference held at Stanford GSB. This conference focused on the design and management of new climate-smart and climate-adaptive infrastructure systems and how to accelerate their adoption.
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"My first trip to London opened my mind to the idea that buildings can tell stories. It was my first time experiencing a built environment that really preserved history, celebrated culture, and was designed for people’s welfare. Around that time, at age 15 or 16, I grew interested in sustainable design."
