Renovating Carbon: Re-imagining the Carbon Form

This book explores the relationship between carbon and architecture, focusing on the renovation of two buildings on the Equator at the School of Design and Environment (SDE), National University of Singapore. It raises key questions about the values embedded in the architecture of architecture schools and proposes ways to sustainably transform carbon in the context of our warming world.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 120 pages
Publication date: 13 March 2023
Publisher: Oro Editions

Carbon is an omnipresent element found in various forms, including soil, air, and living organisms. It serves as the fundamental building block of architecture and the built environment. Moreover, carbon's notoriety stems from its role in exacerbating climate catastrophes that surround us. Architects, through their education and practice, play a crucial role in transforming this carbon into the physical surroundings we inhabit.

This book comprises twelve critical essays that explore the multifaceted relationship between carbon and architecture, renovation, materials, forms, and design pedagogy. The renovation of two buildings located on the Equator, at the School of Design and Environment (SDE), National University of Singapore, serves as the focal point for these reflections.

The essays raise essential questions regarding the values inherent in architectural education. They explore the principles that could guide a low-carbon future, the implications of renovations in rapidly urbanizing regions like Asia, and the potential for transforming the relationship between climate and architecture on the Equator. They also raise questions about the demand for new equatorial forms, the influence of material innovations on design, and the ability of architectural school design to shape a new generation of architects toward sustainable practices.

Through the illustrations of the models of thought that have shaped the architecture of SDE 1 & 3, this book offers insights into sustainable ways to transform carbon in the context of our warming world.

Weight: 734g
Dimension: 192 x 262 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781954081444