Share Your Green Design Podcast

Podcast with Stephanie Phillips, Senior Deconstruction & Circular Economy Program Manager at the City of San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation. The video explores the rising significance of deconstruction and material reuse in the realm of sustainability, underscoring the crucial role of education and awareness. Over the past five years, this once-niche topic has gained substantial momentum, transitioning into a vital component of climate action plans. The discussion emphasises how deconstruction and material reuse not only offer environmental benefits but also preserve the cultural stories and histories of buildings and neighborhoods, making the concept more engaging and relatable.Key terms like "embodied carbon" and "deconstruction" have been integrated into long-term climate action plans, which are designed to remain relevant across political cycles and ensure sustained efforts towards sustainability. Collaborative efforts, including partnerships with universities and data-driven studies, are highlighted as essential in promoting these practices and demonstrating their economic value both in the short and long term.The narrative is shifting from waste management to creating sustainable, thriving communities by reusing materials and capturing their stories. This approach presents a compelling argument against traditional landfill practices. The video concludes by stressing the importance of education and optimism in inspiring a new generation to engage in deconstruction and material reuse, essential for building sustainable communities and combating climate change.Host: Juan a. Morillas

Podcast with Gina Ciganik, Chief Executive Officer, Habitable (Formerly Healthy Building Network).She discusses her background as a real estate developer and how she became interested in understanding the health impacts of building materials. She explains that there is a lack of transparency and regulation around disclosing the chemical contents of building products compared to industries like food and personal care. The video explores the perceived higher costs of using healthier materials, but Gina argues that a holistic view considering factors like longevity, health costs, and environmental impacts shows that healthier materials can be cost-neutral or even cost-saving. She emphasises the need for greater awareness and a mindset shift towards simplifying material palettes and prioritising health. The video covers research on the significant health and environmental costs associated with certain chemicals like PFAS and microplastics from paint.Host: Juan A. Morillas - Share Your Green Design.

In this new episode of the Share Green Design podcast, hosted by Juan A. Morillas, Chris Magwood, an expert in sustainable building, discusses his career and insights. Chris began his career in straw bale construction, which sparked his interest in embodied carbon—the total greenhouse gas emissions from building materials. Emphasising energy efficiency, Chris and his team meticulously measured the environmental impact of their projects, including waste, chemical content, and carbon footprints. They champion the use of natural materials in construction, aiming to reduce reliance on synthetic products and lower the carbon footprint of buildings.Chris advocates for a holistic approach to sustainable construction, considering not only embodied carbon but also operational efficiency, health impacts, and circular economy principles. He highlights the importance of collaboration over competition within the construction industry, working with various stakeholders to advance shared goals and foster innovation. As a member of Builders for Climate Action and the Carbon Leadership Forum, Chris is part of a community dedicated to transforming the construction industry through sustainable practices and cooperative efforts.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chris Magwood is Manager of the Carbon-Free Building at RMI, working with the Embodied Carbon Team in the Carbon-Free Buildings Program, where he focuses on carbon-storing materials and the residential sector. He uses his experience with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies and policy development to support the team's work.Chris holds an MD in Sustainability Studies from Trent University.Throughout his 25-year career, Chris has been involved in designing and constructing zero-carbon buildings. From 2005 to 2018, he was a lead instructor at the Endeavour Centre, where he was responsible for numerous zero-carbon, zero-toxin, and zero-waste buildings.In 2019, Chris co-founded Builders for Climate Action and co-developed the BEAM tool, which measures material emissions in residential buildings. He has authored four major studies on embodied carbon in new construction for Canadian governments and has assisted Canadian cities in developing an embodied carbon policy.Chris has published eight books on green construction, with his most recent publication being "Build Beyond Zero: New Ideas for Carbon Smart Architecture" (Island Press, 2022), co-authored with Bruce King.

Jaakko Torvinen is a Finnish architect who graduated with distinction from Aalto University. He specialised in wood architecture and as a student, he and his colleagues designed a temporary wooden conference space for Finlandia Hall. He is currently working on his PhD thesis on the use of organically shaped wood in architecture and construction, runs his own architectural practice and works part-time as a university teacher in Aalto.

Kjell emphasizes the importance of sharing resources and knowledge within the architectural community to advance sustainable practices. He also highlights the significance of embracing the circular economy to reduce embodied carbon and promote resource efficiency in building projects.Kjell Anderson, FAIA, LEED Fellow, practices architecture and serves as a Principal and the Director of Sustainable Design at LMN Architects, working with all of LMN’s clients to set and exceed sustainable design goals. He wrote the first architect-centered book on energy modeling, co-authored AIA’s first policy statement on climate change, led the development of the Path To Zero Carbon series and has spoken extensively on energy, water, materials, and embodied carbon. He founded the Seattle Hub of the Carbon Leadership Forum, served on the AIA National Committee on the Environment and currently serves on the Washington State Building Code Council where he chairs the Energy Code Technical Advisory Group. A lifelong Washingtonian, he lives in Seattle with his wife and two daughters and enjoys playing music and soccer.

Ditte Lysgaard Vin is the author of Danish Design Heritage & Global Sustainability and Chair of the Danish Design Council.

Dafni holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the Technical University of Munich and a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture (MLA) from the Bartlett School of Architecture.After obtaining technical skills and experience in Germany, she moved to London to focus on interdisciplinary and climate-responsive design. Currently, she is a Senior Strategic Designer in the Biourbanism Research Lab of McGregor Coxall, focused on promoting innovation through advanced algorithmic modelling and material design. Her work stands out for experimental and poetic narratives which combine both the architectural and landscape disciplines to create dynamic territories that address immediate environmental and socio-political contexts. She aims to push the boundaries of the landscape practice towards innovative solutions that respond to the urban fabric while performing under the influence of ever-changing ecosystem dynamics.Dafni has been awarded as the overall winner of ‘The Architecture Drawing Prize 2021’, organised by the World Architecture Festival and has won the 1st Prize at the ‘Architecture Thesis of the Year 2020’. In 2022, she received the Bartlett School of Architecture Medal for distinguished work in Landscape Architecture as well as the Environmental, History & Theory and MLA prizes.She has also contributed to publications, workshops and round-table discussions in several architectural and landscape platforms such as Archdaily, Sir John Soane’s Museum, EcoCity World Summit ’23 and the NLA NextGEN.

Dr. Angela Loder is the Director, of Greening the City, LLC Researcher and Policy Analyst Adjunct Professor, at the University of Denver. Loder was Vice President, Research at the International WELL Building Institute. Key projects included co-leading the development of the 2020 Global Research Agenda on Health, Well-being and the Built Environment with the international IWBI Research Advisory, co-development and lead author on the 12 Competencies for measuring health and well-being for organizations, and management of the pre-approved survey provider program for all WELL Certified projects. As a research scientist, strategic planner, and educator, Dr. Loder brings over a decade of experience in interdisciplinary research and partnerships around health, well-being, and the built and natural environment. Loder ran her own consulting firm focused on urban planning, sustainability, nature, and health. She is a Canada-US Fulbright Scholar and holds a PhD from the University of Toronto. She has published extensively on urban nature and health, and her book “Small-Scale Urban Greening: Creating Places of Health, Creativity, and Ecological Sustainability” was published with Routledge in 2020.