• China’s 2026-2030 Carbon-Peaking Action Plan: What Businesses Need to Know

    China has issued its Carbon-Peaking Action Plan for the 15th Five-Year Plan period, covering 2026 to 2030. Published by the State Council in July 2026, the plan sets out how the country intends to reach its carbon peak on schedule while continuing to strengthen energy security and economic development. The…

  • From ESG Reporting to Building Performance Action

    BAARCH Insight · Existing Buildings · Asset Performance Real estate is moving beyond annual sustainability disclosure. The next step is to turn energy, carbon, comfort and operational data into decisions that protect value. For many real estate owners, ESG reporting has become more mature. Data is collected. Questionnaires are answered.…

  • Architecture, AI, and the Loss of Critical Thinking

    Artificial intelligence is entering architecture and engineering with a familiar promise: more speed, more options, more productivity. In many ways, that promise is real. AI can help structure information, accelerate comparisons, generate early options, and support repetitive drafting tasks. But it also raises a harder question. What happens when speed…

  • When Indoor CO₂ Rises, the Real Problem Is Usually Not the Sensor

    A practical engineering view on ventilation, control logic, airflow delivery, and why IAQ data alone does not explain IAQ in commercial buildings Indoor air quality in buildings is often reduced to one simple idea: if the CO₂ reading stays below a chosen threshold, ventilation must be acceptable. In practice, the…

  • China’s 2035 Climate Pledge, Explained: What Xi Actually Promised and What It Means for Existing Buildings

    On September 24, 2025, President Xi Jinping used a UN climate forum to put a new waypoint on China’s decarbonization path: by 2035, China will reduce economy-wide greenhouse-gas emissions by 7–10% below peak levels—with a commitment to “strive to do better.” The announcement also included a major scale-up of clean…

  • What Does It Mean to Renovate Well?

    Reflections on the Art and Responsibility of Re-Designing Our Built Environment by Yann Defrance Renovation is a word that often carries the idea of cosmetic refresh: a new façade, updated finishes, or the replacement of outdated systems. But in the context of sustainability and decarbonization, renovating well is not simply…

  • Shanghai Launches Comprehensive Carbon Market Reform (2026–2030)

    A Strategic Pivot Toward Carbon Leadership In 2025, the Shanghai Municipal Government released a landmark reform plan to reshape its carbon market between 2026 and 2030. The initiative is designed to align with China’s national “dual carbon” goals—peaking emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060—while positioning Shanghai as…

  • André Missenard, the French Engineer Who Measured Comfort Before the World Caught Up

    Abstract André Missenard (1901–1989) was a French engineer whose pioneering work on thermal comfort remains embedded in the very fabric of modern building standards. Decades before the international adoption of the PMV/PPD model and ASHRAE’s global reach, Missenard introduced concepts and tools that directly shaped the way engineers understand, measure,…

  • The Body Doesn’t Feel Temperature — Only Heat Loss

    Why André Missenard’s insight still matters for building design and energy efficiency When French engineer André Missenard remarked, “The human body can only register a change in heat loss, not a temperature”, he was not making a semantic distinction — he was challenging how we think about comfort, climate control,…