One of the core responsibilities for architects is to protect and ensure the health, safety, and welfare of the public. As we continue to encounter a shifting climate environment, architects are grappling with their important role in shaping how we interact with the world around us. At NCARB’s inaugural Futures Symposium, global leader in sustainability Katie Mesia, LEED AP BD+C, RA, detailed how architects must break convention and use their creativity to meet and manage current and future challenges.
In light of the challenges architects currently face, Mesia pushed architects and regulators to understand the agency that architecture has to drive meaningful change.
We are privileged to be in a profession where we can spur change. As architects, we have so much power because 40% of emissions come from the design and construction industry. -Katie Mesia
With that power, architects have the potential to ignite change through conversations centering on climate equity, carbon footprint, and energy usage - What does that look like within firms and in the profession as a whole? Mesia shared several actionable steps to guide architects toward the change needed to push the profession further:
Understand Climate Projections & Risks
Architects should consider both historic and predicted future weather conditions and potential threats when approaching a design to ensure project lifespan, adaptability, and sustainability. Researching historic practices performed without the influence of modern technology to explore areas for innovation in new methods is key when approaching new projects.
Host difficult conversations with grace when presenting complex technical details.
The time to press into uncomfortable conversations is now. With the insight into current extreme environments that are impacting families and communities, approach tough conversations with grace to navigate varying perspectives, levels of awareness, and levels of authority.
Find solutions that resonate with clients’ values
The goal of client interactions should center around understanding your clients’ missions and value propositions. Navigating clients’ needs and wants can be a challenge, especially when a client does not prioritize environmental impact or future scenarios. Although it can be discouraging, architects should continue to find creative ways to accomplish the client’s goal—while using their expertise, technology, and historical adaptation to offer options for sustainable solutions.
Architects have made strides in the advancement of our environments before, and it is possible for architecture as a profession to make a positive impact for the benefit of all.
Katie Mesia, LEED AP BD+C, RA, shared her insights on how to push the profession of architecture beyond alongside other industry leaders—including MIT Space Exploration Initiative Director Dr. Ariel Ekblaw and architect and technologist Phil Bernstein, FAIA. Explore our recent blogs covering what the expansion of the space industry means for architects, how architects can respond to the evolution of AI, and get a full recap of the 2023 Futures Symposium!