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Episode 50. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman and Joe Jack Williams.
Carmody Groarke sustainability lead Sian Ricketts explains how architecture can adapt to the reality of finite resources and an abundance of waste.
Ricketts says that architects should develop their intuition and new rules of thumb to design for a changing climate. Architecture needs to adapt to incorporate materials from waste streams, and this requires a new approach to detailing and ongoing maintenance. ‘The industry is going through a huge learning process and we should not be scared of getting it wrong,’ she says. Marginal gains on every project are important.
In this episode, Ricketts describes the process of developing a bespoke brick for the Design Museum Gent in Belgium. She explains that the practice did not start with a bespoke brick in mind. Because conventional clay-fired bricks are high in embodied carbon, an exploration of less carbon intensive alternatives led to an in depth collaboration with Local Works Studio and Brussels-based bcmaterials that in turn led to incorporating local waste streams into the design of the new brick.
Ricketts observes that the process of developing the bespoke brick for Ghent has strengthened the practice’s confidence in seeking opportunities for both innovation and circularity in future projects. Carmody Groarke is currently working with Imperial College-based startup Seratech to explore the use of magnesium carbonate as a binder for bricks.
For show notes and to catch up on all AJ Climate Champions episodes, click here.
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Ep 49. Structural engineer David Watson describes the enduring appeal of brick and its underexploited superpower: reuse
Brick has many advantages: durability, aesthetics, use as both envelope and structure, and the possibility of local (even artisanal) production. This last point differentiates it from steel and concrete, due to the Ordinary Portland Cement needed for concrete production. ‘We need to ‘build our intuition about what impacts embodied carbon and emissions from different materials,’ says Watson.
Watson highlights the importance of querying the firing required to achieve different finishes, because it varies between brick types and can significantly impact overall embodied carbon. It’s also important to understand the fuel used in the kilns where bricks are fired. While in the UK this is predominantly natural gas, abroad it might be charcoal or coal, both of which generate significant amounts of particulates.
In non-loadbearing cladding applications, the embodied carbon of the support systems must be taken into account because they can comprise as much embodied carbon as the brick and mortar combined. These hidden impacts are often difficult to calculate due to lack of EPD data, explains Watson.
Brick reuse is on the increase but currently comprises less than five per cent of the market because of the challenge of removing the mortar, particularly those bound with Ordinary Portland Cement. Traditional lime-bound mortars are easier to remove. Current research is exploring mechanised removal of cement-bound mortars, and increased demand should prompt the market to respond, says Watson.
In this episode, we also discuss ConcreteZero targets (AKTII is a signatory) and the extent to which they rely on GGBS. Watson stresses the necessity of ‘using less’, for example, exploring ribbed, coffered or troughed slabs as an alternative to flat slabs. He advocates form-effective design, marrying structure with architectural expression in a lean use of materials.
David Watson can be contacted at [email protected].
To catch up on all episodes of AJ Climate Champions, click here.
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Episode 48. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman and Joe Jack Williams. Structural engineer Eva MacNamara of Expedition Engineering explains how we can radically reduce our use of concrete and how to better understand the biodiversity impacts of material choices.
In this episode, we dive into the tricky topic of concrete and unpick the widespread mantra that ‘concrete is bad’. Concrete is ‘an addiction’ that has led to an obese construction industry, says Expedition’s MacNamara; it is not going to go away but we can radically reduce our use of it. She describes a porposed slab design for the Eden Project site in Dundee which would achieve an 80% reduction in concrete volume.
MacNamara stresses that ‘using less’ is much more impactful than substituting low-carbon concretes and notes that she repeatedly sees practitioners over-specifying. We discuss some of the nuances of concrete use: which applications are most appropriate, how to reduce the volumes we use, and why low-carbon concrete – especially GGBS – is not a silver bullet. We also touch on upcoming innovations including Seratech, ‘funnel’ slabs and smart crushing.
McNamara explains how to bring both carbon and biodiversity into the concrete procurement process. Highlighting findings from the recent report The Embodied Biodiversity Impacts of Construction Materials (Expedition/ICE, November 2023), she notes that 95% of biodiversity impacts occur off site and that the new biodiversity net gain requirements only address the 5% on site, so designers must look beyond a site’s boundary.
Finally, MacNamara advocates finding a place to innovate on every project. ‘We can make the most difference by using our projects as springboards for incubating innovation,’ she says.
For show notes and to catch up on all AJ Climate Champions episodes, click here.
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For the first in a new six-part series on materials, Hattie is joined by co-host Joe Jack Williams to interview Martha Lewis, head of materials at Danish practice Henning Larsen.
Lewis argues that a baseline of health and environmental impacts should inform material specification, and explains why a holistic approach is essential to navigate the nuances of material selection. She describes how the European focus on life cycle analysis and the Global Warming Potential of materials is starting to be integrated with the earlier American focus on healthy materials and toxic chemical content.
‘The glut of information is a challenge of our time. How do we navigate too much information to make the right decisions?’ asks Lewis. She advocates for material passports which would consolidate the relevant data needed to make informed decisions: carbon emissions, chemical content and circularity. She also argues that certification schemes, despite their weaknesses, are the most effective route to ensuring that a project delivers on its sustainability aspirations.
Also in this episode, Lewis describes Unboxing Carbon, a database with an accompanying course which she has developed to upskill architects on the carbon aspects of material selection. Lewis has rolled out Unboxing Carbon across Henning Larsen’s 700-strong practice and also offers it to external practices.
For show notes and to catch up on all AJ Climate Champions episodes, click here.
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Episode 46. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman and George Morgan. Andrew Waugh explains how building with timber can address industry transformation at scale. ‘I want to transform the whole industry,’ says Waugh, founding director of Waugh Thistleton which was recently named Practice of the Year at the AJ Architecture Awards.
In this episode Waugh explains why tall buildings have no place in sustainable cities of the future; how building housing with timber can reduce its carbon burden by as much as 75%; and why we should stop building basements (they are up to five times as carbon intensive as upper floors).
Waugh advocates building with timber primarily as a low-carbon alternative to concrete and steel, rather than for aesthetic reasons. He shares recent research that clarifies end-of-life alternatives for timber that are not incineration or landfill. He makes it clear that current subsidies that encourage burning of timber for biomass must be revamped to support use of UK-grown timber for construction.
This episode was recorded the day after Waugh toured co-hosts Hattie and George through Waugh Thistleton’s recently completed Black & White Building in Shoreditch. The building is nearly all timber: structure, core, floors, cladding and brise-soleils. Waugh describes where the timber was sourced and that the transport footprint of timber is a relatively minor consideration.
Finally, Waugh explains why he recently withdrew from the Architects Declare steering group.
For show notes and to catch up on all AJ Climate Champions episodes, click here.
With support from the American Hardwood Export Council
A previous version of this podcast mistakenly suggested that Waugh Thistleton had withdrawn from Architects Declare. In fact, Andrew Waugh withdrew from the Architects Declare steering group in May on an individual basis and Waugh Thistleton remains a member of Architects Declare. We apologise for any confusion.
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Episode 45. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman and George Morgan. Two Public Practice associates explain how working in the public sector has increased their agency as designers.
Public Practice is a social enterprise that places built environment professions in the public sector, primarily in place-making roles and increasingly in key roles that drive retrofit and net zero. ACAN co-founder Lauren Shevills, now lead retrofit innovation and delivery officer at Westminster City Council, explains that Public Practice has changed the trajectory of her career, enabling her to marry her passion for community and stakeholder engagement with technical architectural expertise. Steve Westcott, low carbon programme manager at Greater Manchester Combined Authority, says Public Practice has empowered him to work more strategically and ‘be closer to the conversations’ that matter. Off the back of Westcott’s role, GMCA is recruiting additional Public Practice associates.
On the subject of retrofit, Shevills observes that one major challenge is that retrofit cannot be mandated because it’s currently not part of the planning process. A retrofit first policy requires a rethink of current guidance and Westminster Council has five workstreams underway to explore various aspects of retrofit. Westcott explains that a fabric first approach is often too costly. The GMCA is developing portfolio-wide data collection for the city’s non-domestic estate to inform future grant disbursement decisions.
For show notes and to catch up on all AJ Climate Champions episodes, click here.
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Episode 44. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman and George Morgan. Studio Weave founding director Je Ahn explains the challenges of sourcing timber from London’s streets and parks.
He describes how he translated the ambition of using local timber from London’s trees into reality at Lea Bridge Library Pavilion despite the fact that no sales channel existed for sourcing local timber and the need to prove its chain of custody because it had no FSC certification.
We also discuss how working with found materials requires a willingness and ability to improvise as a designer and creates new aesthetic opportunities. In the case of Lea Bridge Library Pavilion, this approach lends warmth and informality to the space. ‘You have to be ready to change your mind to suit the requirement,’ says Ahn.
Ahn describes sustainability as project-specific. ‘I’m very interested in where we get our materials,’ he says, explaining that timber is not always the best solution. It’s all about achieving the right balance for a given project. ‘Whatever I put out in the world has to have a purpose beyond what was initially set out,’ says Ahn.
For show notes and to catch up on all AJ Climate Champions episodes, click here.
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Ep 43. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman and George Morgan. London Eye architect Julia Barfield explains how the climate emergency changed the way her practice, Marks Barfield, operates, as well as what’s ahead for the Architects Declare movement.
Julia shares insights from recent projects on how to achieve circularity in retrofit, the challenges of stockpiling materials for reuse and how Orms’ material passports can be adapted for retrofit. ‘We must treat all materials as the precious resource they are,’ she says.
She talks about her practice’s Stirling Prize-shortlisted Cambridge Mosque, which is part of a Built by Nature-funded post-occupancy study evaluating the quality of life and performance aspects of five CLT buildings.
We also speak to Julia and fellow Architects Declare steering group member Zoe Watson about what AD has achieved four years on as well as its current workstreams, including climate emergency training for design review panels and Meet the Steering Group sessions where AD signatories can seek practical advice on how to further sustainable design within their own practices.
As part of an ambitious strategy for change, AD is launching a three-part roadmap aimed at equipping Government policymakers with practical and impactful policies to reduce emissions, kickstart the circular economy and restore social and natural infrastructure. AD plans to launch its document in Parliament in 2024.
For show notes and to catch up on all AJ Climate Champions episodes, click here
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Episode 42. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman and George Morgan. Montreal-based architect and systems thinker Scott Francisco explains why architects must educate themselves to understand the nuances of timber sourcing.
Francisco believes that greater use of timber in construction in coming decades will be essential to meet our climate targets. This in turn means an increase in plantation forestry, but this can be achieved without compromising biodiversity.
He also explains why it’s crucial for designers to have a holistic understanding of the timber supply chain. While timber certification is important, relying on certification alone is not enough. He outlines the range of factors that impact the carbon footprint of timber and how to understand different sourcing strategies.
Architects can play an important role in specifying ecological timber by asking the right questions and educating themselves to understand that specifying a species and a grade is not enough. In some instances, particularly on smaller projects, architects can construct a timber value chain for a particular building.
For show notes and to catch up on all AJ Climate Champions episodes, click here.
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Episode 41. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman and George Morgan. In this episode, AJ100 Sustainability Champion and Architype associate director Ann-Marie Fallon discusses her belief that delivering net zero is not just technical – understanding how people use buildings and their role in the community is crucial.
We also hear about Architype’s success in influencing policy changes in Scotland, including a Passivhaus equivalence standard for all new housing. Fallon describes the growing community of architectural practices in Scotland pushing for more sustainable outcomes.
Fallon has been instrumental in developing a ‘blended’ approach to retrofit through a nuanced study of the city of Edinburgh’s estate of 300 buildings with a wide variety of building typologies from different eras. This holistic approach involves everything from exploring whether the activities in a particular building can be consolidated and intensified to the nitty gritty of updating mechanical plant.
For full show notes to this episode, go to www.architectsjournal.co.uk/podcasts
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Bonus episode. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman. During an Obel Award panel at the UIA conference in Copenhagen, Heringer seized the opportunity to ask the global audience for ‘forgiveness’ on behalf of architects of the global north.
‘I'm sorry for creating this … ideal of an architecture that was supposed to bring us a comfortable, safe and happy and healthy life, when in fact, it was just exploiting the planet and adding to social injustice,’ she said.
Winner of four important awards since our last interview in episode 6, Anna explains how earthen architecture is gaining traction and describes her ongoing work in Ghana and at the St Michael Campus for Sustainability in Traunstein, Germany.
For show notes to this episode, go to www.architectsjournal.co.uk/podcasts
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Episode 40. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman. In this episode, we explore the global phenomenon of shrinking villages in the countryside, hearing about a remarkable series of interventions in southeastern China by DnA_Design, a small Beijing practice.
Xu advocates a role change for architects in both rural and urban contexts. Architects should no longer accept a commission as given, but take the initiative and evaluate a project’s regional context to make a proposal that is unique and rooted in its place.
In less than a decade, Xu and her team have built more than 20 projects that vary widely in programme and materiality: a tofu factory, a museum, performance spaces and a sugar factory. These projects have attracted new residents back to formerly dilapidated villages by creating jobs and a sense of purpose in these forgotten places.
CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY Win a copy of Greta Thunberg’s The Climate Book (Penguin 2022). We have two copies to give away. To enter the prize draw, email [email protected] with your name, address, affiliation and a testimonial about the podcast before 15 January 2023. We will choose the winners in the new year.
For show notes to this episode, go to www.architectsjournal.co.uk/podcasts
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Episode 38. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman. Slade, head of historic building climate change adaptation at Historic England, explains why insulation is the area of highest risk.
As a conservation-accredited building surveyor with deep interests in both the natural and built environment, Slade explains the role of Historic England as a statutory consultee in planning, in provision of technical guidance and training, and in research to confront upcoming climate challenges. In this episode, she argues that sustainability and conservation are ‘well-matched’ to deliver change on the ground.
Slade also details the range of guidance and webinars available from Historic England, as well as the current research agenda which includes ‘hazard mapping’ of regional risks. This involves granular mapping of overheating, flooding, slope collapse, shrink-swell capacity and storm exposure under different emissions scenarios and their implications for the built environment.
For show notes to this episode, go to www.architectsjournal.co.uk/podcasts
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Episode 38. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman.In our second episode exploring how sustainability impacts heritage buildings, we speak to Procter-Rihl Architects’ Chris Procter, lead author of ACAN’s Climate Emergency Conservation Area Toolkit – England. Chris explains how conservation areas can streamline the consent process by developing a pattern book approach to building elements.
Chris’ detailed audit of Islington’s Cross Street Conservation Area found that two-thirds of existing single-glazed windows could be suitable for double or triple-glazing, 44% of solid external walls could be wrapped in external wall insulation and over 30% of roofs could be fitted with solar panels.
Chris also delves into the sensitive topic of window replacement, arguing that if existing windows do not conform to the original window pattern of a building, they should qualify for upgrading. He advocates development of a pattern book of details, complete with approved manufacturers, to simplify the consent process for building owners, relieve planners’ workloads, and speed up retrofit. Chris argues that this should be done locally based on specific building types.
For show notes to this episode, go to www.architectsjournal.co.uk/podcasts
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Episode 37. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman. 5th Studio co-founder Oliver Smith shares his radical approach to upgrading listed buildings. He talks about the practice’s radical retrofit of New Court at Trinity College, Cambridge. Completed in 2016, New Court remains a trailblazing project because it pioneered an ambitious sustainability agenda in a Grade I-listed building using a nuanced approach that balanced heritage concerns with upgrading thermal and energy performance and internal comfort.
For show notes to this episode, go to www.architectsjournal.co.uk/podcasts
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Episode 36. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman. In this episode, Pelsmakers argues that teaching values must be at the heart of architectural education. She believes students are bombarded with too much technical information on sustainability and that a strong grounding in architectural ethics is essential in order to apply technical knowledge for the best possible built environment and social equity outcomes. This approach requires not only new curriculum content, but a shift from master-apprentice to more democratic and inclusive peer-to-peer learning.
Sharing insights from having taught recently in seven different schools of architecture, structural engineer and educator Cíaran Malik notes that curriculum reform has not kept pace with students’ demands for change and that retrofit remains a minority topic. Malik argues that once students develop an intuitive understanding, grounded in evidence, they can begin to experiment with results that are both ‘beautiful and exciting.’
For show notes to this episode, go to www.architectsjournal.co.uk/podcasts
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Episode 35. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman. Environmental engineer Patrick Bellew of Atelier Ten shares insight from having worked on high-profile architectural projects, including the new Google HQ at King's Cross designed by Heatherwick Studio. He explains that post-pandemic ventilation rates in commercial offices have tripled with radiant solutions replacing blown air systems, and how this can be done while still controlling energy use.
For show notes to this episode, go to www.architectsjournal.co.uk/podcasts
In association with Velux
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Episode 34. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman. Glasgow climate activist Scott McAulay and ACAN’s Rosie Murphy advocate for a curriculum which empowers students as changemakers.
McAulay, founder of the virtual Anthropocene Architecture School, argues that the answer to every brief should not be a new building. Architects must rethink their role as stewards of the built environment rather than designers, and students should be taught to scrutinise a brief in its larger context. Perhaps a vacant or underutilised building nearby can be transformed to meet a client’s needs.
For show notes to this episode, go to www.architectsjournal.co.uk/podcasts
In association with Velux
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Episode 33. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman. Velux director of sustainable buildings Lone Feifer explains why ‘relative’ sustainability, improvement on previous standards, is no longer good enough. ‘One planet means one carbon budget with a fixed amount available for buildings,’ she says. It’s not about improving relative to previously accepted standards.
Lone also describes how Denmark’s new building regulations, effective in January 2023, will regulate whole life carbon by requiring life cycle assessment for projects and setting benchmarks for different building types. For homes, Feifer advocates the Active House Alliance’s adaptive comfort approach rather than the absolute comfort ranges prescribed by Passivhaus.
For show notes to this episode, go to www.architectsjournal.co.uk/podcasts
In association with Velux
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Episode 32. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman. In this episode, we speak to Louisa Bowles - winner of this year’s AJ100 Sustainability Champion award - about Hawkins\Brown’s two-pronged approach to sustainability: reducing carbon emissions and enhancing society. Louisa explains that in order to avoid the ‘smoke and mirrors’ of carbon offsets, calling a project 'net zero' should increasingly rely on annual operational energy reporting, public data disclosure and third-party verification.
For show notes to this episode, go to www.architectsjournal.co.uk/podcasts
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