Connection CF: How do you engage municipal governments with a sustainability plan?
CF: Yes, but with a positive frame as well…we should wake up to the possibilities of a sustainable world.
ECF: You can’t start by trying to green all of St. Louis. But if you say to the head of sustainability at St. Louis, we want to green this one district and use it as a proving ground to address some of your larger issues, they are more than happy for your help. With Ecodistricts I saw this approach succeed time and time again, and I encourage you to check out what they do.
ECF: That’s why I use humor; it opens up our brains and it’s a great delivery mechanism for the message. Plus, frankly, it makes this deadly serious work more fun.
CF: This reminds me of a Dutch town that transformed itself into a “circular economy”, which Amsterdam is now using to create its own plan. Can you discuss what a circular economy means?
ECF: Number one, choose healthy, sustainable materials for your office library and let your team and clients get familiar with them. Number two, bring these climate-smart alternatives up to every client. In 2019’s AIA conference, we as a membership body voted that “architects have a moral and ethical obligation to provide climate-smart solutions to our clients”. 93% of us said yes! Number three, set a simple and achievable goal for yourself or your firm. Number four, start baking these strategies into your proposals. Number five, sign on to the 2030 Commitment, at architecture2030.org.
ECF: The circular economy is changing our 300-year old “take-make-waste” approach. If we bend that linear approach, we can approach the reuse of everything we produce. A cradle to cradle process. When you live in a place like the Netherlands where dams have been holding back the water for ages, you learn to take the longer view. They measure their economy in terms of how “circular” it is. I’m writing a book about circular economies now, hoping to popularize this thinking in the US. CF: Besides the Netherlands, what other countries do you see as taking leadership in sustainability? ECF: Cuba is a great example; it is both literally and figuratively an island. Cuba has the most incredible reuse program thanks, in part, to our embargos on them. They have an advanced organic farming program. Because of their isolation, they are ahead of the curve in understanding the urgency of sustainability. In the last decade, we had more billion-dollar disasters than ever in history. My fear is that we’ll become numb to it – we must not normalize this. I can’t express how utterly not-normal this is! The message in my talks now is, wake up!
CF: What action can young designers take right now to help make a difference?
CF: For an emerging architect looking to make their first step, what organization would you suggest as a good place to start? ECF: The one that always excites me is Living Building Challenge. It sets a very clear bar for our profession. Consider becoming a Living Future Ambassador. I’m a LEED Fellow, but LEED alone can’t solve every issue. WELL is beautifully and elegantly designed. CF: Thank you for sharing your time and wisdom with our readers! How can we connect with your work? ECF: My website is organicarchitect.com, and I have a few TED talks on YouTube. Check out “Nature Becomes Architect”. Thank you for having me!
Christopher Fagan, AIA
Above: Freed addressing an audience at the XPrize Institute. (Image owned by Eric Corey Freed.)
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Fagan is Owner and Principal Architect at Christopher Fagan Studio Architecture, PLLC. He is also chair of AIA Queens chapter’s emerging professional’s committee, and young architect regional director of New York state.