Sustainability Series Roundup Feb/March
Fiona Mckay
WHY DO ARCHITECTS STRUGGLE TO DESIGN LOW ENERGY BUILDINGS OR REFUGEE SHELTERS?
On Wednesday 6th March 2024, we continued our ongoing series of sustainability events with an online talk given by David Coley (Professor of Zero Carbon Design, University of Bath) exploring why architects struggle to design low energy buildings. Starting from the premise that climate change is fundamentally about people and their suffering - and so anthropogenic climate change is weaponising the environment against ourselves - he argued that buildings can be ugly by the harm they can do, but you need to know what to look for. He showed how this harm can be significantly reduced by ensuring the design is informed by very simple calculations, which should be the norm for all projects from architecture school onwards.
The recording of the talk, along with the online quiz so you can receive 1 HSW LU credit for watching it, can be found on the AIA-UK website HERE.
ENGAGING THE WORLD AT COP 28, CLIMATE ACTION, OPPORTUNITIES AND THE ROLE OF THE ARCHITECT
On Wednesday 21st February 2024, we continued our ongoing series of sustainability events with an online talk given by Illya Azaroff FAIA (Lead AIA Delegate, CoP28; Professor, New York City of Technology (CUNY); Founding Principal, +LAB Architecture). He discussed the key elements and outcomes of the AIA's work at the most recent UN Climate Change Conferences CoP 27 and CoP 28. Topics covered included: the foundations of global finance's shift to adaptation through the Marrakesh agreement; the global stock take of climate action called for; and a summary of the key elements and outcomes that are relevant for the AEC industry. Opportunities and actions for architects were discussed throughout the talk.
The recording of the talk, along with the online quiz so you can receive 1 HSW LU credit for watching it, can be found on the AIA-UK website, HERE.
INTEGRATING DEEP SUSTAINABILITY ANALYSIS INTO YOUR DESIGN PROCESS
On Thursday 8th February 2024, Caomhe Loftus (Associate, Arcadis) continued our ongoing series of sustainability events with an online talk exploring the importance of integrating deep sustainability analysis into your design process. She highlighted the urgency of the climate emergency, the key role architects play in that, and so the need to use rigorous sustainability analysis in the design process to minimise and optimise the energy use of the final proposed building. Through a hands-on demonstration she showed participants how to use key software to make effective early massing iterations for any specific site context to optimise for solar gain and energy usage.
The recording of the talk, along with the online quiz so you can receive 1 HSW LU credit for watching it, can be found on the AIA-UK website, HERE.
Written by Mark Breeze, AIA
