There are people who ask big questions about how we deliver meaningful impact for client, community, and society ... and there are people who translate those into daily action. Katie Ackerly, a principal at David Baker Architects and the firm's sustainable design lead, does both. (I think this is a superpower!)
She is committed to elevating the critical importance of high-performance, equitable housing as the essential core of a successful, resilient future. Lindsay Baker and I dug into both the big questions and the daily actions with Katie for the #DesigntheFuture podcast.
"What is the value of housing to society?" she asks. "And why is it so expensive to build? If we can tackle the construction market, that would go a long way toward increasing the performance and resilience of homes for people and communities." In addition to the many things that are usually associated with climate-responsive housing, she says, such as energy, water, materials, waste, and ecological impact, she says, "we should also be talking about many layers of human experience. What about home improves the ability for people have a stable, thriving life? What allows them to be safe and well?"
We explored the challenges that go along with sustainable design being a silo, or a subculture, and efforts to deconstruct those. One pathway, she suggests, is to develop a common literacy about sustainability and housing.
Listen on our site -- www.designthefuturepodcast.com/katie-ackerly -- or on your favorite podcast platform. Thank you to our producer, Amber Artrip!
#climateaction #housing #sustainability
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Kira Gould
Principal
Kira Gould CONNECT
Oakland CA
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