Published by global design firm Stantec, this eclectic blog features viewpoints, insights, and explanations from Stantec architects, engineers, and designers, on a range of issues impacting the fabric of our communities. Our contributors share their thoughts about design trends, emerging technologies, vexing challenges, and inspired solutions. For more blog posts, visit our Ideas page. Follow us on Facebook, InstagramLinkedIn, and Twitter, and YouTube.

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Why decarbonizing hospitals smartly is better than electrification for healthcare design

There’s a new conversation happening in healthcare today. Driven by new laws, regulations, tariffs, ESG goals, and thought leaders in the industry itself, healthcare institutions...
18th July 2024
A Promising Research Project Looks At The Possibilities For Thermoelectric Systems To Thermally Condition Buildings, Writes Mahsa Farid Mohajer, Sustainable Building Analyst With Stantec

Could ‘smart’ building facades heat and cool buildings?

What if we could design buildings that could heat and cool themselves? What if we do this by repurposing existing technology? And what if we could seamlessly integrate this technology...
18th June 2024
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8 ways to cool a factory

For most industrial factories, it’s process over people. The “human factor” comes in second place. In many North American factories, even those that make electric vehicles, this...
8th June 2024
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The next destination: Passive design airports

Airports around the globe contribute to the local economy, tourism, and trade. They are vital in connecting communities separated by vast rugged terrains and large bodies of water...
18th April 2024
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A modular construction solution to the mental healthcare crisis

Roughly a quarter of the U.S. population confronts a mental health challenge each year. Half will go undiagnosed and untreated. Emergency departments (ED) remain the overwhelmed...
18th March 2024
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8 strategies for multifamily passive house design projects

It’s official: passive house design standards are coming to Massachusetts. The lessons learned in the Northeast can help design energy-efficient, multifamily buildings elsewhere...
20th Nov. 2023
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Implementing human-centric design in operations and maintenance facilities

Today’s operation, maintenance, and storage facilities (OMSF) are often immense. They commonly appear to have abandoned the human scale that helps define the architectural language...
10th April 2023
L'innesto lead

5 approaches to a net zero strategy that communities can start right now

Thousands of communities have committed to becoming net zero in the coming decades. Whether your community has started on a plan or is still considering net zero, now is the time...
6th July 2022