STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE.
BUT FIRST, WHAT IF OUR CITIES
COULD BE LIKE FORESTS?
THAT IS THE QUESTION AT THE
HEART OF A NEW BUILDING
PROTOTYPE DEVELOPED BY FIRM
SKIDMORE, OWINGS & MERRILL.
AS NICK BLUMBERG REPORTS
THINKING OF BUILDINGS AS TREES
IS NOT FOR ESTHETIC PURPOSES IT
IS A WAY TO ADAPT TO THE
CHANGING CLIMATE.
>> A CODE RED FOR HUMANITY.
THAT IS HOW THE UNITED NATIONS
DESCRIBED A RECENT REPORT ON
EARTH'S CLIMATE WHICH SEEMED TO
BE CHANGING MORE RAPIDLY, THE
CRISIS THAT PROMPTED SKIDMORE,
OWINGS & MERRILL TO THINK ABOUT
THE ROLE OF THE BUILT
ENVIRONMENT AND WHETHER IT'S
POSSIBLE FOR A BUILDING TO GO
BEYOND NET ZERO EMISSIONS.
>> JUST RELEASING THE CARBON
EMISSIONS AS CLOSE TO ZERO CAN
WE GO ONE STEP BEYOND AND THINK
OF THE BUILDING INDUSTRY THAT
WOULD ABSORB CARBON FROM THE
AIR?
>> THE PROTOTYPE IS CALLED URBAN
SEQUOIA.
IT DEBUTED AT THE COP 26 CLIMATE
SUMMIT.
THE BUILDING USES DIFFERENT
APPROACHES TO CAPTURE CARBON
FROM THE AIR.
ONE IS THINKING ABOUT WHAT THE
BUILDING IS MADE OF.
>> WE USE BASICALLY, NATURAL
MATERIAL.
SO RATHER THAN CONCRETE AND
STEEL, WE ACTUALLY FOCUS ON
USING WOOD OR USING BIOBRICKS.
IT INTEGRATES USING CARBON AS
PART OF PHOTO SYNTHESIS TO
PRODUCE ALGAE TO BE USED AS A
BIOFUEL.
>> YOU CAN USE THAT AS A BIOFUEL
FOR HEATING AND COOLING OF OUR
BUILDING.
>> AND THE PROTOTYPE HAS A
CARBON CAPTURE DEVICE THAT TAKES
ADVANTAGE OF THE WAY AIR MOVES
UPWARD IN TALL BUILDINGS.
>> USE THE FORCES OF THE WIND TO
POWER THE DEVICES LIKE A FAN.
>> A SLEW OF ARCHITECTS,
DESIGNERS AND SUSTAINABILITY
SPECIALISTS CAME TOGETHER TO
DEVELOP THE CONCEPT THEY THINK
THE URBAN SEQUOIA HAS BIG
POTENTIAL.
>> WE IMAGINE THAT OVER 60 YEARS
FOR EXAMPLE, IT WILL SEQUESTER
350%, THREE-AND-A-HALF TIMES
WHAT IT WOULD HAVE EMITTED IF WE
WERE TO BUILD IT IN A
CONVENTIONAL FASHION.
>> AND THE PROJECT IS NOT JUST
ABOUT FINDING THE BEST BUILDING
TERMS OR COMING UP WITH WAYS TO
CAPTURE CARBON IT'S ABOUT HOW
CITIES AND PEOPLE CAN LEARN FROM
NATURE.
>> WE ARE TRYING TO USE THE
POWER OF NATURE OR LIGHT TO DO A
LOT OF THE HEAVY LIFTING OF THE
WORK IN A BUILDING.
OR FOR THE WORLD AS A WHOLE
NATURE AND HUMAN THRIVING
TOGETHER.
>> AND THE PROTOTYPE COULD HAVE
A POSITIVE EFFECT BEYOND THE
URBAN ENVIRONMENT.
THE CARBON THE URBAN SEQUOIA
CAPTURES IT CAN BE USED FOR
BUILDING OR FUEL REDUCING THE
STRAIN ON AGRICULTURE.
>> WE DECOUPLE THE URBAN AND THE
ENVIRONMENT WITH FARMING.
WE WANT TO LESS THE BURDEN OF
THE FARMLAND BY CREATING
BUILDINGS THAT CAN ACTUALLY
CREATE THE MATERIAL WE NEED.
>> THE URBAN SEQUOIA PROTOTYPE
IS A HIGH-RISE BUT THE CONCEPTS
WORK IN A VARIETY OF SCALES AND
SOME OF THE TECHNIQUES CAN BE
APPLIED TO EXISTING BUILDINGS.
THERE ARE NOT PLANS TO BUILD ONE
AT THE MOMENT THE FOLKS AT
SKIDMORE, OWINGS & MERRILL ARE
NOT LETTING GO OF THIS IDEA.
>> I LOVE MY SON TO EXPERIENCE
THE WORLD LIKE I DID.
AND I KEEP OPTIMISM BECAUSE IT
IS A CHALLENGE BUT WE HAVE NEVER
BEEN CLOSER TO ADDRESSING THIS
CHALLENGE THAN THIS MOMENT.
AND TOMORROW IS GOING TO BE
BETTER, TOO.
>> FOR "CHICAGO TONIGHT" I'M
NICK BLUMBERG.
>> SKIDMORE, OWINGS & MERRILL