Building Green

Swiss architect Jachen Schleich shares how he’s adapting Minergie - Switzerland’s leading green building standard - for Latin America, why most timber buildings in Mexico still rely on imported wood, and what it will take to create a truly local timber industry. 

From ancient chinampas inspiring his Venice Biennale installation to banks unexpectedly driving sustainable construction, this episode is full of surprising insights on how we can build greener, smarter, and more locally.

To learn more about Jachen Schleich and his work, you can follow him on LinkedIn, Instagram and visit their website. To learn more about Minergie, you can follow their Instagram, LinkedIn, X accounts and visit their website.

Join me, Ladina, on this green journey, and don't forget to subscribe for more insightful conversations about sustainable living and architecture and drop us a review. If you have suggestions for future guests or topics, I'd love to hear from you on my socials!

Let's explore the world of green architecture, one conversation at a time.

Contact: 

Ladina ⁠⁠@ladinaschoepf

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠buildinggreenshow.com

Produced by: ⁠⁠marketyourarchitecture.com⁠

What if luxury meant living with nature, not apart from it?

If you're an architecture lover or you love traveling, and you’ve ever scrolled through one of the big architecture magazines, I’m sure you’ve seen the image of those incredible bamboo treehouses at Playa Viva in Mexico: iconic, elevated, and completely immersed in nature. Well, our guest today, David Leventhal, is one of the visionaries behind that.

David went from a career in media to co-founding one of the world’s most unique eco-hotels, and now his mission goes far beyond just one location. Through regenerative travel, he’s helping create a new model for how tourism can support communities and restore ecosystems.

In this episode, we talk about how to choose the right architect for a project like this, how to decide exactly where to build in a remote area, how to be respectful of nature when you do it, and how five-star travel is shifting from room service to real connection with the land.

To explore more about David Leventhal and his work, you can follow him on LinkedIn, visit Playa Viva’s website, Instagram, and YouTube. You can also visit Regenerative Travel, a platform and network that supports hotels working in alignment with regenerative principles.

Join me, Ladina, on this green journey, and don't forget to subscribe for more insightful conversations about sustainable living and architecture and drop us a review. If you have suggestions for future guests or topics, I'd love to hear from you on my socials!

Let's explore the world of green architecture, one conversation at a time.

Contact: 

Ladina ⁠⁠@ladinaschoepf

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠buildinggreenshow.com

Produced by: ⁠⁠marketyourarchitecture.com⁠

Celebrity makeup artist Liz Olivier reveals how beauty became one of the world’s most wasteful industries - and what needs to change. From seaweed packaging to circular design, she shares smart, surprising ways to clean up beauty without losing the glamour.

To explore more about Liz Olivier and her work, you can follow her on Instagram or visit her store where you can buy everything sustainable, clean and beauty.

Join me, Ladina, on this green journey, and don't forget to subscribe for more insightful conversations about sustainable living and architecture, and drop us a review. If you have suggestions for future guests or topics, I'd love to hear from you on my socials!

Let's explore the world of green architecture, one conversation at a time.

Contact: 

Ladina @ladinaschoepf

Website: buildinggreenshow.com

Produced by: marketyourarchitecture.com

What if the most sustainable building is also the most beautiful one?

New Zealand architect Andrew Patterson shares how ancient villages, earthquake rubble, and cliffside cottages have shaped his belief that buildings should belong to the land. He explains why true sustainability starts with beauty - and how architecture can help us feel at home on the planet.

To explore more about Andrew Patterson and his work, you can follow him on ⁠Instagram⁠, and visit their ⁠company website⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠YouTube⁠ to check out their local projects.

Join me, Ladina, on this green journey, and don't forget to subscribe for more insightful conversations about sustainable living and architecture, and drop us a review. If you have suggestions for future guests or topics, I'd love to hear from you on my socials!

Let's explore the world of green architecture, one conversation at a time.

Contact: 

Ladina ⁠⁠⁠@ladinaschoepf⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buildinggreenshow.com⁠

Produced by: ⁠marketyourarchitecture.com⁠

What can trees teach us about better buildings and better cities?

In this episode, structural engineer Justin Dan Herder shares why “hyper-optimized” buildings aren’t always the smartest choice, and why saving old structures can often be the most sustainable move. He explains how mass timber can add life to old buildings - but also why it’s not always the right answer.

We hear stories from Justin’s own journey, from watching his dad draft by hand to learning why trees and forests are nature’s best architects. He opens up about “structural poetics” - his idea that good engineering isn’t just about strength and cost, but also about fairness and care for the planet.

If you want to know how our cities could become more like forests and why design choices today matter for generations, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

To explore more about Justin Den Herder and his work, visit TYLin.com, his LinkedIn and his personal website.

Join me, Ladina, on this green journey, and don't forget to subscribe for more insightful conversations about sustainable living and architecture, and drop us a review. If you have suggestions for future guests or topics, I'd love to hear from you on my socials!

Let's explore the world of green architecture, one conversation at a time.

Contact: 

Ladina ⁠⁠@ladinaschoepf⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠buildinggreenshow.com

Produced by: ⁠⁠marketyourarchitecture.com⁠

When you think of rivers, you probably don’t think of architects. But Derek Hoeferlin has made it his life’s work to prove why you should. As an architect, chair of Landscape Architecture, and author of Way Beyond Bigness, Derek advocates for a radical shift in how we design with water—not against it.

He’s studied watersheds across the Mississippi, Mekong, and Rhine, learning how infrastructure, culture, and community intersect. Whether it’s rethinking the 20th-century concrete-heavy mindset, or collaborating with Mekong farmers growing salt-tolerant crops as a response to rising sea levels, Derek shows that every river tells a story of both conflict and connection.

To explore more about Derek Hoeferlin and his work, you can follow him on LinkedIn, visit his website, and buy a copy of his book, Way Beyond Bigness: The Need for a Watershed Architecture, through ORO Editions or Applied Research and Design Publishing.

Join me, Ladina, on this green journey, and don't forget to subscribe for more insightful conversations about sustainable living and architecture and drop us a review. If you have suggestions for future guests or topics, I'd love to hear from you on my socials!

Let's explore the world of green architecture, one conversation at a time.

Contact: 

Ladina @ladinaschoepf

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠buildinggreenshow.com

Produced by: ⁠⁠marketyourarchitecture.com

Ever wondered what makes a city truly great to live in—or why some places feel safer than others at night?

In this episode, urban designers Karina and Aiswarya unpack how cities affect our everyday lives, from safety and loneliness to mobility and community connection. 

You'll hear why simply building more apartments isn't enough, how places like Mumbai, Curitiba, and Atlanta shape the way we move, and what “third places” are (hint: they’re your favorite hangouts between home and school or work!). 

Plus, discover easy ways you can help improve your own neighborhood right now.

To explore more about Aishwarya & Karina and their work, you can follow them on their LinkedIn (Aishwarya / Karina) or subscribe to their podcast, Urb On The Go.

Join me, Ladina, on this green journey, and don't forget to subscribe for more insightful conversations about sustainable living and architecture and drop us a review. If you have suggestions for future guests or topics, I'd love to hear from you on my socials!

Let's explore the world of green architecture, one conversation at a time.

Contact: 

Ladina @ladinaschoepf

Website: buildinggreenshow.com

Produced by: ⁠⁠marketyourarchitecture.com

What if your chair could last for generations and never end up in a landfill?

THIS MOMENT IS A HIGHLIGHT FROM EPISODE #040.John Hamilton is the kind of designer who sees beyond just the object - he sees the story, the connection, and the legacy it can create. From his work with groundbreaking materials like carbon fiber and mycelium packaging to his belief that furniture should quietly support the people using it, John has spent decades pushing the boundaries of design and sustainability.In this conversation, we discuss the surprising ways AI is giving designers time back - to think bigger, innovative ways to eliminate waste by completely avoiding packaging, and the magic of using color to bring a timeless feel to modern design. I can’t wait for you to hear his perspective on the future of sustainable design - and the stories that have shaped his journey.To explore more about John Hamilton and his work, you can follow him on Linkedin and Instagram, or visit their website ludwighamilton.com.Join me, Ladina, on this green journey, and don't forget to subscribe for more insightful conversations about sustainable living and architecture and drop us a review. If you have suggestions for future guests or topics, I'd love to hear from you on my socials!Let's explore the world of green architecture, one conversation at a time.Contact: Ladina ⁠⁠@ladinaschoepf⁠⁠Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠buildinggreenshow.comProduced by: ⁠⁠marketyourarchitecture.com⁠

What if the greenest building isn’t the one with the best tech - but the one people love the most?

Award-winning designer William Dodge shares the story behind a powerful $50K flood memorial that’s changing how the world sees sustainability. It’s built on the same site where his childhood friend drowned and was finished 25 years to the day after his death.

But this isn’t just a story about one powerful project. This is a conversation about:

• How to do more with less

• How to create beauty with constraints

• And how to make people feel something in an era that too often settles for “efficient.” 

William doesn’t build buildings - he creates space for reflection, resistance, and meaning.

If you care about climate, equity, storytelling, or just making your work matter — this episode is for you.

To explore more about William Dodge and his work, you can visit his websites p-u-b-l-i-c.com and agangofthree.com. 

Join me, Ladina, on this green journey, and don't forget to subscribe for more insightful conversations about sustainable living and architecture and drop us a review. If you have suggestions for future guests or topics, I'd love to hear from you on my socials!

Let's explore the world of green architecture, one conversation at a time.

Contact: 

Ladina ⁠⁠@ladinaschoepf⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠buildinggreenshow.com

Produced by: ⁠⁠marketyourarchitecture.com⁠

If you're a parent, grandparent, or caregiver, you already know: cities were not built with you in mind. One third of all city trips are for caregiving - so why are we still designing cities around commuting?

Ankita Chachra has spent her career asking questions like this - and designing better answers. From Delhi to The Hague to Brooklyn, she’s seen how small choices in city design - like where a bench goes, what material covers a playground or how fast a car can drive - have a huge impact on how safe, connected, and livable our cities really are. Especially for children and families.

She believes that if a city isn’t built for kids, it’s probably not built for you either. And in this conversation, she explains how designing for care isn’t just good policy - it’s radical, urgent, and incredibly practical.

To explore more about Ankita Chachra and her work, you can follow her on Linkedin.

Capture, Nurture & Close Leads with GoHighLevel.

Join me, Ladina, on this green journey, and don't forget to subscribe for more insightful conversations about sustainable living and architecture and drop us a review. If you have suggestions for future guests or topics, I'd love to hear from you on my socials!

Let's explore the world of green architecture, one conversation at a time.

Contact: 

Ladina: @ladinaschoepf

Website: buildinggreenshow.com

Produced by: marketyourarchitecture.com