Billie Faircloth, AIA, is a partner at KieranTimberlake, an award-winning architecture firm known for design, research, and environmental commitment. As the firm’s Research Director, Faircloth leads a group of transdisciplinary professionals. She encourages collaboration between disciplines and industries and is driven by pursuit of the question: “Why do we build the way that we do?”
That’s a question that keeps many of us awake at night, especially as the realities and the timeline of the climate change crisis have become clearer in recent years. Faircloth notes that she and KieranTimberlake have always been supporters of COTE and the AIA’s role in the transformation of practice, which seems especially timely now. “I am impressed and encouraged by the work of COTE,” she says. “It is focused not only on recognizing leading-edge sustainable design but also on advocacy and access to knowledge, tools and best practices for all firms.”
There is power in collective action, she suggests. “When firms and organizations work together, the industry can move forward,” Faircloth says. “I’m honored to serve this year. I’m excited about COTE’s work on policy externally and within the National AIA. At KieranTimberlake, much of our work on tools and workflows have, in effect, been acts of environmental advocacy.”
As Faircloth sees it, COTE is strategically positioned to help architects help their clients respond to what is just ahead. “We can see that regulations are coming -- many cities are now setting stringent limits for carbon emissions attributed to the construction and operation of buildings. The firms that are transforming their design practices and exploring these topics with clients now will be ready to take action.”