Reintroducing Common Sense for Sustainability and Resiliency

Sustainability, transparency, wellness and resiliency are the pillars of the green building world. Host Daniel Huard, the Godfather of Sustainability, collaborates with the experts around the world focusing on green design.

In talking about the pillars of green building, it’s possible to look to the past and future. Ancient cities show signs of sustainability, resilience, and wellness. Many of these components are common sense, and their reintroduction is changing how the world builds. Talking about the pillars, host Daniel Huard welcomed architect, Blake Jackson.

Jackson is the Sustainability Design Lead at Stantec. He’s also an adjunct professor at Boston College and Roger Williams University. Additionally, he’s also a LEED-WELL faculty member and an advocate and speaker on the subject.

With sustainability also comes the need for resiliency of projects. “We’re in the business of bandaging, handling things brick by brick, but it’s encouraging to see more cities taking it on. We’ve lost the ability to think at scale on resiliency in this country,”– Jackson commented.
 

The conversation started with sustainability, with Jackson noting he wasn’t educated on it during his architecture studies. “I’m trying to remedy. Before, it was something architects didn’t think they controlled,” he added.

LEED was the catalyst for reshaping the sustainability conversation. “We’re reintroducing common sense into building as modern practitioners,” Jackson said.

With sustainability also comes the need for resiliency of projects. “We’re in the business of bandaging, handling things brick by brick, but it’s encouraging to see more cities taking it on. We’ve lost the ability to think at scale on resiliency in this country,” Jackson commented.

They two also discussed transparency and its evolution. Manufacturers are now much clearer on information about supplies. Jackson also credits the fact that “the green community is open.” Thus, sharing ideas with colleagues helps the greater good.

The wellness component was also forgotten in the 20th-century. “Our ancestors did this way back to the Romans that were using winds to understand ventilation. Now the wellness component is tangible in building, ergonomics, fresh air, natural light,” Jackson said.

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