Addressing climate change—and overhauling the way we design and build—has never been more urgent. Here, 10 sustainability experts from around the country shed light on their trials and triumphs, game-changing projects, the education of the next generation of problem-solvers, and more.
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Q+A: Kjell Anderson, LMN Architects
"Electric vehicles, all-electric buildings, a circular economy with low-carbon materials, and abundant renewable energy are the solutions for our field," the director of sustainability says.
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Q+A: Heather Gayle Holdridge, Lake|Flato Architects
"We urgently need to become more educated on carbon and how to design and construct carbon-neutral buildings," the director of design performance says.
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Q+A: Anica Landreneau, HOK
"We can advance policies and building codes through our advocacy and participation in the process, whether through committee service or leadership, testimony, direct advocacy with policy makers, or enlistment of community support," the senior principal and global director of sustainable design says.
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Q+A: Seonhee Kim, Design Collective
"When we are working toward solutions for climate change, equity must be embedded," the principal and director of sustainability says.
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Q+A: Kathleen Hetrick, Buro Happold
"We need to come together as an industry, stop pointing fingers, and work together to design buildings that meet our planet’s carrying capacity and solve our myriad public health and societal problems," the sustainability engineer says.
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Q+A: Bradford C. Grant, Howard University Department of Architecture
"Sustainability issues are too fractured and isolated, and they often do not use an equity and justice lens to achieve scaled and inclusive success," says the Howard University Department of Architecture's interim chair.
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Q+A: Sadaf Jafari, SGA
"My approach to sustainability begins with empathy for communities and for individuals," says the Boston-based director of sustainability.
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Q+A: Illya Azaroff, +Lab Architect
"Our responsibility is to think about everything outside of the building that makes the building what it is," Azaroff says.
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Q+A: Greg Mella, SmithGroup
"We must push our clients to include goals and design elements that mitigate and adapt to climate change," says the Washington, D.C.–based expert.
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Q+A: Anyeley Hallová, Adre
"Architects and designers can play the role of educator, facilitator, and champion when it comes to ensuring a sustainable future," Hallová says.
This feature first appeared in the September 2023 issue of ARCHITECT.