It started out as a simple, straightforward idea: Let’s start paying attention to how we manage our natural resources, with an eye to reducing the accelerating contamination of our air and water, using energy more efficiently, and understanding the long-term implications of our consumption-based behavior. Seems pretty obvious, and who could say no to motherhood … Continued
How do we know if a building is doing well by the building occupants and the environment? Answering this question is tricky. For instance, LEED measures sustainability within a building by focusing on the built environment including location and access to daylight, materials, building systems, and energy performance. The WELL Building Standard and Fitwel take … Continued
Water is the incredible common thread that connects our communities via food, power, manufacturing, environment and ultimately our health. In a vast majority of the United States, we are fortunate to be able to access water easily for our home and business needs. Reliable access to potable water is so integrated into our lives that … Continued
Though firms face uncertainty from many directions such as technology, changing roles and relationships in design and delivery, and the economics of real estate, no challenge is so important or vexing as talent—hiring, compensating, retaining and engaging employees. As the economy strengthens and backlogs fill, finding top talent is an increasing challenge for professional practices. … Continued
DesignIntelligence often hears from firm leaders that a candidate’s education in sustainable design is an important priority in their hiring decisions. Because our world faces enormous environmental and climate challenges, we wanted to help students understand how sustainability and regenerative design practices can transform the A/E/C industry and the built environment. And we wanted to … Continued
In talking with A/E/C leaders, we have discovered that as an industry, we have not yet achieved a common vocabulary of terms and ideas around regenerative design. In order for regenerative design to come to scale and become the new standard of design that everyone follows—in the way sustainability has scaled to a point through … Continued
There is a new paradigm for today’s architects. Traditionally, the problems we solved for clients—in most cases—fit nicely and neatly into the parameters of our job descriptions. But can we do more to make a real, lasting social impact? Today, we understand better the sheer complexity of the issues at play when we plan and design … Continued
Sometimes, the best way to move forward is to look back. Many of the earliest examples of architecture and design responded to both site and climate and incorporated natural “passive” climate control strategies. It was only with the advent of cheap energy and advances in environmental system controls that designers were able to decouple building … Continued
In talking with A/E/C leaders, we have discovered that as an industry, we have not yet achieved a common vocabulary of terms and ideas around regenerative design. In order for regenerative design to come to scale and become the new standard of design that everyone follows—in the way sustainability has scaled to a point through … Continued
Scott Simpson
Leila Kamal, Teresa Rainey and Leigh Stringer
Cindy Wallis-Lage
DesignIntelligence
Lynn Barrett
Colin Rohlfing
Eric Carbonnier, Eera Babtiwale, & Bruce Boul
Pablo La Roche
Jason F. McLennan