Includes bibliographical references and index.

Beyond zero : the time value of carbon / by Erin McDade -- Counting carbon : what we know and how we know it / by Catherine De Wolf, Barbara Rodriguez Droguett, and Katharina Simonen -- Rebuild : what you build matters, what you don't build matters more / by Larry Strain -- Wood : like never before -- Straw and other fibers : a second harvest / with Chris Magwood and Massey Burke -- Concrete : the reinvention of artificial rock / with Fernando Martirena and Pauil Jaquin -- Plastic : so great, so awful... some new directions / by Mikhail Davis, Wes Sullens, and Wil Srubar -- To your health : the health benefits and impacts of natural building materials / by Pete Walker, Andrew Thomson, and Daniel Maskell -- Size matters : can buildings be too tall? / by Ann Edminster -- Technology and localization : trends at play -- Action plan : places to intervene in a system.

Like never before in history, buildings can become part of the climate solution. With biomimicry and innovation, we can pull huge amounts of carbon out of the atmosphere and lock it up as walls, roofs, foundations, and insulation. We can literally make buildings out of sky with a massive positive impact. This book presents a paradigm-shifting tour of the innovations in architecture and construction that are making this happen. Office towers built from advanced wood products; affordable low-carbon concrete alternatives; plastic cleaned from the oceans and turned into building blocks. We can even grow insulation and bricks! This book will fire the imagination of architects, engineers, builders, policy makers, and everyone else captivated by the possibility of architecture that heals the climate and produces safer, healthier, and more beautiful buildings.