Video

The United States is losing economic hegemony to China

Over the past decades, the United States has held a dominant position in the global economy, made possible not only by its military power, but mainly by its productive capacity (steel, automobiles, technology, and infrastructure). Today, this landscape has changed …

The U.S. economy went through a quiet but structural transition. Its industrial base was gradually weakened and replaced by a highly financialized model, where profit no longer comes from real production, but from speculation, financial assets, and the extraction of digital rent. Meanwhile, China moved quickly to master the physical economy, leading industrial production and investing in infrastructure, semiconductors, and green technologies.

This shift in the material base of the global economy is not just a matter of GDP; it marks a turning point in the real distribution of productive power. Faced with a loss of competitiveness, the United States has adopted a strategy of containment that includes trade barriers, technological sanctions, and an increasingly aggressive stance that could put global economic stability at risk.

The rivalry between the two countries is already directly affecting the global energy transition. While China leads the production and export of affordable clean technologies (such as solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles), the United States and its allies respond with protectionist measures, imposing tariffs and trade restrictions.

Instead of working together to expand access to sustainable solutions, this dispute turns the climate agenda into a field of geopolitical confrontation, delaying strategic investments and making alternatives that are essential for global-scale decarbonization more expensive.

Want to dive deeper into the impacts of this geopolitical dispute?

Watch the full video on the topic and see how sustainability, industry, and the future of the planet are being affected!

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

UGREEN

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You gain access to content that treats sustainability as part of real work.

Environmental impact, cost, and feasibility are addressed together, just as they appear throughout your project stages.

If you want to learn sustainability with method and clarity, get to know UGREEN Pass.

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UGREEN Project

Project Casa Guararapes: design intelligence in practice

The project Casa Guararapes, in Caçador (SC), is the materialization of a project shaped by data, not just intuition. The starting point was an in-depth reading of the local climate and usage patterns, allowing the architecture and interior design to be conceived to perform in the real world.

The concept followed rigorous bioclimatic architecture principles. Through simulations, we analyzed wind patterns, the sun’s path, and annual temperature variations. This information stopped being just charts and became design guidelines, defining the building’s massing, the ideal solar orientation, and the specification of materials.

Four strategies shaped the outcome

1. Biophilic Design:

More than aesthetics, this strategy organizes the visual and physical relationship with the surroundings. Circulation paths and spaces were designed to integrate nature into the daily experience of those who live in and visit the house.

2. Health and Materiality:

The selection of finishes prioritized indoor air quality and non-toxicity. We focused on durability and low environmental impact, ensuring a healthy environment in the long term.

3. Daylighting Comfort:

Natural light plays a central role. The proper sizing of openings drastically reduced the need for artificial lighting during the day, generating both energy savings and visual quality.

4. Passive Thermal Comfort:

Considering the specific climate of Caçador, natural ventilation was strategically designed to ensure air renewal and thermal comfort, minimizing reliance on mechanical cooling systems.

Where technique meets interior design

The interior design project, led by Flávia Kloss, integrates seamlessly with these technical decisions. Here, performance meets usability: the space becomes welcoming, functional, and aesthetically coherent.

To illustrate this process, Project Casa Guararapes recently released a behind-the-scenes video. In it, Filipe Bonim conultant Sami, and designer Flávia Kloss explain in detail how these layers of design intelligence were applied in practice.

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

The final result of Project Casa Guararapes proves that simulation and interior design should move forward together from the very first sketch. When technique is applied with well-being in mind, architecture delivers more than beauty: it delivers efficiency and quality of life!