Charlotte the child is active: running, playing, giggling while she rides her bike. But her namesake, Charlotte the condo building, is passive. Its airtight rooms use a fraction of the energy required by the buildings around it, staying cool in the summer and warm in the winter, while light-soaked and quiet.
Buildings account for nearly 40 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, and on a rapidly warming planet, the pressure on the construction industry to build more sustainably is mounting fast.
Governments are placing restrictions on buildings’ energy use and greenhouse gas emissions while tech companies are tapping automation and robotics to build smarter and more sustainably.
