Jon Hall

🌟 Architects as #SocialEquity champions One requirement of a #SEAMCertification is human-centered #InclusiveDesign. We're finding that this SEAM Activity isn't a heavy lift for the design community, which has been leading this movement for decades. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Blueprint for Better campaign aims to transform the day-to-day practice of #architecture to achieve a zero-carbon, resilient, healthy, just, and #EquitableBuiltEnvironment. Check out their article for 6 actionable ways to increase equity in the built environment. #ArchitectsForEquity #SEAM

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Is it possible to build for the missing middle? A new report from the Terner Center for Housing Innovation unpacks development challenges in California and finds that most projects aren't viable under current conditions. Read the full report to learn more about policy changes needed to boost middle housing development: https://lnkd.in/gqzeDEU7

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"Cataldo said the July 1 code amendment is "minimal enough" that it will likely be an easy and quick issue to address, even for those who are surprised by it. The analysis is very close to the LEED analysis for embodied carbon, Cataldo said, so if a consultant is needed to complete the paperwork, it will likely be easy to find one that can do it." I wouldn't call this "minimal". Your biggest hitter in many buildings will be concrete, and reducing embodied carbon in concrete is going to require new mixes, with different structural properties, different cure times. My favorite local engineers are on it, but it is going to be a vetting point in engineer selection. You've also got your sustainability consultants, and while it may be "very close to LEED", it's still a different software being used for analysis. And gosh I hope this doesn't add a lot of time to plan check... So we're changing cost, schedule, consultant selection... doable, sure, but not "minimal".

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Check out these key takeaways of the recent Project Roomkey evaluation!

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I really appreciate Lloyd Alter continuing to write clearly and compellingly about simple design choices that would make buildings and cities much, much more sustainable. Reuse old buildings and infill in old neighborhoods. Build “low-rise, high-density,” boxy*-but-beautiful. Build with wood. And use the minimum amount of glass necessary for views. These simple choices would get us so far, before even resorting to costly technologies and materials. *There is nuance to this: for survivability’s sake, I might argue that residential buildings, particularly, should be shallow enough for cross-ventilation. But this is achievable with single-stair buildings (like 12-plexes) that are still pretty boxy from a thermal standpoint. Michael Eliason has eloquently advocated for building and zoning codes that allow more of these so that Americans can enjoy the same kind of livable urban environments that they currently must travel to Europe to enjoy….

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Have you seen New Buildings Institute's UHI Factsheet: Policy Actions to Tackle Extreme Heat and Urban Heat Islands? This factsheet summarizes policy pathways and strategies to mitigate the impacts of extreme heat and urban heat islands (UHI) from NBI’s recently released code overlay. Check out the UHI Factsheet! https://hubs.li/Q02wsBGf0 View the entire UHI Code Overlay. https://hubs.li/Q02wsx9z0

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Nationwide, 66 percent of landscape architects and designers surveyed are recommending the integration of climate solutions to “all or most” of their clients, approximately the same as found in a 2021 survey. They are creating demand for more sustainable and resilient landscape planning and design practices through “advocacy by design” approaches that persuade city, local government, and other clients to update policies and regulations. To increase resilience to climate impacts, enhance biodiversity, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the same time, landscape architects are planning and designing infrastructure at all scales – from the city and county to district, neighborhood, and site. Read more findings from ASLA's 2024 Climate Survey in ASLA's THE DIRT: https://bit.ly/3X50J7c Image Credit: ASLA 2017 Professional Analysis and Planning Award of Excellence. Storm + Sand + Sea + Strand — Barrier Island Resiliency Planning for Galveston Island State Park. Galveston, TX, Studio Outside #LandscapeArchitecture #NatureBasedSolutions #ResiliencePlanning

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With less prime riverfront land and high housing costs in major US cities, how can real estate firms and developers make riverfronts more equitable? Building more #affordablehousing, ensuring residents have access to riverfronts, and creating accessible public spaces such as riverwalks and parks are several ways that make the riverfront more inclusive. A great example of riverfront equity is the work completed by BKV Group, a holistic architecture firm that has completed several mixed-use projects around Minneapolis, including an affordable 150-unit apartment building, along with a senior living facility, and a massive retail space. In addition, the group transformed riverfront land in Champlin, a Minneapolis suburb— adding a pavilion, 600-person open-air amphitheater, playground, recreation area, and boat landing. Read more about these riverfront developments and the challenges the industry faces, as well as other examples of current #downtown projects that will reshape the riverfronts. #equitabledevelopment https://lnkd.in/eqKVdpHt

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All across the country, communities and individuals are coping with the impacts of extreme heat, severe weather, and the threat of fire. We focus a great deal on climate mitigation, which remains of vital importance, but we also really need to plan for adaptation to a world that is already changing. In my latest column for Colorado Construction & Design® magazine, I write about the role a highly engineered material like precast concrete can play in building the resilient, adaptable structures of tomorrow. Check it out! #ClimateAdaptation #Resilience #PrecastConcrete #BuildForTomorrow https://lnkd.in/gjggYsUz

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This is important work by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and encourage our community to engage. Over the past year, ACHP adopted two important policy statements on housing and climate change. They are now proposing 4 government-wide program comments to implement those statements to advance historic preservation while also supporting a sound climate response and housing creation. Please consider attending any of 4 public meetings listed below (or if applicable Tribal/NHO meetings) or writing to program_alternatives@achp.gov by July 1. Comments would particularly be welcomed on: * Categories of undertakings that might be exempted from further review. * Categories of undertakings that might require only minimal review (e.g., an attestation or documentation). * Categories of undertakings that might require some review in accordance with specific direction. * Suggestions of any siting, material, or installation circumstances that would enable (or should not enable) a streamlined review (exemption, minimal review, or directed review). * Suggestions for other exclusions or safeguards. #buildingreuseisclimateaction https://lnkd.in/gS_nBvcG

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Demographic shifts and changing buyer preferences are driving a new trend in community design: the walkable suburb. This concept pulls desirable aspects of dense urban living into suburban communities, fostering a more attainable, walkable, active, and engaged environment for residents. One of the cornerstones of this concept is a diverse mix of housing types and sizes. Cookie-cutter neighborhoods filled with identical single-family homes are no longer what consumers want. Today's suburban development embraces a wider variety, starting with offering a range of lot sizes. Smaller lots allow for more compact and affordable homes, making homeownership more attainable for first-time buyers and young families. The concept goes beyond just smaller lots, though. Many communities are now detaching parking from individual dwellings. This opens up space for shared green areas, encourages walking and biking, and fosters a more pedestrian-friendly environment. This shift is further driven by a changing market. Large families are a declining demographic, while single-woman and single-parent households are on the rise. Additionally, we're seeing 55+ buyers purchasing new homes at a higher percentage than any other age group. As the population ages, the demand for homes that cater to the needs of older adults is increasing. This all contributes to a growing demand for smaller, more manageable homes. A single-level home can be a significant selling point, attracting buyers across generations who are looking for a property that will meet their needs now and in the future. #Homebuilding #RealEstate #Homeownership #HomeownershipMonth

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Urban Institute Urges Good, Green Jobs through Equity Lens via The Energy Mix! A new report from the Urban Institute shows that the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law should “not only repair and refurbish aging infrastructure, but to achieve multiple goals for climate resilience, job creation, and equity.” Amanda Woodrum spoke on this panel! https://lnkd.in/eB7CY8Mj #ReImagineAppalachia #Equity #InflationReductionAct #BipartisanInfrastructureLaw #Appalachia #UnionStrong #UnionProud

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#InclusiveFromTheStart This image is a screen capture from my Facebook memories 11 years ago today about how LEED certification had added Cradle to Cradle materials to their points system. That got my nerodivergent brain all fired up...again. The Cradle to Cradle book from 20 years before this post was written reminding decision makers that like people, products start somewhere but in a finite system we would be smart to think about where they come from, how they're made, used and desposed of. The authors were solving the problems of cradle to grave thinking that was creating so much garbage and pollution in the world. But then and now, when I hear the green design world talk about product, material and building lifecycles and lifecycle costing, they are never really thinking about cradle as in baby or baby as the start of a person's life, or cradle to cradle thinking about lifetime impact and legacy for people. That's always been so bizarre to me. But these are not new thoughts for me. In 2011, the Ontario Association of Architects published in their magazine an article I co-wrote with an architect and would later present at several conferences but for the first time at the 2012 Transed conference in India about how smart green design choices can make spaces also accessible and good universal design (https://lnkd.in/gmjRh3vK). And the ideas in the article started even earlier in 2004 when I was teaching a Universal Design course and then created and taught a Sustainable Design course for the Architectural Technology program at Sheridan College. #Inspiration: People want to make getting accessibility right easier, right? So if all these buildings are already looking for C2C certified materials and products... Did you know to obtain C2C cerification there are 5 criteria and 2 are already perfect to be tweaked to ensure disability inclusion?: 1. Material Health ("Ensuring materials are safe for humans and the environment"); and 2. Social Fairness ("Embracing safe, fair and equitable labor practices that advance human rights and strong communities"). Let's do that! If you've been following me for any time now, you know I often say there's nothing more sustainable than accessibility because 100% of people are born with or get temporary, situational, short and long term disabilities during their lives due to illness, accident and aging. Disability is part of the human experience so why accessibility is ultimately integral to successful design. So let's update an existing well known and widely used system so that the 34 year old ADA, 5 year old Accessible Canada Act and 2 year old European Accessibility Act can also require C2C certified products and materials. #AccessibleCanada #ADA #EAA #CRPD #disability #inclusion #accessibility #UniversalDesign #Sustainability #SDGs #architecture #InteriorDesign #LandscapeArchitecture #UrbanPlanning #design #education #policy #legislation #CultureChange #WeAreBillionStrong

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If you’re not making decisions based on the resulting embodied carbon… stop what you’re doing… read up. https://lnkd.in/g6z6G-uk via World Economic Forum #embodiedcarbon #wellbeingbydesign #design #communitywellbeing #climatecrisis #climatemitigation #climateadaptation #sustainability #architecture #engineering

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The tire fire at AIA national HQ, and the scrambling use of the national conference for wagon circling and doubling down in response, is just... bad. But at least there's some exquisitely painful copy coming out if it! Here is part of the AIA's statement on why there is absolutely, positively, nothing at all to see here, move along with only shallow breathing through your mouth, please: "... the Board directed external counsel to review the planning and execution of the AIA Staff Learning Retreat that took place in March 2024. The review focused on the specific issues raised to the Board. That portion of the review has now concluded. The Board has reviewed the facts, found and confirmed that there was no wrongdoing, and there is no action to be taken by the Board..." Let's unpack. The first sentence you can take at face value. Well, except that the "learning" was taking place at an all-inclusive in the DR. The second flags that this review purposefully left stones unturned. The next two sentences say two different things: one, said limited-scope review is over (that was quick!); two, the board is sitting on its hands. There is a period in between. To a former wordsmith, this is exactly the construction I'd employ to use the magic of proximity to suggest two things were connected, without explicitly saying so. The icing on this tortured-prose cake is "found and confirmed." There's no way this phrase has ever been used outside of an 18th-century royal proclimation. How do you "find" something (as in, making a determination), and then "confirm" your own finding? If you only "confirmed" something, that could suggest it was the outside counsel that made the initial finding. But if they had, I'm sure the board would have trumpeted that. If the board just "found" something, that could suggest it was different from what the actual report concluded (if it did make any conclusions). Ramming the two words together muddies the waters enough to create plausible deniability. If you rearrange the letters a bit, you get "a confounded firm," which seems a much better fit for this situation (sorry, readers, couldn't resist). What would clear all this up: releasing the entire completed report to members. When that might happen: when an intrepid PhD student working on her thesis, "Why Architects No Longer Matter: Mismanagement and Turmoil in the 2020s AIA," uncovers it in 2064. https://lnkd.in/ezfdp7Mm https://lnkd.in/ea8AHY3b https://lnkd.in/eqetCfVa

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