Building Green

What if the version of sustainable architecture we talk about isn't the version we actually build? After 80 conversations with architects, engineers, scientists, and urbanists, I revisited the eight moments I haven't been able to stop thinking about. These are the conversations that challenged assumptions, exposed uncomfortable truths, and changed how I think about sustainability, design,...

Are architects massively underestimating their value?  Jake Rudin, co-founder of Out of Architecture, explains why architects are capable of “almost anything” - yet so many end up trapped in careers that leave them financially and emotionally drained.  From being an architect, then working at Adidas to helping 12,000+ architects rethink their future, Jake shares the biggest career mistakes archite...

What happens when you try to turn a 100-year-old home into a high-performance, sustainable space - without touching the exterior? Many of our cities are filled with buildings that are over a hundred years old. The question is no longer whether we keep them - but how we make them work for the future. Jenny Peysin, is an architect in New York who specializes in renovating historic homes while bringi...

What if surfboard waste could actually become the construction blocks of the homes we live in? David Sellers didn’t always believe climate change would be something he’d feel in his own lifetime. As an architect in Hawaii, he’d spent years thinking about sustainability as a future problem… Until one moment changed everything. Standing in the ashes of Lahaina after the fires - David realized someth...

What if the only thing holding you back is… not being visible? In this episode, Maria shares how she went from a student with “not enough knowledge” to building a platform, interviewing real architects, and getting opportunities just by putting her work out there. She talks about why “visibility matters,” how to learn faster by asking questions, and why sustainable architecture should start with r...

Why do great designs fail - even when everything is done right? Ariane Laxo, Director of Sustainability at HGA Architects & Engineers, has seen it firsthand: “people take their own customization into a space,” often reshaping even the most well-intended designs. In this conversation, she reveals why sustainability isn’t just about better materials or technology - but about behavior, trust, and...

What if the most “sustainable” building is still harming the planet?  Bryn Davidson has spent the last two decades trying to make buildings better for people and the planet — not just through design, but through the boring-but-powerful stuff most architects avoid: policy, zoning, and building codes. He explains why a “green” building can still be a climate disaster, talks about the idea of the “ca...

How do you go from being rejected by Greenpeace to interviewing the Vice President of the United States? Isaias Hernandez is an environmental influencer who’s built a huge platform by making climate topics feel human, clear, and actually worth paying attention to. You’ll hear how he went from finishing his environmental science degree and landing in the corporate world, to creating his own online...

Today’s guest is Ross O’Ceallaigh, and he’s here to ruin the idea that a green city is automatically a good one. In this episode, you’ll hear why perfectly cut grass can be bad for nature, why some cities accidentally kill biodiversity while trying to “save the planet,” and how letting places get a bit messier can actually make cities cooler, healthier, and safer during heatwaves and floods. Ross...

What if our buildings could survive earthquakes, floods, and climate change by learning from nature? Dr. Eugene Tssui explains why modern buildings are failing - and how studying creatures like the nearly indestructible tardigrade can lead to safer, stronger, and cleaner architecture.  This episode challenges everything you think you know about concrete, glass, and the future of design. To explore...

What if the future of building isn’t cutting forests down - but harvesting a plant that grows back every year? Jennifer Snyders, CEO of House of Bamboo and President of the Bamboo Society of Australia, shares why bamboo is an agricultural crop, (not like timber), how it regenerates itself, and why she believes sustainability only works when materials are beautiful and desirable. We talk about myth...

Winka is the kind of architect who doesn’t just think in buildings—she thinks in systems, processes, performance, and the future.  Trained in the Netherlands, and now leading the architecture studio Archi-Tectonics in the US, she’s spent three decades proving that design and sustainability aren’t separate disciplines—they're inseparable. From the sponge city masterplan for the Asian Games in C...

Markus Roselieb is a doctor-turned-architect who traded bones for bamboo - and has since built some of the most jaw-dropping natural structures.  Based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, he creates buildings that go above their function: they connect to the heart. What started as a favor to his wife when she asked him to “build her a school”, has become a revolution in sustainable architecture, blending bea...

If we’re not trying to find the heart and soul of this project, then who will? After two decades as a sustainable architect in New York, Lucas Posada stepped out of traditional practice to co-lead the New York office of Bloom, one of the world’s leading architectural visualization studios. Today, Lucas helps tell the story of architecture—not by explaining it, but by making you feel it. He’s worke...

Mikael Colville-Andersen planted trees and built entire parks  in the middle of a missile zone… and hundreds of people showed up to help him. Mikael is a Danish urban designer who’s spent the last three years doing something almost unthinkable—building community spaces in the middle of a war zone.  In Kyiv, Ukraine, he turned an empty, concrete square into what became the world’s largest tactical...

Most buildings are heating water no one’s using and you’re paying for it.  Somehow in 2025, we’re still designing bathrooms like it’s 1960 - why? If you’re a developer or an architect, you’ve probably had this thought:  Why are we doing the same complicated work on every project, especially for something like bathrooms?  In this episode, we look at how bathrooms have quietly become one of the bigg...

Is it possible to create luxury that doesn't cost the Earth - literally? In this episode, we walk through a home that does exactly that - it’s designed in harmony with the jungle. We dive into the architecture of calm: cross-ventilation, thermal mass, native materials, and a wastewater system inspired by mangroves. But more than that, this is a tour of how deep care shows up in the tiniest det...

You know how some people build just houses - and others build entire worlds? My guest today, Armando Uribe, is the kind of person who looked at the real estate game, the flashy renders, the numbers, the concrete - and said, this makes no sense. So he left it all behind, studied sustainable design in Australia, wandered through the world, and eventually landed here - in the jungle of Tulum - to com...

Can small architecture firms thrive without burning out? Helen Billson spent 15 years at OMA before shifting her focus to helping smaller studios build stronger businesses. From landing projects without a big portfolio to staying profitable without overworking, she shares the mindset shifts that help firms grow with clarity and purpose. Discover the power of listening, trust-building, and choosing...

What if the secret to sustainable architecture isn’t technology, but beauty? Architect Sandro Valentino reveals his “three clients” philosophy, the mistakes people make when moving into old buildings, and why Malta’s preeminent architect Richard England says “people know the price of everything, but the value of nothing.” From dismantling stone “block by block” to fighting beauty fatigue, this epi...

Swiss architect Jachen Schleich shares how he’s adapting Minergie - Switzerland’s leading green building standard - for Latin America, why most timber buildings in Mexico still rely on imported wood, and what it will take to create a truly local timber industry.  From ancient chinampas inspiring his Venice Biennale installation to banks unexpectedly driving sustainable construction, this episode i...

What if luxury meant living with nature, not apart from it? If you're an architecture lover or you love traveling, and you’ve ever scrolled through one of the big architecture magazines, I’m sure you’ve seen the image of those incredible bamboo treehouses at Playa Viva in Mexico: iconic, elevated, and completely immersed in nature. Well, our guest today, David Leventhal, is one of the visionar...

Celebrity makeup artist Liz Olivier reveals how beauty became one of the world’s most wasteful industries - and what needs to change. From seaweed packaging to circular design, she shares smart, surprising ways to clean up beauty without losing the glamour. To explore more about Liz Olivier and her work, you can follow her on Instagram or visit her store where you can buy everything sustainable, c...

What if the most sustainable building is also the most beautiful one? New Zealand architect Andrew Patterson shares how ancient villages, earthquake rubble, and cliffside cottages have shaped his belief that buildings should belong to the land. He explains why true sustainability starts with beauty - and how architecture can help us feel at home on the planet. To explore more about Andrew Patterso...

What can trees teach us about better buildings and better cities? In this episode, structural engineer Justin Dan Herder shares why “hyper-optimized” buildings aren’t always the smartest choice, and why saving old structures can often be the most sustainable move. He explains how mass timber can add life to old buildings - but also why it’s not always the right answer. We hear stories from Justin’...