In this episode of Behind the Build, Kelly Alvarez Doran joins, both architect and co-founder of Ha/f Climate Design. Based in London and working internationally, Kelly shares the journey that led him from growing up in Winnipeg, studying at the University of Manitoba and the University of Toronto, to practicing across Africa and Europe before launching his practice.

Ha/f Climate Design emerged from teaching and research at the University of Toronto and early collaborations with the City of Toronto. Kelly explains how the studio helps architects, builders, and policymakers understand the carbon and financial impacts of design decisions. The conversation explores life cycle assessment, embodied carbon, and the pressing need for Canada to catch up with global standards on reporting and reducing construction emissions.

Kelly’s experiences working on mining resettlement projects and later with MASS Design Group in Rwanda profoundly shaped his approach, teaching him to rethink supply chains, materials, and local labor. He describes how constraints there led to innovative solutions, reinforcing the importance of provenance, low-carbon design, and supporting local economies.

From residential housing to embassies abroad, Ha/f Climate Design now advises on policy, benchmarks carbon footprints, and trains architects and engineers nationwide. Kelly uses vivid analogies—like the “food pyramid of construction materials”—to reframe how we think about aluminum, steel, wood, and locally sourced alternatives.

The discussion also touches on density, infrastructure, and the need for cultural and political shifts in Canadian housing, urging us to embrace “farm-to-table” thinking for buildings and design cities prepared for a hotter future.

Ha// Climate Design: https://halfclimatedesign.com/

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