Sustainability Milestones LIVE: Circularity in the Built Environment

Welcome back to Architecture 5 10 20! I’m your host, Guy Geier, Managing Partner of FXCollaborative Architects in New York. My guests for this podcast are pioneers and visionaries shaping the future of the built environment across various disciplines. Join me in exploring their remarkable journeys, discovering how they reach their current heights, and envisioning what lies ahead in the next 5, 10, and 20 years.

Join me for this special episode as I have a great conversation with Avi Rajagopal, editor-in-chief of Metropolis magazine and host of the Deep Green podcast, to discuss connections between sustainability and design. Recorded at FX Collaborative’s Brooklyn office during Green April, our conversation touches upon how sustainability has evolved in the built environment and how media plays an important part in pushing the conversation forward.

Avi, whose career has been shaped by his commitment to sustainable design, shares his journey from product design to leading sustainability projects at Metropolis, and we talk about some of the challenges facing the architecture and design industries such as the carbon emissions tied to interior design and the importance of thinking about materials as long-term investments. Avi provides some insights into how we can shift our mindset to reduce waste and adopt a more circular approach to design.

Avi also goes into how design practices differ across sectors, from corporate offices to healthcare facilities, and how we can rethink how buildings change over time. We discuss the role of reuse in sustainability and the shifts that we are going to need to actually elevate this practice. Focusing on practical and actionable steps, we consider how designers can model circularity, from reusing materials to rethinking aesthetic choices. Avi even answers a few questions from a few of my FXCollaborative colleagues here in the studio with me!

This episode of the show is full of forward-thinking ideas on how we can design better, more sustainable spaces, so whether you are an architect, a designer, and/or a sustainability advocate, this conversation offers valuable insights from Avi that will surely challenge and inspire!

Time stamps:
[02:34] - Avi reflects on how his interest in sustainability developed over time, from design studies to Metropolis' focus on it.
[05:59] - The media connects architecture to the public, advancing professional conversations around sustainability.
[08:08] - Avi reveals that Metropolis has explored how interior design contributes to carbon emissions.
[11:03] - Focusing on building life-cycle emissions led to creating the Climate Toolkit for Interior Design to reduce waste.
[13:33] - Proposals for circularity in design have led to ideas for new professions and assessing the quality of reused materials.
[15:03] - Avi argues that avoiding new materials is the best way to reduce rising carbon emissions.
[17:54] - Aesthetics and sustainability are not inherently linked, and global practices embrace broader, more sustainable design values.
[20:29] - Avi explains how different building types age uniquely, which requires customized strategies and approaches.
[22:58] - As an optimist, Avi points out how retrofits, natural materials, and holistic thinking suggest a shift in sustainable practices.
[25:04] - FXCollaborative’s work highlights how urban design increasingly considers the impact on all life on Earth, not just humans.
[27:21] - Adaptive reuse, Avi asserts, should prioritize flexibility and longevity, not just destroying and rebuilding existing structures.
[30:51] - Can reuse alone satisfy future infrastructure and housing needs?
[31:53] - It's important for new construction to be assessed for whether it serves the public good.
[34:39] - Rethinking building use and shared responsibility is important for maximizing environmental and social value.
[37:20] - FXCollaborative draws ongoing inspiration from Avi's vision for a circular, sustainable architectural future!

Links / Resources:
Guy Geier
Instagram | Twitter
Avinash Rajagopal on Instagram
Metropolis
Climate Toolkit for Interior Design
Deep Green
Ezra Klein - Abundance