As part of a larger conceptual project titled “The Jetsons,” in which engineers and scientists imagine what 2062 will look like (an homage to the 1962 sci-fi cartoon of the same name that is set 100 years into the future), New York–based materials science company Arconic has come up with an imagined design for a 15,840-foot-tall skyscraper constructed from building materials that are currently available, or are in the pipeline. The concept utilizes EcoClean, a functional building coating that self-cleans buildings, purifies the surrounding air, and was released in 2011. Bloomframe (shown below), an automated window showcased in 2015 that can transform into a glass balcony is also included in the design. [Business Insider]

ICYMI: A list of innovations in renewable energy and building materials to track in the New Year. [ARCHITECT]

Carbon capture, a process that could help fight global warming, might become easier through “direct air capture” thanks to research conducted by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in Oak Ridge, Tenn. [R&D Magazine]

ICYMI: The National Institute of Building Sciences, in collaboration with ASHRAE, Building Owners and Managers Association International, and with financial support from the U.S. Department of Defense–Defense Health Agency, has compiled a guide for building owners to specify the use of building information modeling (BIM) during the design and construction of a facility. [ARCHITECT]

Scientists at MIT have found a way to make graphene—typically a thin layer of pure carbon arranged in two dimensions that is considered to be the strongest material known to man—into a 3D form using heat and pressure. When the material was tested, it outperformed steel tenfold. [Fast Co. Design]

The Royal Academy of Arts in London is hosting “Virtually Real,” an exhibition by graduates Adham Faramawy and Elliot Dodd along with third-year student Jessy Jetpacks. Using the HTC Vive headset as well as Kodon (a VR sculpting program) and Tilt Brush by Google, the students will create works of art with which viewers can interact. The show runs Jan. 12-14. [The Royal Academy of Arts]

Tesla has plans to install 70-megawatt solar arrays on its Gigafactory rooftop in order to stop using fossil fuels in its production process. [The Verge]

Beijing’s mayor and deputy chief of China’s ruling political party, Cai Qi, has announced plans to assemble an environmental police task force to help combat the capital’s toxic smog. [Aljazeera]

Utility company Entergy and New York state officials have agreed to the closure of Indian Point, the nuclear power plant that is in closest proximity to New York City. The two nuclear reactors will be out of service by April 2020. [The New York Times]