NEWS FLASH: Water is the lifeblood of our planet!!! Despite being close to 80% water, only 1% of the Earth's water is drinkable. We use this episode to discuss where that water comes from, what it's used for, and where it goes after we use it. There are many ways to conserve water...but to truly guarantee this all-important natural resource is protected will require a shift from centralized infrastructure to on-site water systems. We lay out some basic water-use principles anyone can follow,...

Meet Michael Strong, Senior Project Manager at Pankow Builders, and find out how a summer construction job turned into a 20+ year career in green-building! From NetZero schools in California to prefabricated custom homes, Michael is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to all building and project types. We discuss the environmental, health, and cost benefits of a truly integrative approach to building that is vastly different than the traditional Design/Bid/Build method. Michael gives examples...

From native plant selection to solar lighting and permeable hardscape, we discuss actionable strategies to focus more early effort on sustainable landscape in any building design. Not only can you lower your ecological footprint, you can actually save some money! One of the big takeaways from our personal experience and research into landscape architecture is making sure you've accounted for your project's climate zone, leading to smarter decisions around procurement of outdoor...

Steve Glenn, CEO of Plant Prefab and LivingHomes (right here in Santa Monica!) drops by the podcast to discuss factory-built modular homes and why he started a tech company instead of following his childhood dream to become an architect. Prefab is unique in its ability to shorten the timeline for many building projects, including custom single-family homes, multi-family, and affordable housing. We also talk about other benefits of prefab, including reduced waste, lower labor costs and...

Join us as we discuss the true level of creativity involved to achieve a passive, energy-efficient design while still taking project budget and environmental cost into account. Called "Triple Bottom-Line Accounting", it requires ingenuity, a good deal of energy-modeling, and a project leader brave enough to do a sustainable cost-benefit analysis.Whatever building type or size, decreasing operational energy results in a healthier, more comfortable environment both inside and out, and we...

Marika Erdely, energy-efficiency expert and founder of greeneconome.com, was kind enough to join us for a conversation about her company’s involvement in the push for energy-efficient buildings here in Los Angeles. We discuss local building codes, Marika’s favorite energy monitoring software, designing buildings for Title 24 & NetZero, sustainability grants, incentives, and the real value of building certification. We also talk about how difficult it is to get buy-in with the older...

After a brief recap of our first episode, we focus on the subtle differences between a traditional site analysis and one that considers the environment itself as a stakeholder in the project. Sustainability requires that we consider on-site assets (trees, sun, wind) and examine local climate before determining how and what to build. If we lead with passive solar design and use modeling to minimize mechanical systems we have the opportunity to lower the carbon footprint of any...

Big thanks to Brian Hennessey for coming on to talk about commercial real estate (CRE) and how new technologies and disruptions in the industry may play out given recent world events. We discuss developing investment trends in the commercial office and mixed-use space as well as the idea of multi-family tenants viewing Environmental Sustainability as a building amenity.Brian Hennessey, SVP at Avison Young, is a CRE Broker specializing in Investment Sales. He is a 30+ year commercial real...

We kickoff Season 1 of our podcast series by walking you through how to approach a building through the lens of Sustainable Design, which differs greatly from the outdated building systems still being used today. The Integrative Process gives architects, builders and others in the industry the opportunity to use new methods, technology and innovation to save money, protect the environment, and avoid costly mistakes and miscommunication during design and construction. Hint: Green, sustainable...

The (unofficial) preamble to our brand new podcast on Sustainability in the built environment, this solocast episode looks at various definitions of sustainability and sets the stage for an ongoing discussion of how to encourage economic growth and development while lowering environmental impact.We strongly believe that collaboration is the key to inspiring future innovation in the Design/Build space. Come along and join us as we start the conversation.Show Notes: "Where Good Ideas Come From"...