Ecogradia
Episodes
How to create urban public spaces that people love
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As land in cities becomes scarce and expensive, public spaces are bearing the brunt. Can new models of urban development reconcile communal needs with...
Living in the city is hard, but good design can fix this
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a warming, anxious world, can buildings heal both mind and planet? Unpack how wellbeing is reshaping sustainable architecture from the inside out. ...
This sustainable design award has launched careers — here’s how it works
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Think design competitions aren’t worth your time? Laura Viscovich, Executive Director of the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction, shares ...
How sponge cities can fix urban flooding (and save millions in costs)
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to extreme weather, our first instinct is to build higher walls and stronger barriers. Discover how sponge cities are turning convention...
How to design a net zero energy building: proven strategies that work
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From energy budgets to climate-specific strategies, designing a net zero energy building is a puzzle with countless moving pieces. This episode reveal...
Material smart: Designing low-carbon buildings
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Timber is having its moment in the global sustainability discourse. Will it replace concrete and steel, or be used in combination to usher in a new er...
How greening buildings could transform our cities into thriving ecosystems
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As cities grow greener, plants are often used as superficial decoration. But what if architecture could create genuine ecosystems? Catie Ryan Balagtas...
Will Indonesia’s new $33 billion capital be the end of Jakarta?
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What makes people choose a new city as home? Ridwan Kamil returns to share how Nusantara aims to evolve from master plan to living city, all while bal...
Indonesia’s new capital is its “most expensive political decision” ever
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
New capital cities rarely succeed. Will Nusantara — Indonesia’s largest urban gamble to date — be different? In this episode, we find out how Nu...
5 interiors designed to boost mind, body, and work
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How can we design interiors that not only minimise environmental harm, but also actively promote human well-being? Some architects and designers are s...
High ambitions: Are tall buildings sustainable?
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Are skyscrapers environmental foes or allies? It's a thorny debate, but tall buildings are likely here to stay. Can these giants evolve from being par...
Urban biodiversity: Crafting biocentric public spaces
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In many cities today, there is a striking disconnect between people and nature. Can biocentric urban landscapes help integrate social functions with n...
How solarpunk envisions a world we will want to live in __ Jay Springett
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The solarpunk movement in fiction, art, fashion, and activism imagines a sustainable civilisation and considers how we get there. After gaining tract...
How three leaders under 40 built successful careers in sustainability
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
None have reached age 40 yet, but each is in a position of influence in the sustainability space. Looking back, did it all go to plan? How is passion ...
Architectural acupuncture II: Hyperlocal design for community
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A hyperlocal building taps into the knowledge, skills, and resources indigenous to a place. How can the very act of constructing it engage and positiv...
Architectural acupuncture I: Small projects, big impact
16 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In resource-constrained places, small can be powerful. How can a building, acting strategically as an acupunctural node, transform its neighbourhood s...
Green campus blueprints: Crafting net-zero architecture
02 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The path to net-zero energy is filled with promise. Campus buildings offer a unique opportunity: they can be testbeds for new ideas and may also doubl...
Repair, rejuvenation, and regeneration __ Season 4 insights
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Can architecture heal our planet? In this bonus episode, we delve into the power of regenerative design. From restoring existing structures to rethink...
BIG has a plan for the planet: Can it be done? __ Bjarke Ingels
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
All the noise around sustainability can be dizzying. In this episode, Bjarke Ingels returns to discuss BIG’s Plan for the Planet. Can a global frame...
Suburbia is sprawling (and how to fix it) __ Tone Wheeler __ environa studio
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How will Australia reconcile its sprawling suburbs with urgent sustainability needs? Tone Wheeler addresses this tension, challenging deeply ingrained...
Calm the mind, connect with place __ Võ Trọng Nghĩa __ VTN Architects
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How to unlock the mind to produce better designs, faster? Võ Trọng Nghĩa explores this question, revealing a philosophy where meditation is the ke...
Industrial architecture: For efficiency and well-being
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Factories have always been designed for profitability. However, as the Covid pandemic highlighted, a focus on worker well-being is equally important. ...
Raising the floor on innovative carbon solutions __ Liz Minné __ Interface
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine a world where your carpet reduces atmospheric carbon. In this episode, discover how Interface is making this a reality. Liz Minné discusses a...
Guardian of the built and unbuilt __ Brinda Somaya __ SNK
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Navigating conservation and social equity, Brinda Somaya reveals how these considerations blend into a position on sustainability in India. She offers...
Heritage and tradition: Innovating for a sustainable future
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Traditional architecture is a melting pot of history, culture and knowledge-systems spanning centuries. Its continued decline globally begs the questi...
Challenging the greenery facade __ Leonard Ng __ Henning Larsen
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Explore the reality of greenery in architecture — pragmatic sustainability or mere aesthetics? Leonard Ng navigates the fine line, urging honesty in...
Simplifying the carbon conundrum __ Stuart Smith __ Arup
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tackling the carbon dilemma requires a fresh perspective. Stuart Smith reveals how considering a building's entire life cycle impact can simplify carb...
Integrated multisystem approach: A key to sustainable design
07 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Each building is a nexus of multiple systems ‘talking’ to each other. This integrated approach is often key to optimising performance. But how doe...
Connecting people to place __ Barclay & Crousse
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many countries in the developing South seek pathways to a sustainable future. Peru-based architecture firm Barclay & Crousse offers a prism on what th...
Unleash the power of process __ Kjetil Trædal Thorsen __ Snøhetta
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Good design often reveals what we do not know we need. But such a feat depends not only on what we tweak and improve, says Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, but...
How form-making will unlock the power of architecture __ Bjarke Ingels
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bjarke Ingels is a global brand. Whatever one feels about starchitects in general, he is a force to be reckoned with. What does he think is the future...
Roadmaps and signposts: Experts put sustainability to work this new season
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sustainability is a journey. Ecogradia is back with a new series of ten episodes to find out from world-leading players how to forge ahead, keep faith...
The bottom line: Global views and takeaways from season 3
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Season 3 is a wrap. What were the small and large, local and global challenges singled out throughout this series? What can we control at the drawing ...
Holcim Awards 2023: Round-up in Venice with the jury chairs
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This year’s competition is now over. Out of 2,380 registrants from 114 countries, 20 entries stood above the rest. So what were the big takeaways? W...
Paul Finch, World Architecture Festival: The tastemaker (Part 2)
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How does the architecture we praise today square up with a sustainability mandate? Do green imperatives dampen the spirit at the drawing board or can ...
Paul Finch, World Architecture Festival: The tastemaker (Part 1)
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How does the architecture we praise today square up with a sustainability mandate? Do green imperatives dampen the spirit at the drawing board or can ...
Nina Maritz, Nina Maritz Architects: The frugality champion
23 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Can necessity unlock greater innovation? How to create an architecture of delight and renown when the climate is harsh, resources are scarce and budge...
Ambrish Arora, Studio Lotus: The reflective practitioner
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Could a universal process account for all things sustainable — energy, materiality, comfort, etc. — in all typologies, from resorts to low-cost bu...
Tatiana Bilbao, Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO: The architect of care
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Buildings offer shelter. Good architecture does more: it is a form of care for the mind and spirit. So how do we ensure sustainable equitable care for...
Benny Kuriakose, Benny Kuriakose & Associates: The vernacularist
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There is wisdom in the vernacular. But does this knowledge offer something more than feel-good nostalgia? Are traditional buildings models for low-imp...
Nigel Stansfield, Interface: The flooring innovators
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As we aim to 'do good', we often wrestle with what to buy. Which materials are less harmful to the planet? But can a product also be net positive? Cou...
Maria Atkinson AM, Atkinson Consultancy: The sustainability whisperer
15 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We need a transformational shift: a rethink of the way we work, the goals we set, the processes we deploy. But how should we push forward? Who can hel...
Amory Lovins, Rocky Mountain Institute: The energy guru
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
To halt global warming, we must eliminate greenhouse gas emissions at scale and with speed. With renewables today, we can ignite a new kind of fire, o...
The heat is on: Pressing ahead with a third season of ten new episodes
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The climate crisis is here. Extreme weather is perturbing all lives rapidly across the world. How should buildings and cities respond? Should action b...
Looking back at season 2 from the cutting floor
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Season 2 of Ecogradia has come to an end. Before we move on, let’s take a peek at some of the talking points that didn’t make the cut in the last ...
Wong Mun Summ and Richard Hassell, WOHA: (Re)Defining beauty
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Can sustainable buildings be both high-performing and beautiful? In the age of social media, image is king. Is our appetite for novel forms at odds wi...
Alyssa-Amor Gibbons, Studio Amor: Standing up to hurricanes
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Extreme weather is often a matter of life and death. How do we design for the growing frequency and ferocity of storms? Do we resist at all costs or s...
Herbert Dreiseitl, DREISEITLconsulting: Thinking fluid
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Water is a pressing design challenge of the climate crisis. Too much or too little and we struggle to survive. What is the sweet spot where we, our ci...
Prasoon Kumar, BillionBricks: Innovating homes for the homeless
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
More than a billion people are without shelter today. They could be 3 billion by 2050. Is the growing demand a giant opportunity? What if houses for t...
Daliana Suryawinata and Florian Heinzelmann, SHAU: Being tropical
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tropical architecture: is it a perspective on place or a question of performance? How can architects from nations along the equator, like Indonesia, d...
Kotchakorn Voraakhom, LANDPROCESS: Designing cities for water
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bangkok, Thailand's capital, is sinking fast, like many other cities around the world. How can urbanists turn this congested megacity, threatened by f...
Bill Browning, Terrapin Bright Green: Crafting biophilic solutions
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As a species, we seek closeness to nature. Designing for well-being, therefore, aims to bring nature to the heart of the built environment. But what d...
Chrisna du Plessis and Bill Reed: Regenerating life by design
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Should our buildings and cities minimise harm or do 'good' by design? In a world already at risk, less harm is no longer enough. We must repair, regen...
Gregers Reimann, IEN Consultants: Building higher performance
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What is a high-performing building? Do the two yardsticks of performance — efficiency and well-being — complement each other? If there are trade-o...
Ashok B. Lall, Ashok B Lall Architects: Bridging the social and environmental
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Can design bridge the social and the environmental? How would a building do both, effectively? Is it possible to marry beauty and wellness with intell...
Ten new episodes to keep the ball rolling, starting end-January
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What matters more to a sustainable future? Better buildings or better urban systems? What do we do, where do we start, when the answer also hinges on ...
Rahul Mehrotra, Harvard University Graduate School of Design: The kinetic city
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cities are evolving, living systems. Why then do we design them as fixed and permanent? Is it time for a new theory of urbanism, better suited to the ...
Yu Kongjian, Turenscape: Landscape as ‘art of survival’
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We all want to live closer to nature. But can urban landscapes be designed to mimic natural systems and processes? And if replicated, what would a nat...
Manit and Sonali Rastogi, Morphogenesis: ‘An architecture of almost somewhere’
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Can a building address local and global imperatives? Can it be informed by the vernacular and yet be energy efficient? Can it be locally attuned and l...
Wolfgang Kessling, Transsolar: Low tech and low energy for high comfort
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cooling and heating consume a lot of power in buildings. But what if the answer to the question of comfort was only partly about mechanical solutions?...
Prashant Kapoor, IFC/World Bank: Making sense of sustainable finance
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We are seeing today a newfound interest in sustainable finance. Words like Green bonds and Green mortgages are increasingly common. But what do they a...
Wong Mun Summ and Richard Hassell, WOHA: (Re)Imagining the city
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How can we fix the problem of cities today? Is density at the expense of liveability? Are human-made and natural systems — key to our survival — a...
Introducing Ecogradia: The sustainable architecture and urbanism podcast
17 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Are buildings and cities doing enough? Are they rising to the challenge of an uncertain future? And are we doing what needs to be done fast enough? Th...