Arathi Gowda leads ZGF's East Coast Sustainable Practice and is charged with researching new technologies and recommending integrated environmental design solutions that are substantiated with simulation for project teams nationwide. As an educator she is committed to training the next generation of practitioners having taught coursework on sustainable urbanism at multiple universities, most recently she is an adjunct faculty member at Northwestern University’s Institute for Sustainability and Energy. She is an advocate for collective climate action and is the current co-chair of US Architects Declare and a member of the American Institute of Architect’s (AIA) Committee on the Environment Leadership Group, Government Advocacy Committee, and the Global Philanthropy Partnership Board.
Gowda was honored with the individual Chapter Mission Award from Illinois Green (2016) and named one of ten recipients of Green Building & Design's Women in Sustainability Leadership Award (2019). Recently she was appointed to Mayor Lightfoot’s Chicago Building Decarbonization task force (2021) and nominated to New City Magazines Design 50, a recognition awarded to those who shape Chicago’s Architecture and Built Environment (2022).