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Image credit: mcCallumSatherThis exclusive interview with Dr. David Suzuki discusses mcCallumSathers upcoming event ahead of Earth Day called Building for a Living Planet: Exploring the Role of Architecture in a Sustainable World, which will be dedicated to sustainable architecture and honouring the legacy of mcCallumSathers co-founder, Joanne McCallum. The event will take place on April 17, 2025, at Sanford Hall in Westinghouse HQ, Hamilton, Ontario, and will feature a lineup of speakers and panelists, as well as a gathering in celebration of McCallum, who recently announced her plans to retire.The free in-person event is a learning session that aims to bring together industry leaders to explore the role of architecture in a sustainable world. As a firm dedicated to exploring sustainable design solutions, mcCallumSather is eager to share insights from their work and discuss how innovative architectural strategies can help mitigate climate challenges.The evenings keynote speaker will be Dr. DavidSuzuki, award-winning scientist and environmentalist. Hiskeynote presentation, Humanity at a Crossroads: Transformation or Extinction, will dive into the challenges and opportunities we face as a society.According to McCallum, attendees can expect the presentation by Dr. Suzuki to be insightful and passionate, adding that he never hesitates to share his deeply held beliefs on humanitys impact on the environment. McCallum anticipates a dynamic discussion on the intelligence architects bring to design, research, and construction, and the urgent need to transform procurement processes to prioritize sustainability, resilience, and regenerative design. McCallum, who notes that architects are uniquely positioned to lead sustainable design, said, Our profession is constantly engaged with working with a broad variety of participants, coordinating people, processes, and systems; giving us the expertise to drive change. Conversations will focus on designing for net-zero carbon, maximizing systems integration and energy efficiency, and embedding regenerative and circular design principles into our work. It is critical that we use our voicesnot just within our practices, but in communities and with policymakers, to influence urban planning and government policies. She adds, For decades, architects have championed designing with nature, yet outdated procurement processes that prioritize capital costs have marginalized our impact. This approach has negatively affected public health and well-being. We will discuss how sustainable designthrough responsible material choices, energy efficiency, life-cycle costing, and low-carbon constructionmust be foundational to creating livable communities.At the event on April 17, Dr. Suzukis keynote presentation will explore the urgent need for a shift in societal priorities. It will also highlight the intersection of environmental responsibility and the built environment. If its all about ways to be more efficientuse less materials, use more wood, less concrete, all things that should have been priorities long agoits too late. We are in overshoot. Over the past 50 years, the average size of a Canadian family has decreased by more than 50 per cent while the average size of houses has more than doubled, meaning each occupant of the house has four times as much space, said Dr. Suzuki about his upcoming presentation in an exclusive interview with Canadian Architect. Thats a problem right there. I think we need to see the world through biological lenses. We are animals with an absolute need for clean air, pure water, rich soil and food, energy from the sun and a wide web of plants, animals and microorganisms that create those sacred elements. Yet, we are driving species to extinction and using air, water and soil as garbage cans rather than treating them as sacred in all we do.Dr. Suzuki noted that human beings have become so numerous and demanding that we are driving our fellow creatures to extinction and degrading the life support systems of all life. My message is the one I give to any group and is driven by science, especially the work of Johan Rockstroms group who have defined nine planetary boundaries such as the pH of oceans, available freshwater, carbon in atmosphere, nitrogen cycle, etc. within which all life must obey to survive, said Dr. Suzuki. If any one boundary is exceeded, we would be in trouble, but Rockstrom shows we have passed six of the boundaries and are about to exceed another. We exceeded the boundary of ozone, and it is the only one that we have pulled back from the danger zone.According to Dr. Suzuki, Rockstrom claims we can turn back out of the danger zone we are in, but in order to do so, it must be done within five years. Looking at our record in responding to carbon in the atmosphere, we will not be able to make it in five years, so nature is going to set the bottom line, he said, adding that Ron Milos work shows all of human-made entities, from paper to cars to buildings, now weigh more than all the living organisms on the planet. Incremental changemore wood and less concrete for example is too little too late. We need transformational change in all human activity, and architecture is one. My message to architects is first to educate yourselves on Rockstroms work.Dr. Suzuki noted that we have surpassed the boundaries within which we can live sustainably. As a result, we face a very uncertain future. It is clear our institutions of governance are created on the illusion of human supremacy over the planet and the error of thinking the economy is the source of all we need. But, all of these systems leave out nature. It is suicidal, he said.Some additional topics that will be explored in Dr. Suzukis presentation include our impact on the environment, the necessity of rethinking societal priorities, and the importance of building a society that restores Earths sustainable productivity. I hope people will throw out our indicators of success, such as money and power, and think more deeply about our children because that was Gretas messagescience shows if we carry on as we are now, children will not have a future to look forward to. Already we know average life expectancy is dropping in the U.S. and will get way worse in the coming years, said Dr. Suzuki.The panel discussion on April 17 will also feature senior architect and sustainability expert John Peterson and global sustainability leader and net-zero carbon strategist Lisa Bate. The discussion will be moderated by Alex Lukachko, building science consultant and educator at the University of Toronto and the Climate Design Initiative. The evening will also include a 15-minute audience Q&A session, providing attendees with the opportunity to engage directly with the thought leaders.A highlight of the evening will be the presentation of the Joanne McCallum Sustainable Catalyst Award, a biennial award to recognize a mcCallumSather team member whose actions serve as a catalyst for sustainable change and carries forward McCallums dedication to sustainable leadership in all aspects of her work and life.For more information and to register for the event, click here.The post Exclusive interview with David Suzuki highlights mcCallumSathers upcoming sustainable architecture event appeared first on Canadian Architect.
