Apr 03 2025 15 mins
Modern buildings are complex machines, using heating, cooling and a host of other appliances to turn energy into comfort. But that energy comes with a cost: today, our buildings do more to warm the climate than heavy industry, agriculture, or transportation. Prof. Tarek Rakha provides an architect’s view of buildings and the climate, sharing how we can build anew—and upgrade our existing buildings—to use less energy, lower our living costs, benefit the climate, and live more comfortably, all at the same time.
For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/e4-great-indoors
For more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Climate Project, visit tilclimate.mit.edu.
Credits
Laur Hesse Fisher, Host and Senior Editor
Aaron Krol, Writer and Executive Producer
David Lishansky, Editor and Producer
Grace Sawin, Student Production Assistant
Michelle Harris, Fact Checker
Music by Blue Dot Sessions
Artwork by Aaron Krol