Forging a Sustainable & Resilient Future with Thornton Tomasetti & AIA UK: Leadership in Climate Action and R&D

On May 23rd members and guests gathered at Thornton Tomasetti’s London office to participate in a series of short talks provided by T.T. 's staff themed ‘Forging a Sustainable & Resilient Future’. 

Thornton Tomasetti is a worldwide consultancy providing a host of services, software platforms and consultancy services informing architects on sustainability, structural engineering, facade engineering, acoustics, security disciplines to name only a few. The event was chaired by Gunnar Hubbard, Principal who advances the firm's climate action initiatives within their Sustainability and Resilience team. Gunnar also served on the 2024 AIA UK Excellence in Design Awards jury. 

Each of the short presentations highlighted one aspect of their company-wide approach to climate action, and how they advance innovation through research and development activities as well as development of tools and methodologies to support the AEC industry. 

Presentations were shared, along with case studies by Gunnar Hubbard, Jeroen Janssen, Duncan Cox, Simon Cross, Harry Crofton, and Maria Valentini Sarakinioti.

The talks were followed by a question and answer session which further explored not only the real-world application for the ideas presented but also how they might be further developed or refined to provide more use for architects and designers on future projects. 

The evening concluded with a short drinks and canapes providing time for further discussion, socialising, and networking.

We thank Thornton Tomasetti for hosting this educational and insightful evening. 

Written by Taylor Rogers, AIA

AIA UK Sustainability Series: Upskilling for a Transforming Construction Sector with the RIBA Climate Guide

On 29th May 2024 we hosted Mina Hasman (Sustainability Director, SOM, and Founder, Climate Framework) to discuss her work on The RIBA Climate Guide which she created to help build knowledge and skills around the climate literacy mandatory competence requirements defined by the RIBA in 2021.

Mina Hasman elucidated how The RIBA Climate Guide provided both the necessary contextual background and skills required of building sector professionals to meaningfully and effectively respond to the climate emergency, replete with case studies to show the strategies and tools in action at a variety of scales.  The Guide begins by mapping out the essential background knowledge around climate science, international agreements, legislations, commitments, and roadmaps, with the aim to equip all built-environment professionals with the key information required to mitigate impacts of climate change in their day-to-day practice.  Contextualising the climate emergency and the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 within the built environment landscape, the Guide is structured around the six core themes of the ‘Climate Framework’: Human Factors, Circular Economy, Energy and Carbon, Water, Ecology and Biodiversity, Connectivity and Transport. Uniquely, the book highlights interlinkages that exist among all of these priority areas to enable stakeholders across the built environment value chain to make holistically informed decisions. Furthermore, to show the theory in practice she highlighted how The Guide presents a collection of short, building- and urban-scale case studies, to illustrate real-life applications of design strategies and industry-wide tools, as well as standards that are deployed in climate-conscious built environments all around the world.

The RIBA Climate Guide is available to purchase at all niche booksellers, or from the RIBA directly here.

The recording of the talk can be found on the AIA-UK website HERE.

AIA UK SUSTAINABILITY SERIES – Innovative construction through Bio-Based Materials

The construction industry is responsible for 40% of global emissions with materials like concrete and steel requiring huge amounts of resources to produce.  New technologies are being developed to reduce construction’s impact on the environment.  As part of the AIA UK’s Sustainability Series, this webinar took a more detailed look at specific construction materials.  The webinar explored the development of new bio-based construction materials and how their use can have a significant impact on reducing the carbon footprint of the built environment.  Organized by new Chapter sponsor Axalta Powder Coating Systems, this webinar took place on the 26th of June 2024 with presentations by three leaders in the Bio-based materials field. 

BIOCORE Powder Coatings

Dami Babalola, who is the UK Specifications Leader for Axalta, discussed Axalta Powder Coating’s brand-new range of powder coating solutions derived from non-food organic waste.  Called BIOCORE, this new technology enables a 25% reduction in CO2 emissions, yet offers the same performance, finish, and warranty compared to existing products based on fossil fuel based polyester resins.

Axalta is a global leader in the coatings industry, providing customers with innovative, colourful, beautiful and sustainable coating solutions.  With more than 150 years of experience in the coatings industry, the global team at Axalta continues to find ways to serve more than 100,000 customers in 130 countries with the finest coatings, applications systems and technology.

Sugarcrete ®

Armor Gutierres Rivas, a senior lecturer in Architecture at the University of East London, detailed his work on biocretes using Sugarcrete® as a case study.  Sugarcrete® provides a low-carbon alternative to bricks and concrete blockwork developed by the University of East London (UEL).  The material combines sugarcane fibres left over after sugar production, with sand-mineral binders to produce bricks that have a carbon footprint six times smaller than traditionally made clay bricks.  The aim of the project is to develop ultra-low carbon building components using sugarcane bio-waste, allowing the storage of biogenic carbon from fast-growing plants in construction materials as an effective strategy to delay carbon emissions.

The first commercial manufacturing plant has been established in India.  This is producing 400 blocks per day and provides work for the local labour force.  Alternative uses are being developed such as street furniture and thin shell structural enclosures.  

Bio-Based Materials

Architect Angelika Chantzopoulou presented Copenhagen based architectural practice, Henning Larsen’s, work and their strategies regarding the use of materials.  Their work explores different bio-based materials including wood, straw, eelgrass, mycelium, reused bricks, low-carbon concrete, and clay. Henning Larsen focuses on research and new methodologies.  They have an R&D department that is integrated into their design studios.  Henning Larson also makes extensive use of their model shop to study and choose materials through all phases of design.

Angelika profiled the Feldballe School in Ronde, Denmark.  This completed project utilized a prefabricated wall panel system constructed of compressed straw.  This offered enhanced acoustics, thermal insulation and rapid construction. 

Henning Larsen Architects is an international architectural firm based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1959 by Henning Larsen, it has over 600 employees in studios based in eight countries around the world.

This fascinating webinar concluded by responding to questions from the attendees.

Webinar presented 26 June 2024.

Written by Michael Lischer, FAIA

Sustainability Series Roundup Feb/March

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

FREE AIA Sustainability Resources

AIA UK is pleased to share some FREE sustainability resources on offer from AIA!

FREE AIA SUSTAINABILITY COURSE
AIAU An Introduction to the AIA Framework for Design Excellence (Free till end of 2024!)

Propel your practice’s success with the AIA Framework for Design Excellence—the defining 10 principles of design excellence in the 21st century. In this introductory course, you will learn the origin, evolution, and significance of each of the framework’s principles and examine how they advance progress toward a zero-carbon, healthy, just, resilient, and equitable built environment. Earn 1 LU / HSW. (Free with Discount Code: MHI13UM2RD7R)

FREE AIA SUSTAINABILITY GUIDE
The Guide to Building Reuse for Climate Action

The Guide is a resource aimed at architects engaged in renovating and adapting existing buildings to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Its primary goal is to equip architects with the necessary knowledge to make informed decisions that promote sustainability and resilience while minimizing costs. The guide achieves this by outlining key questions architects should consider, directing them to valuable resources, and presenting real-world case studies to illustrate practical strategies.