The big picture for green building in 2020 is complex. Three pieces of the puzzle are addressed in these expert commentaries curated from across more than two dozen industry publications.
Creative Deconstruction
Architect and structural engineer, Joël Onorato, examines how circular economy’s focus on value could reshape the built environment. When buildings are designed for disassembly, he says each stakeholder—from owners to occupants to product manufacturers—will want to capture and retain the value of materials and components. Reuse, remanufacturing or recycling will no longer be a moral choice, but rather an economic imperative. But the framework is not without its flaws: “Circulating things and designing them to circulate does not directly address the reduction of their footprint or their regenerative capacity,” he writes.
In Design Intelligence, 1900 words
Stop Going Round in Circles About the Circular Economy
Shallow Bench of Pros
The “moonshot” goals increasingly set by corporations, cities and universities are too difficult for the quality (on average) of professionals tasked with achieving them. That’s the alarm Daniel Kreeger and Jeff Yorkzyk raised in advance of the first Global Congress for Climate Change & Sustainability Professionals. They highlight revealing data and perspectives on what’s required to level-up leadership in the field. “We need informed, competent — and agile — climate and sustainability professionals that can drive positive forward traction and lead the ‘unprecedented transformation’ that is critically important in the next 10 years,” they write.
In GreenBiz, 1350 words
Why Climate and Sustainability Professionals Need to Take the Next Step in Our Evolution
License to Mod
Modular construction and its inherent sustainability benefits are becoming more prevalent. McKinsey suggests the new-build market for modular could grow to $130 billion in the U.S. and Europe. But the pace of adoption is slowed by legal hurdles. Attorney Eric J. Meier of Husch Blackwell LLP in Milwaukee writes that building codes, insurance agreements and legal contracts have been slow to adopt modular-specific language. “While much of the project procurement process can remain the same, a well-done modular project must embrace and acknowledge the differences and include a framework that allows for shared success,” he writes.
In Construction Executive
The Modular Construction Train Is Picking Up Steam
Bad Reputation
Some people cringe when they hear the term “thought leadership.” To them it’s just another marketing buzzword without any real meaning or usefulness. But I disagree.
From New Growth
What Web Marketers Have Wrong About Thought Leadership
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Until next month,
Bart King
