A structural engineer at the University of California, Davis, is being called an " Innovator of the Year" and a "Lifetime Achievement in Innovation" for his work on sustainable, climate-resilient construction, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Michele Barbato's "potentially transformative work in nature-based solutions for sustainable, climate-resilient construction" was inspired by ancient adobe and how it could be used to solve some pressing problems in construction today.
He developed a technology that uses adobe, or rather its engineered form called compressed and stabilized earth blocks, to build houses that are affordable, sustainable, and safe against multiple natural hazards, including hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and wildfires.
In California, where people have witnessed the largest and most destructive wildfires in recorded history, Barbato's energy-efficient and eco-friendly means of construction offers a significant opportunity to address the effects of climate change.
His work could also pave the way for constructing soil-based buildings in rural-urban interface areas while addressing the housing needs of socially and economically disadvantaged groups.
Meanwhile, plant biologist Eduardo Blumwald was given the Innovator of the Year award for his discovery that soil bacteria can capture nitrogen in the air and convert it into a form that plants can use to grow.
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