Norman Foster and John Kerry to discuss low-carbon architecture as COP26 climate conference gets underway

Daily COP26 briefing: the first of our daily COP26 briefings includes details of a conversation between Norman Foster and John Kerry at the climate conference, a Morag Myerscough installation and a house built from Scottish timber.

We'll be publishing regular updates of what's happening at COP26, which RIBA president Simon Allford described as "a critical juncture for humanity," for the duration of the conference.

See all our COP26 coverage here.

Foster + Partners talks

Architecture studio Foster + Partners is hosting a series of climate-focused events during COP26, including a talk between Norman Foster and US climate envoy John Kerry on 3 November plus a talk titled Halving Emissions by 2030 on 4 November (via Foster + Partners).

House made of Scottish timber opens at COP26

Architecture studio Roderick James Architects has installed a timber-framed house built by Beyond Zero Homes from Scottish spruce near the Scottish Event Campus (SEC), the main COP26 venue.

The one-bedroom house, which can be erected by two people, is based on a 1.2-metre grid so it can easily be prefabricated.

"It demonstrates a simple, affordable way to build beautiful homes which will simultaneously help us meet our climate commitments," said Beyond Zero Homes (via Beyond Zero Homes).

The installation aims to raise awareness of the amount of timber imported by the UK, which has significantly lower tree cover than most European countries.

"The UK is one of the largest importers of wood products in the world," said Beyond Zero Homes. "As a nation, we spent £7.5 billion in 2020 importing wood products from other countries."

Morag Myerscough installs flags and banners around Glasgow

Artist Morag Myerscough has collaborated with non-profit organisation #TogetherBand to place 40 giant flags made from recycled plastic on show throughout the city of Glasgow.

The words Sun, Sea, Air and Clean Power are written on the flags, which will be installed in cities across the UK after COP26, before being erected on Regent Street in London to mark Earth Hour in March (via The Art Newspaper).

New Practice creates pavilion for The Sustainable Glasgow Landing

Glasgow-based architecture studio New Practice has designed a pavilion on McAlpine Street for The Sustainable Glasgow Landing, which will host a series of events throughout the duration of the conference. Today it will host a talk titled Listening to The Land (via The Sustainable Glasgow Landing).

ACAN organises events programme

Climate activist group Architects Climate Action Network (ACAN) is hosting a series of events in Glasgow during the conference. Exhibitions will be taking place at New Glasgow Society East throughout the event, while the events kick off with a launch party tomorrow and a talk on deconstructing carbon on 4 November (via ACAN).

Es Devlin speaking to Dezeen direct from COP26

As part of the Dezeen 15 celebration of our 15th Birthday, set designer Es Devlin will talk about her manifesto for the future directly from the climate conference in Glasgow (via Dezeen).

Cockpit releases climate change action report

Social enterprise and business incubator Cockpit has published an investigative report that looks at the actions being taken by makers in response to the climate emergency.

"With its slowed-down processes and local supply chains, craft offers an alternative to an economy fixated on notions of growth through cheap mass production and cheap mass consumption," said Cockpit CEO Annie Warburton. "To make craft is to make well. And to buy craft is to buy well, buy once, buy to last" (via Cockpit).

Wood for Good conference tomorrow

The Wood for Good conference takes place at the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre tomorrow. It will explore the role of timber in the journey to zero carbon, with speakers including Waugh Thistleton Architects co-founder Andrew Waugh (via Wood for Good).

Stride Treglown places "sinking" Monopoly-style house in River Avon ahead of COP26

To coincide with the conference and draw attention to climate change, architecture firm Stride Treglown installed a bright red "sinking house" in Bath's Pulteney Weir (via Dezeen).

PechaKucha and Daydream Believers launch campaign to inspire climate action among young people

Social platform Daydream Believers is inviting young people to propose creative climate solutions in the 20-slide PechaKucha format, which was devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham Architecture.

The results will be featured in daily events at the Strath Union at the University of Strathclyde.

"We've created a space for everyone to participate in COP26, beyond just world leaders," said Helena Good, Daydream Believers' design lecturer. "Our virtual campaign and live events at the University of Strathclyde give us all a chance to take part in the climate conversation and drive positive change – together for our planet" (via PR Web).

COP26 will take place at SEC Centre in Glasgow from 1 to 12 November 2021. See Dezeen Events Guide for all the latest information you need to know to attend the event, as well as a list of other architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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Open AD designs spa in Latvia with Corten-clad cabins

Latvian architecture studio Open AD has completed the Ziedlejas Spa and Wellness Resort in the town of Sigulda, featuring a cluster of Corten steel and glass cabins dotted across a sloping site overlooking a pond.

Designed as a contemporary take on local sauna culture, the spa, which has been shortlisted in the hospitality building category of Dezeen Awards 2021, comprises two independent steam rooms and three cabins for overnight stays.

Top: three corten-steel and glass cabins and a subterranean sauna were built in Latvia. Above: the cabins were built onto a sloping terrain

The three cabins sit at the top of the sloping site, while the subterranean Glass Sauna sits at its base, dug into the hill and overlooking the pond.

The second sauna, called the Smoke Room, sits in a nearby wooded area, constructed using charred logs and topped by a weathered steel roof that references the form of traditional sauna structures.

The cabins were placed on top of decked platforms

Riga-based practice Open AD worked with landscape architect Landshape to draw all of these independent structures into a coherent whole, linked by winding pathways and stone steps that traverse the site.

"Each structure is both an independent unit and an intrinsic part of the overall composition...the journey from sauna room to pond is short, and the Glass Sauna is accessible for persons with reduced mobility," said the practice.

The Smoke Room has a charred-log exterior

The Glass Sauna is clad in charred wooden planks, with Corten steel used to finish the parapet and two chimneys that protrude from the hillside.

A large window provides views from the wood-lined steam rooms directly out onto the pond, with a small seating area in front of the sauna able to used in the warmer months.

The Glass Sauna is located at the base of the hill

"Ziedlejas welcomes guests all year round, so the solutions need to perform both visually and functionally in a range of conditions such as snowy winters, golden autumn, luscious green summers and the grey in-between moments," said the practice.

The cabins have been designed with a focus on creating minimal, "clutter free" spaces, with tables that pop-up from the floor and foldaway beds, with additional sleeping space on a mezzanine above.

Read:

Atelier Right Hub replaces corners with curves in cavernous Hangzhou spa

Living areas occupy the glazed section of the cabins to benefit from uninterrupted views of the surrounding landscape, while the bathrooms are tucked into the Corten-clad sections for greater privacy.

"[We] designed bespoke furniture and paired it with solutions from brands such as IKEA, which proves that a luxurious feel is not just budget-dependant," said the practice.

The interior of the cabins was designed with a minimal look

Previous projects by Open AD include two houses, House on Zaru Street and House in Marupe, both of which make use of blackened timber and dark steel.

Also shortlisted in the hospitality building category of Dezeen Awards 2021 was Klein Dytham Architecture's PokoPoko clubhouse for the Risonare Nasu hotel in rural Japan.

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"It's 1 November 2036 and every city has swapped cars for trees" says Es Devlin

In the first of 15 manifestos written for the Dezeen 15 digital festival celebrating Dezeen's 15th birthday, Es Devlin imagines looking back from 15 years in the future at the positive progress made since the COP26 climate conference.

In her vision, world leaders agreed upon a raft of measures to reduce emissions and improve life in cities, including replacing cars with trees.

Meanwhile, architects and designers have all signed an oath promising "to do no harm to the planet as they practice".

The Dezeen 15 festival features 15 manifestos presenting ideas that can change the world over the next 15 years. Each contributor will also take part in a live video interview.

See the line-up of contributors here and watch Devlin's video interview live on Dezeen later today.

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Swap cars for trees

Imagine a possible future. It’s 1 November 2036 and every city centre on the planet has swapped parked cars for planted trees. Every city centre has been pedestrianised and optimised for cycles.

Every parked car has been replaced with a planted tree. Every car park has become a forested park. Every new and remodelled building has been designed according to vertical-forest principles with two trees planted for every human inhabitant.

Tree canopy shade has improved energy efficiency by providing shading from the sun and insulating against cold. All buildings are now powered by renewable energy. People and goods move around the city centres along tree-lined pathways on foot, on cycles, using cycle-shares, e-bikes, e-scooters, electric mobility scooters, trams, electric buses and subways.

Amazon has calibrated its algorithms to optimise the delivery of goods to city centres in as few trips as possible. Algorithms also calibrate waste-repurposing services: every time a new product is bought, a plan and service for its full lifespan is incorporated in the transaction.

Every city in the world has achieved 50 per cent tree coverage. City space is shared equally between people and trees

Designers of all products and systems have signed up to a code of conduct, like a Hippocratic oath in medicine or an ethical code of practice in law and accounting, to aim to "do no harm" to the planet as they practice, to engage in circular design principles, aiming to account for the entire lifespan of every product they design.

Every city in the world has achieved 50 per cent tree coverage. City space is shared equally between people and trees. The reduction in car use and increase in walking and cycling has led to increased fitness levels and decreased obesity levels. Reduced pollution levels have led to a decrease in asthma cases.

Exposure to phytoncides – the essential oils released by trees – has increased immunity to viruses, improved people’s sleep and decreased levels of depression and stress.

The increased tree canopy has mitigated the urban heat island effect. The highest summer daytime temperatures have decreased. Air-conditioning use has been reduced. Flooding heights have been reduced. CO2 levels have been reduced. Pollution particles and the diseases and deaths associated with them have been reduced.

Essential workers have moved into city centres through rent-to-buy schemes in intelligently designed micro-apartments. People meet on the park-like streets under the shelter of trees, which have attracted a diverse range of species into city centres.

People shop and eat plant-based, seasonal, locally sourced food from street kitchens serving healthy and varied cuisines prepared by chefs from a growing population of people who have moved to London from a wide range of countries following the reversal of Brexit and the development of inclusive strategic immigration policies.

People shop and eat plant-based, seasonal, locally sourced food from street kitchens

Back in 2021, three million cars in London used to be parked for on average 95 per cent of the time. On-street parking used to take up the equivalent of ten Hyde Parks, while only 56 per cent of Londoners owned a car and 28 per cent of the 87,000 Uber cars in London used to circle the streets without passengers, waiting to be allocated a ride.

Back in 2021, half of all car trips made in the USA were under three miles and 70 per cent of cars carried only one person. The average car speed in Beijing and Paris was 7mph – slower than a horse and cart.

Back in 2021, cars contributed 23 per cent of global CO2 emissions. It was safer to cross the ocean than to cross an eight-lane US highway on foot. 1.3 million people per year died in car accidents. Black people were killed twice as often as white people.
Car ownership used to cost the poorest Americans 32 per cent of their income while 50 per cent of Americans didn’t own a car. Seven million people died each year from air pollution.

Back in 2021, on 1 November, a group of leaders from 197 countries gathered in Glasgow at COP26, the 26th UN climate change conference. We realised that what was decided that week would determine the destiny of humans on the planet.

We realised that decisions that would prevent the extinction of humans in the future would also lead to more equitable, just and joyful lives for humans now, re-connecting them with one another and with the rest of the biosphere.

Designers have signed up to a code of conduct to "do no harm" to the planet as they practice

We realised that two-thirds of humans would be living in cities by 2050 and that decisions which affect the quality of human and non-human life in cities would be central to determining the future of the species and the planet.

We realised that if humans, while living in ever more populated cities, were able to reconnect with the rest of the biosphere and redefine our sense of identity and self-worth in relation to nature and one another, we might become happier in ourselves.

And if humans felt more complete in ourselves and within the context of the more-than-human world around us, we might begin to break free from the extractive, wasteful consumer cycle in which we had become enmeshed.

We realised that, in the words of American environmentalist Paul Hawken, climate change is not happening "to" us but "for" us, to guide us towards a more just and equitable mode of life. We realised that what we design decides our destiny.

City leaders had witnessed car-free city centres during the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, they had seen streets take on new meanings as restaurants filled the streets in Soho and children cycled around the Arc de Triomphe

As cities reopened, urban planners were quick to add new cycle lanes and convert parking spaces into outdoor restaurants while a section of The Strand in London was immediately pedestrianised and planted with trees.

Of course, there was resistance from residents and businesses, just as there had been huge resistance to smoking bans

Oslo had already pedestrianised its city centre in 2019, providing grants for electric bikes, increasing safe cycle areas and public transport infrastructure. Barcelona increased its pedestrian "superblock" areas incrementally, spending 38 million euros in 2022 to create 16 acres of new city-centre green space.

York became the first car-free city centre in the UK in 2023. Helsinki became car-free in 2025 by introducing a revolutionary "mobility on demand" system. Birmingham, Amsterdam, Bogota, Paris, New York, London, Seattle and Hamburg all followed soon after.

City leaders carried out their ambitious tree-planting pledges, planting a diverse range of varieties of climate-resistant trees, and investing in the maintenance and care of them to ensure they flourished.

Of course, there was resistance from residents and businesses, just as there had been huge resistance to the smoking bans that spread across the globe from 2004. At the time none of us could imagine pubs, restaurants and workplaces being smoke-free. Look how fast smoking inside became de-normalised.

It’s November 2036, the streets of city centres are full of trees not cars. We imagined it in 2021 and now it’s hard to imagine it being any other way.

Above: Es Devlin photographed by Alfonso Duran. Top image: a montage of a car-free Paris by Es Devlin Studio

British artist and designer Es Devlin began her practice in theatre and live music (working with artists including Beyonce, Travis Scott and The Weeknd.)

She creates large-scale sculptural installations and performances which aim to shift the viewer's perspective. Her recent Forest for Change installation at Somerset House invited visitors to engage with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

This month, her Conference of the Trees installation featuring 197 trees will be part of the New York Times Climate Hub at the Cop26 climate conference. as a parallel Conference of the Trees at COP26 in Glasgow.

She designed the UK pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020, becoming the first female to be awarded the commission, and was artistic director of the 2020 London Design Biennale.

Read more about Es Devlin ›

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Pawel Rymsza proposes domed cities with algae lakes "to make big reductions in atmospheric carbon"

Pawel Rymsza's proposal to house humanity in a network of ring-shaped structures built around huge algae-rich lakes is the first of 15 visionary projects selected as finalists for Dezeen's Redesign the World competition powered by Twinmotion.

Called Carbon Neutral Rings, Rymsza's proposal is to create a network of enclosed carbon-neutral cities for humanity to live in.

Each ring is built around a huge reservoir of algae, which would be used to filter the air inside the rings and act as a carbon sink to absorb the city's emissions.

The carbon dioxide absorbed by reservoirs would ensure the cities are carbon-neutral initially and would become carbon-negative over time, as humanity shifts to less carbon-intensive technologies.

Read more about the proposal below.

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Carbon Neutral Rings
Pawel Rymsza, Wrocław, Poland
Finalist

"The idea for my project came from a smog problem in my own city – Wrocław in Poland.

"A few years ago we had the highest air smog pollution measured in the whole world. So the idea of the project was to create a healthy environment where people can breathe clean, fresh air.

"I have created huge rings and domes in which people can live, work and rest. In the outer parts of the rings, there are living areas and work areas.

"In order to better manage the available space, people live and work in a network of skyscrapers. The lower zone of each of them is reserved for shops and restaurants, the middle part is a residential zone and the upper one is for office spaces.

"In the inner zone of each ring, there is a beach and a lake that also act as a place of rest and recreation for residents. There are bars, sports fields and walking paths on the beach.

"The swimming and water sports lake is separated from the inner area by trees. In the inner part of the rings, there is a huge industrial reservoir of sea algae.

"It is thanks to the sea algae that the air in the entire dome is cleaned. Algae, when used in conjunction with AI-powered bioreactors, is up to 400 times more efficient than a tree at removing CO2 from the atmosphere.

"That means that while we are learning to reduce carbon emissions and augment our consumption patterns, we can start to make big reductions in atmospheric carbon.

"When wielded correctly, it could make a city carbon-negative without changing current production or consumption patterns of the city.

"The rings are connected to each other by a network of fast tunnels. On the other hand, around the rings, there are smaller domes with specialized technical workplaces, such as automated factories and production plants."

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Redesign the World

Redesign the World is the ultimate design competition, which called for new ideas to rethink planet Earth to ensure that it remains habitable long into the future.

Launched in partnership with Epic Games, the contest asked entrants to visualise their concepts using architectural visualisation software Twinmotion.

Dezeen is unveiling the 15 finalists each day during our Dezeen 15 festival, culminating in the winner being announced on 19 November.

The winner will receive the top prize of £5,000. There are also prizes of £2,500 for second place, £1,000 for third place and £500 each for the remaining finalists.

Find out more about Redesign the World ›
See all the finalists revealed so far ›

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Emma van der Leest develops fungal coating to make bio-leather more durable

Dutch designer Emma van der Leest believes that bio-leather might one day replace animal leather in the fashion industry and is developing a fungal coating to make the material more versatile.

Although there are various plant-based leathers commercially available, many of them include a small amount of polyurethane (PU) to make the material water-repellent and durable. As a result, these materials are not fully biodegradable, and so are arguably less eco-friendly than animal leather.

Emma van der Leest has designed a speculative brand identity for the future product

Van der Leest is exploring whether fungus can be used instead of plastic to make these plant-based leather materials more sustainable.

As well as testing different types of fungus in the lab, she has designed a speculative brand identity for the future product, which she calls Fungkee.

The coating is designed to make bio-leather more water-repellent and durable

"To take a biomaterial and coat it with PU, which of course is plastic, doesn't really make sense to me," said Van der Leest.

"In nature there are all kinds of different waterproof coatings, on leaves, on mushrooms, on the shields of insects," she told Dezeen. "I made it my goal to find a fungus that could coat this material."

Based on initial results from the lab, the designer believes a product could be developed in the next five to 10 years.

"In 10 years, I can see a lot of companies and designers using this product," she told Dezeen. "That's my wish."

The coating is produced by cultivating mycelium spores in liquid

Van der Leest is developing the concept in partnership with cell biologist Aneta Schaap-Oziemlak. In 2019, the pair were awarded the Bio Art & Design Award, a €25,000 prize that helped them get their research off the ground.

They spent six months working with mycology experts Paul Verweij and Sybren de Hoog of the Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, over which time they were able to prove their concept works.

After the first six months of research, Van der Leest presented the results in an exhibition

For the initial tests, Van der Leest chose a specific type of bio-leather made from bacterial cellulose. This material is effectively grown, by cultivating bacteria and yeast in a vat of liquid.

Van der Leest became familiar with this material after working with Suzanne Lee of BioCouture, a designer who has pioneered bacterial bio-materials.

Read:

Notpla is a biodegradable material designed "to make packaging disappear"

"That was when I realised how difficult it is to create 100 per cent naturally grown material from organisms," she said.

"Even then, you still need to design in properties that make the material water-repellent."

One particular fungus was found to be effective

The concept developed by Van der Leest and Schaap-Oziemlak is for a fungal coating that doesn't just cover the material but actually wraps the cellular structure.

They create this coating by cultivating mycelium spores in liquid and found one particular fungus that gave them the result they were looking for.

"We saw fungal strains growing invasively through the material, which was a good sign," said Van der Leest.

"They weren't biodegrading the material, they were using it as a kind of home. That was one of our goals."

Van der Leest (pictured right) plans to continue testing the material

Although the coronavirus pandemic caused delays to the research, the designer plans to continue pursuing her goal of turning Fungkee into a commercially viable product.

Her ambition is for the coating to be used both by industry and consumers. As well as bio-leathers, she hopes to be able to replace PU in other textiles, for instance, on tent fabric.

"It's very interesting to see how you can develop materials or products that are more natural, but with the help of modern science you can scale them," she added.

Fungkee was exhibited at the recent Dutch Design Week, in an exhibition titled It's in our Nature.

Dutch Design Week ran from 16 to 24 October 2021 at venues across Eindhoven. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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