Catalytic Buildings are next-generation high-performance buildings that boost the economic, social, and physical sustainability of entire urban areas. Going beyond energy neutrality, a Catalytic Building enhances a system's autonomy, resilience, and equity, from the neighborhood level to the city.
Our cities are responsible for two-thirds of global energy demand and 70% of CO2 emissions. By 2050, the United Nations expects them to house over 70% of the global population. The construction industry that builds them already consumes 40% of worldwide energy, generates 30% of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, uses nearly 12% of fresh water, and produces almost 40% of waste.
A catalytic building becomes a vital organ of a city, enhancing the resilience of the urban environment it inhabits.
To confront the needs of twenty-first-century cities, development must steer toward buildings that actively contribute to their surroundings. That is where the autonomy and self-reliance for genuine sustainability will be found.