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The Take
Cutting commentary from those who know the most.
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Fracking envy
Energy analyst Chris Nelder reports from a foreign country deep in the throes of shale gas fever.
34 | May 15, 2013 3:00am |
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Architecture schools, beyond the classroom
A new generation of architecture students is marshalling their brains and muscle behind projects that make a real-world difference for the disadvantaged, disabled or displaced.
1 | May 8, 2013 3:00am |
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Small-town mayors: the cutting edge of climate action
How two mayors of small towns in right-wing America are showing the way to energy and climate progress: through local action.
29 | May 1, 2013 3:00am |
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Toward a blacker architecture in America
There are few black architects in the pipeline, and fewer still with a high national profile. C.C. Sullivan looks at the latest news, which suggests a growing role for African-American designers.
35 | April 24, 2013 1:45am |
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The next big utility transformation
Creating a renewably powered grid is easy compared to crafting a new regulatory framework that will make utility investors whole during the transition.
20 | April 17, 2013 3:00am |
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Bunker mentality: Architecture for gun control?
Architects are struggling with design responses for gun issues, everything from walled cities and fortified materials to better interior visibility and memorials at the sites of tragedies.
58 | April 10, 2013 3:00am |
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The 'unstoppable' renewable grid
U.S. natural gas prices are rising, while wind and solar are growing rapidly. The global transition to mostly renewable grid power may now be unstoppable.
45 | April 3, 2013 3:00am |
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Celebrity architect death match: Ito vs. Beeby
The winners of this year's two most influential architecture prizes have built careers predicated on rejecting modernism, but only one can truly claim that title.
5 | March 27, 2013 3:00am |
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Oil majors are whistling past the graveyard
The latest outlooks from BP and ExxonMobil project a rosy future for oil, while bottom-up forecasts see world oil production declining before 2020. Who you gonna believe?
63 | March 20, 2013 1:43am |
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Perfectly detailed, perfectly gorgeous (and perfectly dull)
Museum architecture usually tends to be as conventional as the boards behind then, but at their best they allow for a global presentation of new and important talent.
1 | March 13, 2013 2:04am |
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Why carbon capture and storage will never pay off
Carbon capture and storage has been touted as a way to let us keep burning fossil fuels while saving the climate. But will it ever pay off? Energy analyst Chris Nelder runs the numbers.
35 | March 6, 2013 1:50am |
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Craft vs. prefab: Why stick-built will stick around
Modular solutions can speed the construction process, but only when they contribute positively to the overall precision and elegance of an architectural design.
1 | February 27, 2013 3:00am |
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America's oil choice: Pay up, or get off
America is faced with a strategic choice: pay more for oil or leave it behind.
48 | February 20, 2013 1:55am |
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The future of construction: Meet BIM (or else)
As more architects and builders embrace the benefits of building information modeling, the days of old-fashioned CAD and marked-up drawings are numbered.
6 | February 13, 2013 3:00am |
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Ground zero in the energy-water nexus
Nowhere is the challenge of the energy-water nexus so acute as in the Middle East. Here's what Abu Dhabi plans to do about it.
26 | February 6, 2013 3:00am |
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In Dallas, 'Big Air' sees a big year
Smarts, spare parts and power: SmartPlanet columnist C.C. Sullivan goes to America's biggest trade show for air-conditioning and sees a good year ahead.
2 | January 30, 2013 4:07am |
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Sunrise in the desert
Two of the world's top oil and gas producers are transitioning to renewable energy. So why isn't the U.S.? Energy expert Chris Nelder reports from the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi.
30 | January 23, 2013 3:00am |
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The zombie dividend: Has apocalypse helped architecture?
Architects have mastered the art of defensive building, says SmartPlanet columnist C.C. Sullivan. But can an emerging architecture restore our sense of humanity as well?
2 | January 16, 2013 4:14am |
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Waiting for the punchline
Has collapse jumped the shark? Is peak oil dead? Is the zombie apocalypse just a weird popular fantasy, or is there more to it? Energy analyst Chris Nelder goes in search of answers.
67 | January 9, 2013 3:00am |
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Now read this: Architecture books we need in 2013
For SmartPlanet's The Take, columnist C.C. Sullivan finds new books (and exhibitions) that will shape the big architecture debates in 2013. Read these new books, if you read any.
4 | January 2, 2013 4:07am |