Renovating Carbon

Carbon is everywhere ¿ in the soil, in the air, in life. Carbon is the foundation of architecture and the built environment. Carbon is also infamous for intensifying the climate catastrophes around us. And architects ¿ by the nature of their education and practice are transforming this carbon into the built environment. Twelve critical essays in this book present a constellation of voices surrounding carbon and its relationship with architecture, renovation, material, form, and design pedagogy. The renovation of two buildings on the Equator ¿ at the School of Design and Environment (SDE), National University of Singapore ¿ serve as the protagonists for these reflections. The essays raise key questions on the values embedded in the architecture of architecture schools. What principles might a low-carbon future embody? What do renovations mean for rapidly urbanising Asia? How can they transform the relationship between climate and architecture on the Equator? Do they demand new equato