1.5 ConEd Learning Hours

Hosted by Perkins & Will

The climate crisis, global pandemic, and calls for social justice are ongoing societal challenges that affect the way we live, work, and play. As a profession, we have a responsibility to address this. In this session, we will explore how the meaning and importance behind the message Inspiring Climate Action has transformed our design philosophy, office culture, and how we engage with clients and communities.

Inspire: The pandemic highlighted the importance and significance social events and spaces have on our lives. Consequently, we had to rethink the way people come together and improvise responses to temporary restrictions. Through design, we have an opportunity to capitalize on that spirit of innovation and design public spaces that are inspiring and flexible.

Climate: The need to confront climate change requires deeper understanding on the interface between design, building science, and environment. This has significantly influenced our design conceptualization and challenged us to evaluate design quality against metrics of energy use, resilience, and carbon neutrality.

Action: In the ongoing challenges we face, architects can be the advocates for change by engaging with clients and communities for an improved environment and society. This means finding ways to support authentic engagement, entrenching an inclusive design process, and changing the mindset and culture of our design practices.

Learning Objectives:

1. Become inspired by the changes that are occurring in the programming and perception of the public realm.
2. Deepen your understanding of the tools needed to integrate climate action into the design process.
3. Learn how an architectural practice can become an advocate for change in the approach to climate challenge and social equality.
4. Gain an appreciation of the importance for architects to re-evaluate their goals as a practice and to engage their entire team in the process.