Build for Impact

In talking about the pillars of green building, it’s possible to look to the past and future. Ancient cities show signs of sustainability, resilience, and wellness. Many of these components are common sense, and their reintroduction is changing how the world builds. Talking about the pillars, host Daniel Huard welcomed architect, Blake Jackson.

Built for Impact provides a new angle on the relationship between humans and the Earth—the spiritual one. Host Daniel Huard spoke with Tim Yearington, an indigenous educator and tribal leader. Yearington’s ancestral name is “Grey Thunderbird.”

Sustainability, transparency, wellness and resiliency are the pillars of the green building world. Host Daniel Huard, the Godfather of Sustainability, collaborates with the experts around the world focusing on green design.

Sustainability, transparency, wellness and resiliency are the pillars of the green building world. Host Daniel Huard, the Godfather of Sustainability, collaborates with the experts around the world focusing on green design.

Sustainability, transparency, wellness and resiliency are the pillars of the green building world. Host Daniel Huard, the Godfather of Sustainability, collaborates with the experts around the world focusing on green design.

Sustainability, transparency, wellness and resiliency are the pillars of the green building world.Host Daniel Huard, the Godfather of Sustainability, collaborates with the experts around the world focusing on green design.

On this episode of Build for Impact, Daniel A. Huard invited Jennifer Berthelot-Jelovic to explore the four pillars of green building – sustainability, transparency, wellness and resiliency – and to focus on wellness, in particular.

Build for Impact host, Daniel Huard, was joined by Mick Schwedler for a discussion on sustainability, resilience, material transparency, and wellness in building design.  Schwedler is a Senior Applications Engineer with Trane and President of ASHRAE.  He has been actively involved in the development, training, and support of energy efficient systems since 1982.

Huard and Schwedler discussed the evolution of sustainability and how the mindset of the industry has changed over time.

“Initially, sustainability only meant energy,” said Schwedler.  “I think people are really starting to think about how can we do more with less.  Less materials.  Less energy.  Less impact.”

Schwedler provided insights into the resiliency piece of building design.   The ability to maintain infrastructure and improve them to be more resilient to damage and natural disasters is critical.  Issues caused by human impacts and natural disasters can be prevented or minimized with thoughtful designs that account for different failure modes.

Material Transparency is more than just the materials themselves.  Understanding how they are made, the material composition, how they are transported and implemented are key to evaluating the true impact of materials have on the environment.

Schwedler also spoke about ASHRAE’s involvement in taking an active role in progressing wellness initiatives.

Commissioning of projects is an important step to ensuring systems reach their intended use and benefits.

Ramie Vagal, Senior Sustainability Manager at Mohawk Industries, joined Build for Impact host, Daniel Huard, for a discussion on sustainability, equity, material transparency, and wellness. Vagal also serves as a member of the LEED Materials and Resources Technology Advisory Group.

“I think any organization should not look at sustainability from just one aspect,” said Vagal. “It should be considered something which is more holistic as well as ingrained into your strategic planning.”

Huard and Vagal also discussed the concept of hand printing, which is a wide-reaching approach that spreads sustainability education and awareness to positively impact entire communities. The pair shared recent hand printing examples they were involved with and how the efforts improved the sustainability of the surrounding areas.

Designing for social equity was another key topic. “We are always focusing on a solution that’s inclusive,” said Huard. Creating buildings that are equitable and accessible to all people must be considered in building planning.

It is also important to truly understand the needs of the people and landscape of the area as well. “It cannot be one size fits all, especially when it comes to equity,” remarked Vagal.

Vagal and Huard commented on material transparency and the substantial progress the industry has made in recent years to eliminate harmful materials and incorporate lifecycle information into material choices. Vagal mentioned that there is still work to be done to streamline certifications and improve the efficiency of the material transparency effort.

The two concluded their discussion with wellness. Considering human health and wellbeing when designing can have a major impact on how people are affected by indoor and outdoor spaces.

There's no debating the fact that clean air and clean water are essential to human life. But these resources are becoming increasingly scarce, particularly in impoverished areas of the world. As America begins to feel the effects of climate change, people-focused solutions arise, like sustainable building design. “Build For Impact,” explores how the sector of sustainable construction has evolved in the last few decades with special guest John Harrison, LEED Fellow and founder of GreenSlate Sustainability. Harrison’s work with companies like REI and Starbucks has been influential in leading the momentum to adopt big change on mass. 

Harrison recounts his start in sustainable design with the outdoor recreation company, REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.) Designing REI’s flagship store in Seattle presented Harrison with the opportunity to engineer for efficiency and build using sustainable and recycled materials. Since then, Harrison has seen the sustainability design space take off. He says, “The next generation isn’t going to buy or deal with companies that aren’t doing the right thing.” 

A sense of healthy competition and a driving urgency to enact meaningful change continues to fuel sustainable design. Harrison, though worried about future climate changes is optimistic about developments, citing a communal sense of working toward the same goal, “...ultimately people in the sustainability space work together when given the opportunity.”