William F. Baker
Consulting Partner, SOM
The Climate Crisis is real. We must act quickly. The built environment is a major contributor to the Crisis. As some of the world’s leading designers, contractors, and educators, we can make a difference, but we cannot do it alone. To galvanize support, we recommend the following:
Recognizing that much of the world’s future growth will happen in underdeveloped areas, develop demonstration projects that can allow these regions to leap-frog the developed world to build a sustainable future.
Recognizing that much of the world’s current generation of CO2 comes from developed areas, develop demonstration projects that show these regions how to adapt to a sustainable future.
We pledge to work together and use our considerable collective influence with political, social, and philanthropic leaders to embrace design as one of the tools in addressing the Climate Crisis.
David Gerber
Global Research Leader, ARUP
Improve human health, safety, and wellbeing recognizing that this is intrinsically tied to the health of the planet and quality of the built environment.
Transition to a zero-carbon economy and a world where everyone has access to clean energy and potable water.
Adopt circular economy principles leading to decoupling of economic growth and consumption.
Enhance communities’ resilience to climate change and other risks.
Create social value that results in a more inclusive, equitable, and just society.
Respect planetary boundaries, and reverse the damage done to date.
Glen Rust
R&D Engineering Leader, Laing O’Rourke
It is refreshing that on the subject of our current climate emergency we are aligned, and it is my opinion that we are all obligated to use our various positions of influence to change the manner in which the built environment contributes, to prevent this becoming a climate catastrophe!
As educators, designers, and builders, we can have a positive contribution. Through research and development of new low and negative carbon building materials, the efficient use of materials and energy, and enabling the circular economy in the built environment, we can make a difference!
Yet we must not lose sight that excellent design does not just result in the physical manifestation of an idea. It should encompass not only shelter with neutral environmental impact, but encourage community connection and integration, promote wellbeing, equality, and social mobility, and provide aesthetic delight.
The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals should therefore underpin our work!
Mike Schlaich
Partner, Schlaich Bergermann Partner
The climate crisis is real and we must act quickly.
A key to addressing the problem in the building industry is lightweight and prefabricated construction which minimizes the use of materials and allows for easier recycling at end of life. Also, we must turn to renewable and clean energy for producing the material for our buildings and for operating them.
There is enough proven technology readily available that we need not wait any longer in any of our fields of activity. Already today we can build differently and harvest enough energy from the sun, from the deserts of our planet to make a change.
We as multipliers must demonstrate with our work that this is possible and we must actively spread the message in our offices, in schools and in politics to create the general awareness and further research that is still needed.
Matthias Schuler
Founder, Transsolar
Creating new architecture with zero carbon footprint through research and demonstration.
As leading building designers, architects, and engineers, teachers in this field and contractors, we see the big problem of human-caused climate change through our greenhouse gas emissions, 50% of which are caused by buildings today. Serving the additional 2.2 million people expected for 2050 with buildings of today in erection and operation would lead to a collapse of our climate system, aside of building material scarcity.
Action is very urgent today, after we discuss this problem since the “Limits of Growth” published in 1992 by the Club of Rome. If we miss the 1.5° increase target, even the EU talks officially about the possible extinction of humankind.
We need a zero-carbon society, with carbon neutral buildings in construction and operation, of which most technologies are available today but for higher costs. Even the best strategies will not solve the problem, it needs as well a different consumption of everything from food to land from mobility to living area.
We are willing to invest our know-how into carbon neutral demonstration projects to teach the world “it can be done,” and to teach the next generations how to solve the problems through these target projects. (This was the large success of Masdar City, that people realized it can be done, even when only a part was really done.)
