{"id":224022,"date":"2025-12-09T17:14:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T17:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/224022\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T17:14:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T17:14:10","slug":"how-architects-are-responding-to-technology-that-turns-buildings-into-carbon-sinks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/224022\/","title":{"rendered":"How Architects Are Responding to Technology That Turns Buildings into Carbon Sinks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a class=\"js-image-size__link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1036678\/how-architects-are-responding-to-technology-that-turns-buildings-into-carbon-sinks\/6932337f243c4d5a49876976-how-architects-are-responding-to-technology-that-turns-buildings-into-carbon-sinks-image\" rel=\"attachment nofollow noopener\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 100%;\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"How Architects Are Responding to Technology That Turns Buildings into Carbon Sinks - Image 1 of 1\" data-nr-picture-id=\"6932337f243c4d5a49876976\" fetchpriority=\"high\" height=\"426\" itemprop=\"image\" loading=\"eager\" longdesc=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1036678\/how-architects-are-responding-to-technology-that-turns-buildings-into-carbon-sinks\/6932337f243c4d5a49876976-how-architects-are-responding-to-technology-that-turns-buildings-into-carbon-sinks-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/holcim-interview-kunle_1.jpg\" style=\"min-height: var(--featured-height, auto); aspect-ratio: auto 640 \/ 426\" width=\"640\"\/><\/a>The Basic Services Unit, a full-scale housing prototype by ELEMENTAL and Holcim, presented in Venice during the 2025 Architecture Biennale. Image Courtesy of Holcim Awards<\/p>\n<p>    Share<\/p>\n<p>Share<\/p>\n<ul class=\"afd-share__networks clearfix\">\n<li class=\"afd-share__social\"><a aria-label=\"Facebook\" class=\"afd-share__button\" data-insights-category=\"share\" data-insights-label=\"facebook_sharing_options\" data-insights-value=\"1036678\" data-social=\"facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1036678\/how-architects-are-responding-to-technology-that-turns-buildings-into-carbon-sinks\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a>\n<p>Facebook<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"afd-share__social\"><a aria-label=\"Twitter\" class=\"afd-share__button\" data-insights-category=\"share\" data-insights-label=\"twitter_sharing_options\" data-insights-value=\"1036678\" data-social=\"twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=How%20Architects%20Are%20Responding%20to%20Technology%20That%20Turns%20Buildings%20into%20Carbon%20Sinks&amp;url=https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1036678\/how-architects-are-responding-to-technology-that-turns-buildings-into-carbon-sinks&amp;via=archdaily\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a>\n<p>Twitter<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"afd-share__social\"><a class=\"afd-share__button\" data-insights-category=\"share\" data-insights-label=\"email_sharing_options\" data-insights-value=\"1036678\" data-social=\"email\" href=\"mailto:?subject=How Architects Are Responding to Technology That Turns Buildings into Carbon Sinks&amp;body=https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1036678\/how-architects-are-responding-to-technology-that-turns-buildings-into-carbon-sinks\"><\/a>\n<p>Mail<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"afd-share__social\"><a aria-label=\"Pinterest\" class=\"afd-share__button\" data-insights-category=\"share\" data-insights-label=\"pinterest_sharing_options\" data-insights-value=\"1036678\" data-social=\"pinterest\" href=\"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.archdaily.com%2F1036678%2Fhow-architects-are-responding-to-technology-that-turns-buildings-into-carbon-sinks&amp;media=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.adsttc.com%2Fmedia%2Fimages%2F6932%2F337f%2F243c%2F4d5a%2F4987%2F6976%2Flarge_jpg%2Fholcim-interview-kunle_1.jpg%3F1764897673&amp;description=How%20Architects%20Are%20Responding%20to%20Technology%20That%20Turns%20Buildings%20into%20Carbon%20Sinks\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a>\n<p>Pinterest<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"afd-share__social\"><a aria-label=\"Whatsapp\" class=\"afd-share__button\" data-action=\"share\/whatsapp\/share\" data-insights-category=\"share\" data-insights-label=\"whatsapp_sharing_options\" data-insights-value=\"1036678\" data-social=\"whatsapp\" href=\"whatsapp:\/\/send?text=How+Architects+Are+Responding+to+Technology+That+Turns+Buildings+into+Carbon+Sinks+%7C+https%3A%2F%2Fwww.archdaily.com%2F1036678%2Fhow-architects-are-responding-to-technology-that-turns-buildings-into-carbon-sinks%3Futm_source%3DWhatsapp%26utm_medium%3DIM%26utm_campaign%3Dshare-button\" rel=\"nofollow\"><\/a>\n<p>Whatsapp<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Or<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1036678\/how-architects-are-responding-to-technology-that-turns-buildings-into-carbon-sinks<\/p>\n<p>During the Time Space Existence exhibition, organized by the European Cultural Centre in Venice, the building-solutions company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.holcim.com\/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=archdaily.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Holcim<\/a> and Pritzker Prize-winning architect Alejandro Aravena, with his firm <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/tag\/elemental\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ELEMENTAL<\/a>, unveiled a full-scale prototype that introduces a new approach in incremental housing solutions.<\/p>\n<p>The housing prototype\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1030245\/between-housing-demand-and-environmental-goals-alejandro-aravena-on-incremental-solutions-and-net-zero-concrete\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">The Basic Services Unit<\/a>\u2014was built with Hoclim&#8217;s recently launched <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1036678\/Holcim\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">biochar technology<\/a>, which transforms buildings into carbon sinks by permanently trapping carbon in a bio-based material called biochar. This material is used as a component of low-carbon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/tag\/concrete\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">concrete<\/a>, cement, and mortars.<\/p>\n<p>During the Biennale of Architecture 2025 in Venice, several architects, from Aravena himself to Tatiana Bilbao and others, commented on this new technology from Holcim, sharing their opinions and hopes.<\/p>\n<p>Interview with Alejandro Aravena<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"8\">\n<p>In order to achieve net-zero, one part is this new material, the biochar. Another part is the reuse of material\u2014the debris coming from other sources.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Interview with Kunl\u00e9 Ademyemi<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"7.448275862069\">\n<p>The biochar, we would hope, can make <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/tag\/concrete\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">concrete<\/a> an even more sustainable material for development on and around water.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Interview with Jing Liu<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"6\">\n<p>These materials can be used in a prototype project. It has the potential to proliferate on a larger scale very quickly.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Interview with Tatiana Bilbao<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"7.762962962963\">\n<p>The idea that this new material engages with local waste to create a different type of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/tag\/concrete\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">concrete<\/a> with net-zero carbon emissions is an incredible way to start\u2014by engaging with local economies and local possibilities, with the specific problems and contexts of the world. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.holcim.com\/what-we-do\/architects\/venice-biennale-2025?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=archdaily.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Learn more about biochar<\/a> and how it can help transform buildings into carbon sinks.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Basic Services Unit, a full-scale housing prototype by ELEMENTAL and Holcim, presented in Venice during the 2025&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":224023,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[267],"tags":[88730,367,365,362,363,364,9424,29656,366,18,120517,117,19,120516,1915,17,13937,813,14543,9422,90802],"class_list":{"0":"post-224022","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-architects","9":"tag-architecture","10":"tag-arts","11":"tag-arts-and-design","12":"tag-artsanddesign","13":"tag-artsdesign","14":"tag-carbon-footprint","15":"tag-concrete","16":"tag-design","17":"tag-eire","18":"tag-elemental","19":"tag-entertainment","20":"tag-ie","21":"tag-incremental-housing","22":"tag-interview","23":"tag-ireland","24":"tag-material","25":"tag-sponsored-post","26":"tag-sustainable-architecture","27":"tag-venice-architecture-biennale-2025","28":"tag-zero-carbon"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115690738003820914","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224022"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224022\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}