Material supplier SABIC’s ICEhouse took center stage during the 2017 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The ICE in ICEhouse stands for Innovation for the Circular Economy.
SABIC collaborated with renowned architect and sustainability pioneer William McDonough to make the ICEhouse. McDonough is known for developing the “Cradle to Cradle” design philosophy, which is now a part of the Circular Economy approach to product design that allows building materials to be reused and have a second life.
“Carbon—the element—is not the enemy,” McDonough said. “Climate change is the result of breakdowns in the carbon cycle: it is a design failure. When carbon is used in [the] right way, like in the materials made by SABIC, buildings such as ICEhouse are breathing new life into the carbon conversation. Rather than focus on carbon emissions, we can work with carbon as durable element, as an earthbound asset.”
“Given concerns about climate change, it is understandable that carbon has a problematic reputation, but the truth is when carbon is used in a safe way—as it is in ICEhouse—then it can be a tremendous asset,” added Ernesto Occhiello, Executive Vice President of Specialties at SABIC. The structure’s materials are superior to their traditional counterparts and much more reusable. This is creating ‘Chemistry that Matters’ for sustainable societies.”
