Connection
Why materials matter
Interview with Simona Fischer, AIA, MS sustainable design Simona Fischer, AIA A registered architect, sustainable design professional, and associate with MSR Design, Fischer develops and tests processes to integrate sustainable design seamlessly into the workflow of architectural practice. Her experience includes project management, Living Building Challenge documentation, and firmwide sustainable design implementation. Fischer has presented at national conferences and lectures regularly at the University of Minnesota. She serves on the Healthy Building Network HomeFree Champions advisory group, which works to build momentum in healthier materials for affordable housing. She co-chairs the AIA Minnesota Committee on the Environment (COTE). “Materials, and the care with which they are put together, are some of the things I love most about architecture. So I naturally want to see them used well. When I learned about the invisible implications behind every material, I felt strongly that every material selection needs to be grounded in solid reasoning — not just the shiniest new material on the shelf.” – Simona Fischer Materials make up every component of a building — from hidden insulation to the bathroom floor finish. The everexpanding world of material selection can overwhelm even the most seasoned specifier. Fischer has worked with AIA Minnesota over the past year to bring the Materials Matter virtual series to the north-central region of the United States. This five-session course delivers the latest research and conversations on selecting healthy, sustainable materials. KK: How do you develop 20 CEUs of content? That’s like a one-credit college course! SF: Yeah — it has been intense. The good thing is that we had the outline of a curriculum from Seattle. I was able to talk to some of the developers of that curriculum and get a
A History In 2016, AIA Seattle developed the Materials Matter course (https://aiaseattle.org/materialsmatter/), which has expanded to Philadelphia (2017), Texas (2018), and Connecticut (2020).
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sense of their approach in 2016. This field is progressing rapidly — particularly developments in embodied carbon and health. My role was to integrate these new conversations into the sessions so attendees know they are getting the latest knowledge. We have some of the presenters from the original Seattle series who are going to present their latest developments in the field, as well as new presenters from Minnesota and across the country. KK: What aspects of materials will be discussed? SF: We will focus on carbon and human health because those conversations have rapidly evolved in recent years. One of the most important realizations in the last couple of years is that these priorities don’t have to be in These sessions teach a set opposition to each of principles that can be other. The previous applied to any material you belief in trade-offs created a false sense are considering. that you can only choose one (for example, focusing on operating energy at the expense of high embodied carbon). The experts in this field are having more nuanced conversations these days. We will also talk about designing for deconstruction, the time-value of embodied carbon in 2021, building with natural materials, the use of antimicrobials in a post-COVID world, and processes for bringing all of these considerations into practice. KK: Will aspects of the Materials Matter course be shaped by specific requirements in the north-central region? SF: We are going to have a researcher presenting on material impacts in our region. The session outlines strategies for architects, it doesn’t address specific materials. When it comes to selecting materials, there aren’t “good” materials and “bad” materials — well, some are better than others, but it’s a spectrum. There is no sense in telling architects that “from this day forward you must only use these materials and no others” — that just isn’t how creativity (or project constraints) work. Learning a new approach takes time. These sessions teach a set of principles that can be applied to any material you are considering. The architect can set the priority, like deciding they want to use local Minnesota materials for all the beauty
