50 episodes

Brought to you by the Architects’ Journal. AJ sustainability editor Hattie Hartman and architect George Morgan talk to changemakers and innovators who are transforming architecture as we know it by designing in ways that respect planetary boundaries. In association with ACAN, the Architects Climate Action Network.

AJ Climate Champions Architects’ Journal

    • Arts
    • 4.9 • 30 Ratings

Brought to you by the Architects’ Journal. AJ sustainability editor Hattie Hartman and architect George Morgan talk to changemakers and innovators who are transforming architecture as we know it by designing in ways that respect planetary boundaries. In association with ACAN, the Architects Climate Action Network.

    ‘Over-specification of concrete is an industry addiction’

    ‘Over-specification of concrete is an industry addiction’

    Episode 48. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman and Joe Jack Williams. Structural engineer Eva MacNamara of Expedition Engineering explains how we can radically reduce our use of concrete and how to better understand the biodiversity impacts of material choices.
    In this episode, we dive into the tricky topic of concrete and unpick the widespread mantra that ‘concrete is bad’.  Concrete is ‘an addiction’ that has led to an obese construction industry, says Expedition’s MacNamara; it is not going to go away but we can radically reduce our use of it. She describes a porposed slab design for the Eden Project site in Dundee which would achieve an 80% reduction in concrete volume.
    MacNamara stresses that ‘using less’ is much more impactful than substituting low-carbon concretes and notes that she repeatedly sees practitioners over-specifying. We discuss some of the nuances of concrete use: which applications are most appropriate, how to reduce the volumes we use, and why low-carbon concrete – especially GGBS – is not a silver bullet. We also touch on upcoming innovations including Seratech, ‘funnel’ slabs and smart crushing.
    McNamara explains how to bring both carbon and biodiversity into the concrete procurement process. Highlighting findings from the recent report The Embodied Biodiversity Impacts of Construction Materials (Expedition/ICE, November 2023), she notes that 95% of biodiversity impacts occur off site and that the new biodiversity net gain requirements only address the 5% on site, so designers must look beyond a site’s boundary.
    Finally, MacNamara advocates finding a place to innovate on every project. ‘We can make the most difference by using our projects as springboards for incubating innovation,’ she says.
    For show notes and to catch up on all AJ Climate Champions episodes, click here.

    • 38 min
    Henning Larsen’s Martha Lewis on how to screen materials for both chemicals and carbon

    Henning Larsen’s Martha Lewis on how to screen materials for both chemicals and carbon

    For the first in a new six-part series on materials, Hattie is joined by co-host Joe Jack Williams to interview Martha Lewis, head of materials at Danish practice Henning Larsen.
    Lewis argues that a baseline of health and environmental impacts should inform material specification, and explains why a holistic approach is essential to navigate the nuances of material selection. She describes how the European focus on life cycle analysis and the Global Warming Potential of materials is starting to be integrated with the earlier American focus on healthy materials and toxic chemical content.
    ‘The glut of information is a challenge of our time. How do we navigate too much information to make the right decisions?’ asks Lewis. She advocates for material passports which would consolidate the relevant data needed to make informed decisions: carbon emissions, chemical content and circularity. She also argues that certification schemes, despite their weaknesses, are the most effective route to ensuring that a project delivers on its sustainability aspirations.
    Also in this episode, Lewis describes Unboxing Carbon, a database with an accompanying course which she has developed to upskill architects on the carbon aspects of material selection. Lewis has rolled out Unboxing Carbon across Henning Larsen’s 700-strong practice and also offers it to external practices.
    For show notes and to catch up on all AJ Climate Champions episodes, click here.

    • 38 min
    ‘I’m no longer the wood weirdo,’ says Andrew Waugh

    ‘I’m no longer the wood weirdo,’ says Andrew Waugh

    Episode 46. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman and George Morgan. Andrew Waugh explains how building with timber can address industry transformation at scale. ‘I want to transform the whole industry,’ says Waugh, founding director of Waugh Thistleton which was recently named Practice of the Year at the AJ Architecture Awards.
    In this episode Waugh explains why tall buildings have no place in sustainable cities of the future; how building housing with timber can reduce its carbon burden by as much as 75%; and why we should stop building basements (they are up to five times as carbon intensive as upper floors).
    Waugh advocates building with timber primarily as a low-carbon alternative to concrete and steel, rather than for aesthetic reasons. He shares recent research that clarifies end-of-life alternatives for timber that are not incineration or landfill. He makes it clear that current subsidies that encourage burning of timber for biomass must be revamped to support use of UK-grown timber for construction.
    This episode was recorded the day after Waugh toured co-hosts Hattie and George through Waugh Thistleton’s recently completed Black & White Building in Shoreditch. The building is nearly all timber: structure, core, floors, cladding and brise-soleils. Waugh describes where the timber was sourced and that the transport footprint of timber is a relatively minor consideration.
    Finally, Waugh explains why he recently withdrew from the Architects Declare steering group.
    For show notes and to catch up on all AJ Climate Champions episodes, click here.
    With support from the American Hardwood Export Council
    A previous version of this podcast mistakenly suggested that Waugh Thistleton had withdrawn from Architects Declare. In fact, Andrew Waugh withdrew from the Architects Declare steering group in May on an individual basis and Waugh Thistleton remains a member of Architects Declare. We apologise for any confusion.

    • 47 min
    The Public Practice associates driving retrofit and net zero in the public sector

    The Public Practice associates driving retrofit and net zero in the public sector

    Episode 45. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman and George Morgan. Two Public Practice associates explain how working in the public sector has increased their agency as designers.
    Public Practice is a social enterprise that places built environment professions in the public sector, primarily in place-making roles and increasingly in key roles that drive retrofit and net zero. ACAN co-founder Lauren Shevills, now lead retrofit innovation and delivery officer at Westminster City Council, explains that Public Practice has changed the trajectory of her career, enabling her to marry her passion for community and stakeholder engagement with technical architectural expertise. Steve Westcott, low carbon programme manager at Greater Manchester Combined Authority, says Public Practice has empowered him to work more strategically and ‘be closer to the conversations’ that matter. Off the back of Westcott’s role, GMCA is recruiting additional Public Practice associates.
    On the subject of retrofit, Shevills observes that one major challenge is that retrofit cannot be mandated because it’s currently not part of the planning process.  A retrofit first policy requires a rethink of current guidance and Westminster Council has five workstreams underway to explore various aspects of retrofit. Westcott explains that a fabric first approach is often too costly. The GMCA is developing portfolio-wide data collection for the city’s non-domestic estate to inform future grant disbursement decisions.
    For show notes and to catch up on all AJ Climate Champions episodes, click here.

    • 37 min
    Je Ahn on setting up Studio Weave and working with found materials

    Je Ahn on setting up Studio Weave and working with found materials

    Episode 44. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman and George Morgan. Studio Weave founding director Je Ahn explains the challenges of sourcing timber from London’s streets and parks.
    He describes how he translated the ambition of using local timber from London’s trees into reality at Lea Bridge Library Pavilion despite the fact that no sales channel existed for sourcing local timber and the need to prove its chain of custody because it had no FSC certification.
    We also discuss how working with found materials requires a willingness and ability to improvise as a designer and creates new aesthetic opportunities. In the case of Lea Bridge Library Pavilion, this approach lends warmth and informality to the space. ‘You have to be ready to change your mind to suit the requirement,’ says Ahn.
    Ahn describes sustainability as project-specific. ‘I’m very interested in where we get our materials,’ he says, explaining that timber is not always the best solution. It’s all about achieving the right balance for a given project. ‘Whatever I put out in the world has to have a purpose beyond what was initially set out,’ says Ahn.
    For show notes and to catch up on all AJ Climate Champions episodes, click here.

    • 42 min
    Material passports and Architects Declare four years on

    Material passports and Architects Declare four years on

    Ep 43. AJ Climate Champions with Hattie Hartman and George Morgan. London Eye architect Julia Barfield explains how the climate emergency changed the way her practice, Marks Barfield, operates, as well as what’s ahead for the Architects Declare movement.
    Julia shares insights from recent projects on how to achieve circularity in retrofit, the challenges of stockpiling materials for reuse  and how Orms’ material passports can be adapted for retrofit. ‘We must treat all materials as the precious resource they are,’ she says.
    She talks about her practice’s Stirling Prize-shortlisted Cambridge Mosque, which is part of a Built by Nature-funded post-occupancy study evaluating the quality of life and performance aspects of five CLT buildings.
    We also speak to Julia and fellow Architects Declare steering group member Zoe Watson about what AD has achieved four years on as well as its current workstreams, including climate emergency training for design review panels and Meet the Steering Group sessions where AD signatories can seek practical advice on how to further sustainable design within their own practices.
    As part of an ambitious strategy for change, AD is launching a three-part roadmap aimed at equipping Government policymakers with practical and impactful policies to reduce emissions, kickstart the circular economy and restore social and natural infrastructure.  AD plans to launch its document in Parliament in 2024.
    For show notes and to catch up on all AJ Climate Champions episodes, click here

    • 32 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
30 Ratings

30 Ratings

neilb243 ,

Great podcast

Really big thanks you for these. We listen to a few of these as CPDs in our practice. Keep them coming

Seastuart ,

Stuff that matters today & tomorrow

I’m not an architect but this is intensely interesting. It tells me about topics that matter now and in the future with respect to the environment in general e.g. natural landscape, energy use etc.. It’s not about aesthetic look of so called ideal example buildings.

Valley monitor ,

Vital information

This is a well curated and produced series of shows with illuminating in depth discussions with leading practitioners in architecture and the wider built environment sector finishin focusing on taking action to tackle climate change.

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