From buildings that contribute positively to the environment to strategies that set up urban precincts for success over time, Liam Wallis and Paul Himberger joined panels at the Architecture & Design Sustainability Summit yesterday in Sydney to explore how we can design for long-term environmental and social benefit.
Energising day yesterday getting the chance to join a panel at the Sustainability Summit in Sydney! Also bringing our Melbourne groove with HIP V. HYPE founder Liam Wallis speaking (this time about regenerative design through the lens of a rafting trip down the Franklin). 10 days in a raft without mobile phones seems like a damn good way to solve some problems and gain consensus – regardless of your views. There was definitely a shift in the narrative across all the sessions; clearer focus and a move into action. Thoughts from the day: 💡 Changing the narrative from affordable housing to affordable living. At the moment in industry, focusing on the former strips out sustainability, while the latter encourages it. 💡 Moving from the ‘fields’ to the ‘yards’. Greenfield and brownfield are no longer working. Let’s find the backyards (density and canopy), schoolyards (shared open space and recreation) and railyards (close access to transport and disused space) to balance amenity with location. 💡 Focusing too much on the risk of action and ignoring the risk of inaction - this has to change. Shifting mindsets and the way we collaborate or approach problems can unlock opportunities. 💡 We need to start measuring success through stories. Not just dollars and cents. Success should be whether people are using the places we design and build, whether the flora and fauna are coming back to our landscape and if people are genuinely better off from what we have enabled. 💡 The always entertaining Saul Griffith calling out those with the most means (financial, political or otherwise) to drive change that aren’t doing anything as ‘Planet F'ing Hypocrites’. The broader message being that we need to work to find ways to reduce inequality and ensure everyone benefits as we transition to a low carbon economy. So many of the people at the Summit are out there changing the story for the better, taking the risks and addressing the fundamental needs of people, but we aren't going fast enough. We need collaborators, folks willing to take the big swing and those that aren't deterred by failure. Because #wedeservebetter. #sustainabilitysummit #sustainabilityawards Architecture & Design (Australia)