Radical Green: Innovative Material Strategies for Sustainable Architecture

A visually stunning exploration of the radical materials being developed to help the built environment generate power, clean the air, house wildlife, and provide clean and energy efficient housing.

As architects and designers respond to the urgent challenges of climate change, resource use, and environmental impact, a new generation of materials is transforming what—and how—we build.

In Radical Green, architect and materials expert Blaine Brownell explores visionary projects from around the world that push beyond traditional ideas of “reduce, reuse, recycle.” Featuring more than 200 photographs, this inspiring volume reveals the creative strategies and cutting-edge innovations shaping the future of sustainable design.

Organized around six key approaches—upcycle, essentialize, harvest, store, thrive, and support—the book showcases extraordinary case studies, including:

• The transformation of Cité du Grand Parc in Bordeaux, France, where the relatively windowless concrete towers were wrapped in a new transparent skin, providing winter gardens for all 530 residential units.
• Drywall-free construction in Miami, Florida, that incorporates exterior insulation in the facade, thereby eliminating the need to cover interiors with toxic drywall.
• Solar skin technology in Copenhagen, Denmark, where the Copenhagen International School’s façade is covered with 12,000 solar panels as an energy harvesting strategy.
• A wind-catching facade in Nagoya, Japan, where a shopping mall's mid-rise structures are a wind-harvesting shroud and 775 multicolored windmills rotate at varying speeds, harnessing available wind gusts to generate power.
• And many more.

At the intersection of innovation, sustainability, and design, Radical Green reveals new materials and methods that are redefining the built environment.

• THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE DESIGN: Discover the groundbreaking materials and strategies changing modern architecture, from unexpected innovations like seaweed insulation to structures created with living plants.
• EXPERT AUTHOR: Architect, researcher, and materials expert Blaine Brownell brings deep knowledge of emerging technologies and sustainable design. He has authored ten books on material innovation and more than 120 articles for Architect magazine.
• STUNNING VISUAL EXPLORATION: Featuring more than 200 photographs of remarkable buildings and materials, this inspiring volume is both an essential resource and a beautiful design book.
• GLOBAL ARCHITECTURE AND INNOVATION: Featuring projects from North America, Europe, Asia, and beyond, these case studies reveal how designers around the world are reimagining the future of building.
• PERFECT FOR DESIGN THINKERS: An ideal book for architects, designers, students, environmentalists, and anyone interested in sustainability, innovation, technology, and the future of our planet.