New COTE Leadership: Lori Ferriss
Lori Ferriss, AIA, PE, LEED AP BD+C, is Director of Sustainability and Climate Action at Goody Clancy in Boston, MA, and a recent addition to the COTE Advisory Group. Lori brings a unique perspective on preservation and reuse of historic structures as a necessity to reaching zero net carbon goals.
Lori is a founding Co-Chair of the Zero Net Carbon Collaboration for Existing & Historic Buildings (ZNCC), a strategic alliance of the AIA, RAIC, Architecture 2030, ICOMOS, and APT committed to championing the responsible reuse of existing and historic places towards a Net Zero Carbon future. She also serves on the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Energy and Sustainability. “There’s so much traditional knowledge and sense of place embedded in historic buildings that can be transferred into the way we practice now, if architects can get into the preservation mindset of learning from past techniques and materials.”
Lori is also a founding member of the Boston Society of Architects’ Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF), a knowledge community designated to help to reduce carbon emissions through changes to design and behavior. As a program advisor, she contributed to the group’s Embodied Carbon 101 webinar series, which is now part of AIAU’s curriculum to support education on carbon within the AIA community.
Licensed as both a Professional Engineer and an Architect, Lori provides a broad range of technical knowledge to unleashing the great potential in existing buildings. “There’s a tremendous need for education and advocacy around helping the industry to leverage the existing and historic building stock towards climate action. We need to rebrand existing buildings and renovations as the new sustainable architecture. Building reuse is climate action.”
In her position at Goody Clancy as Director of Sustainability and Climate Action, Lori is working with clients on buildings that take a holistic, ambitious approach to sustainability. “We’re seeing more clients asking for very high-performance projects—it is exciting to see their aspirational goals cutting across social sustainability, net zero energy performance, and biophilic design. At the same time, we are seeing long-time clients pursuing infrastructure renewal projects that steward their workhorse buildings into their next 50 years of performance.”
When asked what COTE can do to forward the idea that the greenest building is the one already built, Lori noted that it starts with education and suggested that the COTE Top Ten for Students should have more awards for projects with existing buildings. “Just as architecture and preservation should not be siloed from one another, the topic of how to reuse buildings should cross-cut all aspects of architectural education.”
Lori believes one of the most pressing challenges ahead for architects is shifting the perception that high-performance new construction is the ultimate design response to the climate crisis, while existing buildings are an insurmountable challenge. “It’s about helping policymakers, owners, and practitioners understand that we have the resources, technologies, and knowledge available to really push forward holistic sustainability and harness our built environment as a climate solution.”
Ian Merker, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, is a Senior Architect at Lionakis in Sacramento, California. Ian has been recognized with a Chapter Commendation from AIA Central Valley and Presidential Citation and Young Architect Award from AIA California for his work with emerging professionals and disaster assistance. Ian previously served as the Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs for AIA California, Young Architects Forum Regional Director for Northern California, Senior Editor of YAF Connection, and Associate Director of AIA Central Valley.