The 2025 World Architecture Festival shortlist features 460 projects from over 780 global entries focused on sustainable architecture and climate change solutions. Innovations include energy-positive hotels and waste-derived construction materials. Notable entries include Studio Gang's Populus hotel in Denver, America's first carbon-positive hotel, designed to resemble a grove of aspen trees. The festival takes place from November 12-14 in Miami, highlighting the importance of buildings justifying their carbon footprints and promoting new sustainable practices in architecture.
Studio Gang's Populus hotel in Denver leads the charge. The building claims to be America's first carbon-positive hotel. It looks like a cluster of aspen trees sprouting from downtown concrete.
The technical magic happens in the facade system, where glass fiber-reinforced concrete (GFRC) panels mimic the natural 'eyes' found on aspen bark. Studio Gang partnered with materials company Holcim to develop this specialized concrete mixture with lower embodied carbon than traditional formulations.
The shortlist arrives ahead of WAF's first-ever US event in Miami this November, where architects will present live to judges at the Miami Beach Convention Center.
These projects represent the future of how we'll live, work, and play in a world where every building must justify its carbon footprint.
#world-architecture-festival #sustainable-design #climate-change #carbon-positive-projects #architectural-innovation
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