Four of the Biden-Harris administration’s immediate priorities to "build back better" are climate, COVID-19, racial equity, and economic recovery. These priorities are critically important, systems-based challenges that are inextricably linked. In December, COVID-19 became the primary cause of death in the U.S., but hope is on the way. To date, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved emergency use of two vaccines. Operation Warp Speed accelerated the R+D timeline to market by significantly reducing the business risk and collapsing a linear process into parallel development. Historically, research timelines for vaccine development have ranged from three to six years—and that’s before any clinical trials begin.
Does a similar hope and urgency exist for the future of our planet and humanity in the throes of the global climate emergency? As the former AIA chair of the Committee on the Environment (COTE), I believe architects must take a leadership role to address the sleeping giant of the climate crisis—and if 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that we must do so equitably. We can compare government investment and the rapid acceleration of work with what AIA has recently accomplished with regard to the environment and equity.
The new administration’s plan includes immediately rejoining the Paris Agreement. Since 2016, AIA has worked with international partners, including the United Nations and the Climate Heritage Network, to collectively address the global climate challenge. AIA declared that climate action, equity, and design excellence—as defined by the Framework for Design Excellence’s 10 principles (formerly known as the COTE Top Ten Measures of Design Excellence)—are fundamental to our professional duty of health, safety, and welfare, and that the solutions architects can provide go well beyond the four walls of a building. In addition to the Institute’s efforts, many firms and other organizations have increased access to education, prioritized high performance design, and emphasized the importance of tracking metrics by creating shared resources and tools.
With these investments, we can exponentially increase the impact of our collective climate action efforts, institutionalize these values in our businesses, and accelerate the adoption of these best practices as part of our daily work. Scientists predict we have 10 years before climate challenges—and the resulting societal disruption—reach the point of no return. The urgency of our situation requires both bold action and collaboration.
How can we become better together?
Through my activism within AIA and my role as director of integration at HKS, I’ve explored how architects individually and collectively can effect meaningful change. This year, I am recommitting to these professional resolutions, which also align with the new administration’s priorities.
1. Show up every day and take action. The 2020 election had the highest voter turnout in more than a century. Americans of all political persuasions were called upon to do their civic duty, and we answered. In a similar manner, architects and designers can advocate for climate action in their own way on every project. We each have an active role to play—a speaking part. Architects instigate change when they choose to draw a high-performance enclosure detail, specify low embodied carbon materials, engage in dialogue on experimentation and transformation, and envision a net zero energy/ carbon design concept. One way to hold yourself accountable and to amplify your impact is to align yourself with complementary partners to broaden your sphere of influence. Last year, I joined the Climate Reality Leadership Corps and my firm signed the UN Global Compact, joining a global community committed to prioritizing human rights, fair labor practices, the environment, and anti-corruption concerns in business decisions—and to disclosing related action and progress with annual reporting.
2. Dream big with collaborators who supplement your skillset. We need a broad range of expertise to solve the challenges our society faces. Systematically tackling climate change and designing for well-being requires knowledge beyond that imparted in architecture school and everyday office work. Firms can prioritize identifying and empowering future leaders who are collaborative lifelong learners and advocate for their upskilling. This nurturing could include resources, support, and runway to explore, iterate, fail, and try again. Look at how our industry has rallied together to address COVID-19. Before the global pandemic, our multidisciplinary team of health, hospitality, and marketing professionals would have scoffed at the idea of delivering a COVID-19 conversion concept for hotels in one week from client request to packaged deliverable. When lives were on the line and the priority was clear, we responded. Now that the power of alignment and coordination has been demonstrated, we should apply this consolidated problem-solving approach to every looming global threat.
3. Build and engage with the pipeline. Inspire children from all backgrounds—and particularly those underrepresented in the profession—to pursue careers in interior designer, architecture, planning, and engineering. Invite them into the studio: Unencumbered minds ask the best questions! When selecting recipients of the Yann Weymouth Scholarship, which offers need-based financial assistance and mentorship for students interested in the intersection of sustainable design, resilience, wellness, and beauty, I was impressed by the diversity of candidates and how their lived experiences shaped their design voice. We need these different perspectives in the ranks of our profession to better understand and design for the communities we serve. This month, HKS welcomed its first NOMA Foundation Fellow for an eight-week research fellowship. He will learn from us, but we will learn even more from him. Design teams can better relate to community needs when our professionals look like our constituents, share similar life experiences, and truly understand the entrenched challenges so many face.
4. Plan how you can contribute to the future. The global pandemic has tested our disaster preparedness and resilience. For the first time since 1990, the U.N. Development Programme noted a decline in global human development: “We could better face this challenge—with stronger health systems, fewer people living in extreme poverty, less gender inequality, a healthier natural environment, and more resilient societies.” Are you and your organization agile and adaptable? Does your concept of future-proofing include individual, firm, client, and community resilience? Is your practice anticipating needs such as data-driven design to achieve performance outcomes, extended use of existing buildings, water conservation and quality, climate justice and climate-change risk mitigation, energy audits, and a circular economy? How can your firm work smarter and not just harder to provide that additional value without inflating fees? You can begin by committing to an opportunity, building your expertise, and making your thought leadership indispensable.
We’ve lost a lot of time disregarding the dire warnings and consensus of the scientific community over the last decade. We can no longer wait for someone else to address the challenges we collectively face, or hesitate because one simple solution does not exist. The climate crisis and social equity imperative are complex, systems problems that cannot be solved by a few—or a few billions of—individuals working in silos. We are far stronger and more effective together. Now is the time for unity, amplification, and acceleration. What will you begin to do personally, with the profession, and with global partners today?
The views and conclusions from this author are not necessarily those of ARCHITECT magazine or of The American Institute of Architects.
Call for Submissions. We regularly publish opinion columns that we think would be of service to our readers. Have a timely, relevant, and unexplored perspective or experience to share with the design community? Email [email protected] with a one-paragraph pitch. Due to the volume of submissions we receive, we are unable to respond individually to every pitch.
