This time, interviewed by the Meteoro Brasil channel on their program Microscópio, the conversation covered climate-inappropriate construction, real estate speculation, and the vulnerability of Brazilian cities.

The interview opened with Brazil's eight bioclimatic zones and how each one demands different design strategies. When a project ignores the local climate, the result is discomfort and high energy consumption. This problem is rooted in the real estate market, where most design decisions are made to sell, not for the people who will actually live there. The gourmet varanda was the main example: a space that increases sellable square footage but shrinks bedrooms and serves no real practical need for residents.

The consequences show up in the cities themselves. The hottest areas are on the outskirts — the same areas that concentrate low-income residents and bear the brunt of floods and landslides. Filipe cited São Sebastião and Juiz de Fora as examples of how unequal land occupation amplifies climate impacts.

Even when cities receive improvements, the risk remains. Boni explained how parks and revitalization projects can displace residents by driving up the cost of living, and presented tools like ZEIS, PEUC, and Community Land Trust as ways to protect those who already live in these areas.

In his view, Brazil has the technical expertise to address these problems. What is missing is political will.

Disclaimer: The video is in Brazilian Portuguese, but simultaneous translation and subtitles are available in multiple languages.

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At the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, materials manufacturer Holcim and the office ELEMENTAL, led by Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena, presented a housing prototype built with a new type of concrete. The material is made with biochar and sequesters carbon instead of emitting it.

Biochar is a charcoal-like material produced by heating organic waste without oxygen, a process called pyrolysis. This process locks the carbon from biomass in a stable form, preventing it from reaching the atmosphere. Each kilogram of biochar produced avoids the emission of up to 3 kg of CO₂. When incorporated into concrete, the material continues to sequester carbon throughout the entire lifespan of the building.

The urgency of the issue is real. The construction sector is responsible for nearly 40% of global CO₂ emissions. Most solutions developed to date focus on reducing buildings' energy consumption. The carbon emitted during the production of construction materials such as cement and steel has largely gone unaddressed. Biochar tackles that problem directly.

According to the IPCC, the technology has the potential to eliminate 2.6 billion tons of CO₂ per year. Holcim is already testing applications in 11 countries. The technology was recognized at the Green GOOD DESIGN Awards 2026, organized by the Chicago Athenaeum.

The project presented in Venice also carries a social message. ELEMENTAL's housing model has already been replicated more than 4,000 times across Latin America. The proposal shows that building more, for more people, does not have to mean emitting more carbon.

The megalomaniacal The Line was unveiled in 2020 as a linear city stretching an incredible 170 km, 500 m tall, and capable of housing 9 million residents. No cars, no emissions, and 100% renewable energy.

Six years later... construction has stopped.

The sovereign wealth fund financing the project needed oil at $90 a barrel to sustain its budget. The price sat between $60 and $65. Aramco cut dividends by 33%. The fund lost $6 billion in cash. In December 2024, it approved a 20% cut in investments and 60% in less viable projects.

The Line shrank from 170 km to 2.4 km. From 9 million residents to 300 people. And now, it has stopped being a city altogether.

The 6,000 concrete piles already driven into the ground, each 2.5 to 3 m in diameter, will serve servers and cooling systems. The space that was meant for people will process artificial intelligence data.

Watch the full video and find out why a 170 km city turned into data infrastructure, and what that reveals about how urban projects are financed and abandoned!

Disclaimer: The video is in Brazilian Portuguese, but simultaneous translation and subtitles are available in multiple languages.