Dedicated to sustainability: When does this begin?

Dedicated to sustainability

When does this begin?

During a discussion between young architects, the question arose as to when sustainable design practices and methods are introduced. Does the concept of sustainable design for our future begin during the professional practice mindset, at the elementary learning level, or undergraduate teachings at university?

At what stage in a career do sustainable design methods become the standard practice and no longer need to be a separate category? Schools, universities, and professionals around the world work to modify the traditional mold and find ways to implement more environmentally friendly solutions in our daily lives.

K-12: Some elementary schools are starting children early on the paperless track with portable electronic means of learning and connectivity to around the globe. Environmental awareness is one thing that teachers are implementing inside and outside of their classrooms. 1. Environmental awareness projects (NatGeo) 2. School gardens 3. Recycling 4. Natural Disaster prep 5. Water consumption

College: Where, with the more digital life of an architecture student, are PDFs taking over the “mark-up” industry, or are expensive sheets of plotter paper still making their way into studio critiques? Even miniscule methods implemented campuswide in recycling and textbook purchasing formats can make a significant impact on awareness of the climate crisis.

Professional: In the professional world, many have adapted to a work-fromhome production method and have taken social distancing to a new level with adapted square footage amounts in office spaces, or removing the office space altogether.

AIAS Discussion During a discussion with AIAS national president, Scott Cornelius, an Oklahoma State University graduate of 2021, we learned ways that current architecture students are making a difference. Cornelius focuses on programs and guides to be shared within all AIAS chapters in the hope of having a more mainstream outcome from their hard work. Read some of the interview below:

Above Scott Cornelius, AIAS national president

Meghann Gregory (MG): In AIAS, what types of strategies are in place to encourage sustainable practices in chapters? How can AIAS add more sustainable practices to their local chapters and universities?

Scott Cornelius (SC): AIAS conferences and programming typically feature sustainably focused sessions; we want to ensure that students have the knowledge to incorporate sustainable practices into their chapters, their schools, and their projects. We also offer a couple of resources dedicated to making our chapters and the AIAS as a whole more sustainable. Our 2019-2020 Sustainability & Resiliency Best Practices Guide, which focuses on school-wide efforts to increase sustainability and tools to integrate sustainable technologies and design practices and studio projects. This year, our Technology and Sustainability Committee is currently working on the AIAS Green Guide, which will focus on the sustainable tools and practices at the local and national levels.

We’re excited for the impact this research will have on our chapters and the national organization, and our hope is that as more students learn about these practices and get interested in sustainability, schools and universities will also adopt these practices.

MG: What do you want emerging professionals and young architects to know about the importance of climate action? Do we need to do more as emerging professionals and young architects (or EP and YA throughout the discussion)?

SC: Emerging professionals and young architects need to know that current students are fully dedicated to sustainability! They want to integrate sustainable design practices into every aspect of their work and are working toward a future where we don’t even need to talk about sustainability anymore; it’s inherent to architecture. For many students, this is going beyond the use of special sustainability technologies or tools, and they have begun to question the entire structure and general viability of our profession.

In a world under immediate threat from climate change, is it responsible for us to dedicate our careers to new construction when there are billions of square footage of building space that is unused in the United States, especially in the wake of the changes made during the pandemic? Students are looking to emerging professionals and young architects to help answer these questions and lead this charge.

At the individual level, mentorship is everything! Take time to teach new graduates and summer interns about the sustainable practices your firm has adopted, and advocate to your alma mater to integrate sustainability fully into the curriculum.

Many universities offer courses on sustainability and net-zero construction and even offer a specialty or minor in sustainable practices. Scott graduated from Oklahoma State University, where he says “the Department of Design, Housing and Merchandising offered a sustainable design minor with several related classes. The School of Architecture has been working to integrate sustainability into the studio curriculum and into each project, as opposed to creating optional electives focused on sustainability.” Some university courses prepare each student so that at course completion, they have acquired the knowledge to sit for the course-specific sustainability credential exam. FAST FACTS Resources: https://www.aias.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ GuidetoArchCareer.pdf

https://studyarchitecture.com

Starting young! AIA resources to share with your children at any age

2019-2020 Sustainability & Resiliency Best Practices Guide

Chapter One has been released and can be found here: Green Meeting Guide

Make an impact How are you able to contribute to continuing knowledge growth throughout the early industry years? Here are some easy steps to contribute:

Reach out! Share the aforementioned links with your … • AIA and local AIAS chapters. Many of these AIAS resources can assist with meeting efficiency and even encourage new ideas on how to be more sustainable during meetings.

Make sure the students are aware of the resources they can implement in their meetings to make a brighter step toward climate action. • Alma mater. See whether they know about the available resources for their students. Encourage the AIAS chapter to reach out to their class president, facilities services, and the university president. • Local planning and city officials. Host a workshop or even a small meeting during one of their scheduled meetings to introduce (or hopefully reiterate) the importance of the daily steps we take toward climate action.

Meghann Gregory, AIA, NCARB

Gregory is a project manager and architect at oysk3 architects in Knoxville, Tennessee. She is the young architects representative for West Virginia and a member of the AIA West Virginia chapter. Her professional interests include adaptive reuse, urban planning, custom residential, and sustainable practices.