Green Urbanist - Sustainable Placemaking, Planning and Urban Design

In today’s episode we’re talking about the contentious issue of tall buildings. Some people love them, some people hate them. My guests today have come up with a concept for high rise that could be much more sustainable and adaptable than conventional skyscrapers. My guests today are Tomas Stokke and Shonn Mills. Tomas is a co-founder of Haptic Architects based in London and Oslo. He overseas Haptic’s international work and has taught, lectured, exhibited and been published internationally. Shonn Mills is Global Head of High Rise Buildings at Ramboll, with more than 20 years experience as an engineer. They have collaborated to produce a new concept for sustainable tall building design, which is called Regenerative Highrise. They have taken a really interesting approach in tackling a difficult urban site in Oslo and designing a building that responds to this while being low carbon and extremely adaptable. We talk about all of the interesting details in the conversation so I won’t get into that now. Episode 16 of this podcast was called ‘Are Tall Buildings Sustainable?’ and I concluded that typically tall buildings have a huge carbon and material footprint and its is clear that they can have a negative impact on a city’s urban design, environment, economy and social life. So I came into this conversation a bit skeptical and ready to challenge them. We ended up having a really good conversation and I think they have done some really useful work here in pushing the design of tall buildings much closer towards sustainability and taking a long term approach. If you are enjoying the Green Urbanist podcast, the best thing you can do to support it is to share an episode with a friend or colleague who you think might enjoy it. I hope it sparks some interesting conversations for you. Links:Dezeen article on Regenerative Highrise: https://www.dezeen.com/2022/05/23/haptic-architects-ramboll-regenerative-high-rise/Sustainability of Downtown Highrise vs Suburban Low Rise study: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321977968_Downtown_High-Rise_vs_Suburban_Low-Rise_Living_A_Pilot_Study_on_Urban_SustainabilityHaptic Architects: https://hapticarchitects.com/oslo-highrise/Ramboll: https://ramboll.com/contact/rdk/shonnGreen Urbanist websiteContact FormSocial Media:https://twitter.com/GreenUrbanPodhttps://www.instagram.com/greenurbanistpodhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/green-urbanist-podcast- - - Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Podcast website: https://greenurbanistpod.com/ The Green Urbanist podcast is hosted by Ross O'Ceallaigh.

To celebrate the 50th episode and second birthday of the Green Urbanist Podcast, I sit down with Giulia Mori to discuss the question: What has to happen in this critical decade to ensure successful climate action?We talk about:The need for legislation to push the building industry towards sustainabilityCircular economy and 'Circular Score', a concept Giulia developed with some collaboratorsThe challenge of giving up oil, and why we need to do itGetting excited about the future againClimate adaptation Find out more about Circular Score: https://www.ukgbc.org/inside_innovation/the-circular-score/Connect with Giulia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giulia-mori-b91492120/Green Urbanist websiteContact FormSocial Media:https://twitter.com/GreenUrbanPodhttps://www.instagram.com/greenurbanistpodhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/green-urbanist-podcast- - - Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Podcast website: https://greenurbanistpod.com/ The Green Urbanist podcast is hosted by Ross O'Ceallaigh.

Reporting live from Footprint+ 2022, a new sustainability conference in Brighton, UK.  Featuring interviews with:Joe Jack Williams, Feilden Clegg Bradley StudiosBarny Evans, TurleyAmin Taha, Groupwork Steve Webb, Webb Yates EngineersTim Pyne, Footprint+ (Footprint Plus) U+IQ-BotRaw ChargingWe discuss a range of topics including the net zero energy transition, building with stone and timber,  the sustainability of historic places, retrofit robots and more!Green Urbanist websiteContact FormSocial Media:https://twitter.com/GreenUrbanPodhttps://www.instagram.com/greenurbanistpodhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/green-urbanist-podcast- - - Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Podcast website: https://greenurbanistpod.com/ The Green Urbanist podcast is hosted by Ross O'Ceallaigh.

Gustavo and Younha are both Technical Directors at Atelier Ten, an environmental design consultancy. Combining expertise in architecture and engineering they shape buildings and masterplans to be sustainable and healthy. In this episode we discuss:What is environmental design and how it differs for buildings and masterplansCircular design in masterplanningCarbon emissions and sinks in landscape designHow the development and design industry is changing and the need for collaboration and debateThis episode was recorded at the Footprint+ Conference in Brighton in May 2022. We recorded this with a single microphone sitting outside near to the beach so there is background noise. It's not too distracting and hopefully gives you a sense of the atmosphere on the day.  At some points in the conversation we make reference to 'Patrick'. That is Patrick Bellew, Founding Director of Atelier Ten, who spoke at the conference earlier in the day. Find out more about Atelier Ten: https://www.atelierten.com/Green Urbanist websiteContact FormSocial Media:https://twitter.com/GreenUrbanPodhttps://www.instagram.com/greenurbanistpodhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/green-urbanist-podcast- - - Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Podcast website: https://greenurbanistpod.com/ The Green Urbanist podcast is hosted by Ross O'Ceallaigh.

Learn about the concept of biophilia and its connection to human health. Explore the negative impact of urban environments on well-being and the importance of biodiversity. Discover how cities can create thriving ecosystems, apply a biofilic approach, and connect with local nature. Dive into the concept of cities as ecosystems and the evolution of urban species. Explore the National Park City movement and its potential for positive impact worldwide.

This episode is a conversation with Samantha Suppiah, Christina Mirasol Sayson, Anna Denardin and Nolita Mvunelo of Possible Futures.  We talk about colonialism and sustainability, the realities of life in the Global South and the need for communities to be able to define their own vision for a regenerative future.Note: This episode is pretty heavy and may be challenging for listeners in the Global North, who are not used to considering colonialism. I invite you to stick with it and keep an open mind. This is a really important discussion.Footnotes:In the 37th minute there is a reference to "2 degrees Centigrade".  Climate scientists typically refer to temperature in Celsius in discussing climate change. Celsius is interchangeable with Centigrade.  In the 41st minute there is a reference to "10 million people dying from climate emergencies" - there is actually no current consensus estimate on how many people will die at a temperature rise of 2 deg C.  This is speculation only.  What we do have is a consensus estimate of mass migrations: for every degree increase, 1 billion migrants.  The entire issue of mass migration has notably been omitted from IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report (2022).Find out more about Possible Futures: https://www.possiblefutures.earth/ Contact the Green Urbanist: https://greenurbanistpod.com/contact Follow the Green Urbanist: https://twitter.com/GreenUrbanPod https://www.instagram.com/greenurbanistpod https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-urbanist-podcast - - - Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Podcast website: https://greenurbanistpod.com/ The Green Urbanist podcast is hosted by Ross O'Ceallaigh.

In this episode, we talk about Farah's new book Net Zero City, the role of urban design in achieving a net zero city, and a clear process for cities to decarbonise in 10 years.Farah Naz, is an award winning Climate Change strategist with over 20 years’ experience in the construction sector gained in the USA, UK, Southeast Asia and most recently the United Arab Emirates (UAE). She is a Chartered Engineer (UK), Fellow of CIBSE, LEED and WELL AP and Verified Research Expert for Dubai Future Foundation. Farah Chairs CIBSE UAE Chapter and is an advocate of STEM education for the future generation. Farah recently co authored a book on Net Zero City, which is considered the first book published from the Middle East Region.Find out more about Farah and the book: https://netzerocitybook.com/The Green Urbanist website: https://greenurbanistpod.com/Follow the Green Urbanist:https://twitter.com/GreenUrbanPodhttps://www.instagram.com/greenurbanistpodhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/green-urbanist-podcast- - - Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Podcast website: https://greenurbanistpod.com/ The Green Urbanist podcast is hosted by Ross O'Ceallaigh.

Steve O'Reilly works in a policy & communications role at Ireland's national centre for the Circular Economy, The Rediscovery Centre. Steve spent over 7 years in the Netherlands, Europe's circular economy hotspot, working on many projects related to circularity and becoming inspired by the circular innovation he saw there. Upon returning to Ireland during the pandemic, Steve took up a position in The Rediscovery Centre in Dublin to help drive circularity back in Ireland.In this episode, Steve shares insights into the social potential of circularity, how it is blossoming in rural communities and what we can learn from the Dutch.Learn more about the Rediscovery Centre: http://www.rediscoverycentre.ie/Connect with Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-o-reilly/The Green Urbanist website: https://greenurbanistpod.com/Follow the Green Urbanist:https://twitter.com/GreenUrbanPodhttps://www.instagram.com/greenurbanistpodhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/green-urbanist-podcast- - - Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Podcast website: https://greenurbanistpod.com/ The Green Urbanist podcast is hosted by Ross O'Ceallaigh.

It turns out what's good for us is also good for the planet.How can we design housing for human beings that aligns with our evolution? In this episode I talk about how Co-Housing and Eco-Village concepts could be a proxy for hunter gatherer tribes by creating small, cooperative communities within urban settings. This way of living has huge benefits for our wellbeing and can also be an effective way of minimising energy and resource use. A Win-Win for people and the environment.Resources and further reading:Articles/web pages:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intentional_communityhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cohousinghttps://journal.theaou.org/news-and-reviews/the-popularity-of-cohousing-in-demark/https://cohabitas.com/a-visit-to-saettedammen-co-housing/https://www.lilac.coop/community/https://gen-europe.org/podcast/episode-6-lets-build-an-ecovillage-lessons-from-a-life-in-community/ https://laecovillage.org/Books:Civilised to Death, Christopher RyanSapiens, Yuval Noah HarariUncivilised Genes, Gustav MilneGreen Urbanist website: https://greenurbanistpod.com/Follow the Green Urbanist:https://twitter.com/GreenUrbanPodhttps://www.instagram.com/greenurbanistpodhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/green-urbanist-podcast- - - Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Podcast website: https://greenurbanistpod.com/ The Green Urbanist podcast is hosted by Ross O'Ceallaigh.

This episode is part 1 of a series about  human evolution, our prehistory and Hunter Gatherer ways of life. Why should urbanists be interested in this? In this episode I make the argument that:We evolved over 2 million years as foragers and it is the only environmentally and socially sustainable way of life we know of.Living this way, embedded within ecosystems, is what what we are optimised for and therefore how human beings thrive.Life in our prehistoric past (and in modern hunter gatherer bands) is not nearly as awful as we think. In fact we can learn a lot from their approach to life, work, play and community.This means that our pre-history should be a key design consideration in architecture and urban design. In part 2 (and maybe 3) I will set out specifically what this means for urban design.Sources:Civilised to Death, Christopher Ryan Sapiens, Yuval Noah HarariUncivilised Genes, Gustav Milnehttps://theconversation.com/hunter-gatherers-live-nearly-as-long-as-we-do-but-with-limited-access-to-healthcare-104157https://phys.org/news/2016-07-hunter-gatherers-fundamental-human-social-networks.htmlGreen Urbanist website: https://greenurbanistpod.com/Follow the Green Urbanist:https://twitter.com/GreenUrbanPodhttps://www.instagram.com/greenurbanistpodhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/green-urbanist-podcast- - - Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Podcast website: https://greenurbanistpod.com/ The Green Urbanist podcast is hosted by Ross O'Ceallaigh.