Dezeen Magazine

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"Hedonistic" future could be better for the environment says Bjarke Ingels at COP26

Daily COP26 briefing: today's COP26 briefing includes hydrogen-powered flights, an Architects Climate Action Network talk and Bjarke Ingels on a "hedonistic" future.

Throughout COP26, we are publishing regular updates of what's happening at the conference and surrounding events. See all our COP26 coverage here.

A sustainable future is a design challenge says Bjarke Ingels

Danish architect Bjarke Ingels has said that he believes that creating sustainable cities and a sustainable future is a design challenge in a talk hosted by energy company Ørsted to coincide with COP26.

"I don't see a sustainable future as a political dilemma and I don't see it as a typological dilemma, I really see it as a design challenge," he said.

"If you can show the world that the sustainable city has ports so clean you can swim in and power plants so clean you can climb their facades and hike and ski their roofs, then why would you ever chose the non sustainable city," he continued.

"In that sense, the hedonistic and sustainable future means it is not only better for the environment, but its also better for the people inhabiting it."

British company to announce plans for hydrogen-powered flights by 2030

A new, but as yet unnamed, British company is set to unveil technology that could greatly reduce aviation's reliance on fossil fuels at COP26 today and create "clean" flights.

According to the Guardian newspaper, the company aims to create lightweight reactors that would be retrofitted into planes by 2030 to transform liquid ammonia into hydrogen, which would be burnt as fuel.

This would allow ammonia to be a viable alternative to the paraffin that is currently used as jet fuel.

ACAN and SEDA present talks on decarbonising Scottish construction

The Scottish Ecological Design Association and climate group Architects Climate Action Network (ACAN), are hosting a series of talks and a workshop today titled Decarbonising Scottish Construction: How Do We Make the Changes We Need?

Taking place at Many Studios in Glasgow and online, the events aim to look at how architecture and construction can move away from carbon-intensive materials.

Architecture 2030 hosts AIA and RIBA to discuss decarbonising the built environment

Climate action group Architecture 2030 and professional organisation American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers are set to host a COP26 official side event focused on actions being taken to decarbonise the built environment.

Named 65% by 2030 / ZERO by 2040, the event featuring American Institute of Architects president Peter Exley and Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) chief executive Alan Vallance, will take place on 10 November 10 and be live streamed.

Foster + Partners and Zaha Hadid Architects yet to endorse RIBA climate report presented at COP26

Earlier this week RIBA and Architects Declare presented their climate report, which was endorsed by more than 200 built environment organisations.

However, numerous leading UK architecture studios, including Foster + Partners and Zaha Hadid Architects, are yet to join the signatories.

C40 Cities curates Global Cities Climate Action Exhibition

Sustainable urbanism network C40 Cities and engineering company Arup have created an exhibition to showcase the action taken to impact climate change in 11 cities, including London, Los Angeles and Beijing.

Named the Global Cities Climate Action Exhibition, the showcase is located in COP26's Green Zone and is also available via an interactive digital platform.

"Showcasing what is possible at this year’s COP is vitally important to demonstrate that we can deliver science-based climate action," said C40 Cities executive director Mark Watts.

"This inspiring exhibition will feature transformative climate solutions being pioneered in C40 cities, as well as the tangible resulting benefits upon residents' lives and the urban environment."

COP26 takes 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.