Informed architects will want to do more: convincing clients to do better and Michelin stars for building performance, with James Woodall (Sustainability Lead at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill)

For a change, it's an episode that mainly concerns sustainability for non-residential building design.

Friend of the show, James Woodall joined us to talk about his experiences in sustainable architecture in all its complexity, and how to help clients do better work by challenging briefs, asking difficult questions, and then help clients to answer those questions.

We also covered the untapped potential for rewarding positive outcomes by promoting them (i.e. a Michelin star guide for building performance), how the effectiveness of building design is impacted is affected by location and climate, the importance of understanding embodied carbon versus operational (and how the emphasis and importance of each is will flip at some point soon), and the great work LETI is doing in creating guidance for retrofitting commercial buildings.

Notes from the episode

• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)
• The paper about embodied carbon that we mention: A whole life carbon analysis of the Irish residential sector - past, present and future by Richard O Hegarty and Oliver Kinnane
• The LETI website, do check it and sign up to their mailing list, it's right there on the homepage.
  
  

**SOME SELF-PROMOTING CALLS TO ACTION**
We don't actually earn anything from this, and it's quite a lot of work, so we have to promote the day jobs.

• Zero Ambitions Partners email address - zap@eiux.agency
• Subscribe and advertise with Passive House Plus (UK edition here too)
• Join ACAN
• Join the AECB 
• Join the IGBC
• Email Alex and Dan about websites, branding, and communications - zap@eiux.agency; Everything is User Experience

**END OF SELF-PROMOTING CALLS TO ACTION**