CBT Wins Two Rethinking the Future Awards!

Two CBT projects – very different in scope, yet equally innovative, strategic, and thorough in approach – have been honored with 2021 Rethinking the Future Awards! A competitive, international showcase of innovation and future-ready ideas, this prestigious program recognizes creative excellence and inspiring architecture and design from around the globe. Selected from more than 1,400 submissions from more than 50 countries, CBT's master plan for Eco-Residences 2 received a First Award in Urban Design, and CBT-curated exhibition Balancing Act: Urbanism & Emerging Technologies was named runner-up in Exhibition Design. 

The epitome of sustainability – in both a desert environment and a commercial development context – the design of the Eco-Residences 2 neighborhood synthesizes a human-centered, biophilic approach with a dramatically reduced environmental impact. Part of Masdar City’s Phase One development, this innovation-focused mixed-use district is adjacent to the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), the world’s first research-based institution dedicated to artificial intelligence. Here, across just 5.62 hectares, a world-class institution, corporate housing with a young demographic, incubator offices, retail and restaurants, and welcoming public space converge within a five-minute walk. 

Learn more about Eco-Residences 2. 

CBT designers partnered with the Boston Society for Architecture to curate and design a provocative public exhibition on urban design and technology. Examining the current conditions of our urban environments by reflecting on past technological innovations, the interactive exhibit provides a futuristic – and potentially prophetic – glimpse into the role emerging technologies may play in the development of global cities and our collective future. 

Inspiring and engaging a broad audience – from design professionals to the general public – Balancing Act results from three years of research, global outreach, and collective interviews with organizations and institutions worldwide. This public conversation explores balancing emerging technologies with the human experience to suggest a roadmap for making our cities more livable, equitable, and sustainable. Through interactive media projections, detailed drawings, three-dimensional models, and a video, the exhibit is an interactive, vibrant, and urban-future-ready look at what may be next. 

Learn more about Balancing Act: Urbanism & Emerging Technologies.