Alex Co: Where do you live and what do you do?

Pauline Souza: I live in Oakland. I am a partner and the director of sustainability at WRNS Studio, an architectural/planning firm with offices in San Francisco, New York, Hawaii and Seattle, with a diverse portfolio of  sustainable design. Much of my career has been focused on creating healthy, resource-efficient spaces that inspire the next generation. I have been fortunate to work as a USGBC’s Green Schools Co-Chair, working to advocate for the health and vitality of our communities. As a Sustainability Consultant for the Hawaii Department of Education, I push for healthy approaches to our schools. I am grateful to all the expertise and talent in the community that has made this possible, as it is always a community effort to advocate for beauty and sustainability in our built environments and in our communities.

AC: What are you most excited about for this year’s Living Product Expo?

PS: I’m excited to be part of the broader conversation to bring healthy materials into our buildings, and am eager to learn what other firms are doing to push for healthy, beautiful spaces. We’re all in this together and hearing firsthand how others are pushing for transparency and community health is key to sustaining this “healthy products for all” movement.

AC: In your own words, can you give us a taste of the ideas you’re going to bring to the Expo about healthy buildings and products?

PS: We’re presenting our recently completed Sonoma Academy’s Janet Durgin Guild & Commons project alongside Bohlin Cywinski Jackson’s Waldorf School of Pittsburgh — showcasing that healthy material selection and sustainable practices can be employed in any project, regardless of size, scope, or location. Presenters include Patrica Culley and Chris Klehm for Waldorf, and myself and Courtney Lorenz for Sonoma Academy.

Although we’re gaining better understanding of what makes-up our typical building materials, we aren’t always clear about what we are building with. Because of this, we’re going to walk attendees through our journeys in pursuing the LBC’s Material Petal, illustrating how each project pushed for transparency, sustainable products and systems, and avoided harmful chemicals. We will show a variety of tools and approaches, and share our experiences in an effort to keep up the momentum toward a healthier material pool of products.

AC: In your opinion, what needs to happen to move designers and the materials industry toward healthier products?

PS: Changing how we select materials and engage owners and the building industry is essential to community health. Changing minds isn’t easy. Changing habits is even harder. However, through our collective community and through sharing our journey and lessons learned along the way, we can change habits and empower individuals to help us select, make, and create with healthier materials. Knowledge sharing and pushing our own industries to adopt healthier products and materials will push this movement forward.

AC: If you’ve been to the Living Product Expo before, what’s your favorite thing about the conference?

PS: The collaborative spirit of the conference and the willingness of the participants to share their triumphs and let downs with their projects.

AC: What’s the most exciting thing that has happened to you over the past couple of years?

PS: Over the past few years, I’ve been fortunate to work on two statewide green initiatives which reenergized my commitment to this movement. I worked with California’s Division of the State Architect’s 7x7x7 initiative to help reduce energy and water usage for 10,000 existing K-12 public schools and am working with the Hawaii State Department of Education to green all 256 existing campuses. Collaborating on projects of this scale has informed decisions on other client projects, allowing WRNS to make an impact across sectors. It’s invigorating to work in tandem with the industry, to fine tune key learnings and strategies, and to apply them to subsequent projects.

The Living Product Expo is this September 11 – 13, 2018, in Pittsburgh. To learn more about the Expo, Pauline’s session, and more, visit our website here: productexpo.living-future.org

Alex Co: What is your role in your organization and in Pittsburgh?

Mike Gwin: As a principal and the director of design within our firm, Rothschild Doyno Collaborative, I work to foster an innovative and collaborative design process demonstrating and integrating sustainable design principles in our design process. I am also the current AIA Pittsburgh chapter president working to further the design profession’s value to society in our region. In both roles, I continually advocate for a more sustainable environment for all to live in. With the AIA, I have advocated to legislators on the importance of sustainability and resilience in the built environment. Through practice, I have continued to demonstrate this through design excellence. This work leads by example in our region including; an AIA National Honor Award for a self-sustaining off the grid community center and participating on the design team for two past AIA Committee on the Environment “Top 10” projects, both completed here in the Pittsburgh region.

AC: Where do you think we should be focusing as a sustainable Pittsburgh region in 2018?

MG: An area to focus on is finding ways to make the identified goals in the Living Building Challenge more accessible to a broader group. Finding ways that integrate the qualitative aspects of creating healthy living environments for all in our region expands the conversation from creating great buildings to building great communities.

I see a large opportunity to relate the Pittsburgh Living Product Hub Initiative to workforce and product development efforts in terms of both the commercial building product industry and the local maker energy that exists here in Pittsburgh. In this opportunity, design professionals can be a valuable connector between the building product and fabricator industries and the built environment. Through this active role we can create a “flywheel” effect through the integration of healthy building materials and methods. This works on multiple levels to create a more sustainable Pittsburgh including economic impact and cultural continuity of a strong heritage of craft and making in our region.

At the same time, we share global priorities of air and water quality that continue to be challenges in our region and are essential to a sustainable and resilient Pittsburgh and beyond.

AC: What are you most excited about at this year’s Living Product Expo?

MG: The gathering of people sharing their example stories that advance how we can transform the building product industry to improve the health and wellbeing for all through a better built environment. I am particularly interested in learning and engaging in conversation that advances how healthier building products can be made accessible to all.

AC: What’s the most exciting thing that has happened to you in the past few years?

MG: There are many things to be excited about over the past few years, from my youngest son making a play on the Little League field to reimagining the Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park, which will be pursuing the Living Building Challenge here in Pittsburgh.

In between those, I completed the design and construction of our new home that demonstrates a strong connection between the exterior and the interior environments. Creating places that heighten our awareness of the outside environment and connection to natural systems has a positive effect on our wellbeing! I hope to bring this experience to many others.

The Living Product Expo is this September 11 – 13, 2018, in Pittsburgh. To learn more about the Expo, visit our website here: productexpo.living-future.org

Alex Co: What is your role in your organization and in Pittsburgh?

Patty Culley: I am a senior associate with Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, an award-winning national architecture firm that excels in celebrating the spirit of place. Through my volunteer efforts with the Education Committee at the AIA Pittsburgh and as a Facilitator for the Pittsburgh Living Future Collaborative, I help to advance Pittsburgh to the forefront of sustainable design.

AC: What are you most excited about at this year’s Living Product Expo?

PC: I am most excited about the brilliant and diverse group of keynote speakers selected for this year’s Expo. Each one will bring their own unique experiences and vision that, as a whole, will no doubt be quite impactful.

AC: Can you give us a taste of what you’ll be talking about in your session at the Expo?

PC: I am excited to be presenting, along with Pauline Souza, Chris Klehm, and Courtney Lorenz, two schools of varying scale, Sonoma Academy and Waldorf School of Pittsburgh, both of which are currently pursuing the Materials Petal of the Living Building Challenge. The presentation will represent perspectives from both design and construction, of what is necessary to tackle the challenges and reap the benefits of materials transparency.

AC: Where do you think we should be focusing as a sustainable Pittsburgh region in 2018?

PC: Stormwater management is one of the most important and difficult challenges facing the Pittsburgh region today. With an overburdened and antiquated City sewer system, combined sewer overflow threatens the health of our water. The 2016 City-Wide Green First Plan addressed this challenge, yet it requires considerable resources to implement and oversee. Tackling this issue successfully will require enormous effort and thoughtful collaborations.

AC: If you’ve been to the Living Product Expo before, what’s your favorite thing about the conference?

PC: The Living Product Expo convenes the most innovative minds within product design and manufacturing and makes them accessible to an audience motivated to enact change.

AC: What’s the most exciting thing that has happened to you in the past few years?

PC: This year has brought the long-awaited certification of the Frick Environmental Center as a Living Building, and the start of a new LBC project for the Waldorf School of Pittsburgh pursuing Petal Certification. The enthusiasm with which Pittsburgh has embraced the highest standard of building performance should be a model for all cities.

Alex Co: What is your role in your organization and in Pittsburgh?

Adam Kenney: I’m the Director of the Monmade trade group at Bridgeway Capital, where we identify growth opportunities for regional “producers” (mostly artisans and designers). The Monmade and Bridgeway teams provide them with greater access to capital, guidance, markets, peers, space, and workforce. By empowering producers, we create a vibrant craft manufacturing ecosystem that revitalizes the Pittsburgh region’s disinvested areas and produces quality jobs.

AC: What are you most excited about at this year’s Living Product Expo?

AK: I was there last year and am excited to bring back our Monmade initiative in a bigger and better way. The trade show is a prime opportunity for our producers to connect to potential clients and stay on the forefront of green building opportunities locally and beyond.

AC: Can you give us a taste of what you’ll be talking about in your session at the Expo?

AK: As a group, we’ll be exploring the unique challenges for small producers looking to enter the green building and architectural projects sector. The Declare process represented a reasonable way to accomplish this, so I hope to share some insights from the producers’ perspective and inspire others in the audience to take up the challenge. We want other design-focused small manufactures to understand that the work that goes into it can yield positive results.

AC: Where do you think we should be focusing as a sustainable Pittsburgh region in 2018?

AK: I think adding the regional production dimension to green building products is a step in the right direction. It enables development projects to result in sustainable buildings, while boosting their economic impact for a greater number of small business.

AC: What’s the most exciting thing that has happened to you in the past few years?

AK: Well, as far as the past few years, I would say the development of Monmade in general still feels pretty fresh. We hit our first year in May, and remain excited and grateful for the momentum. With over 60 producers on the platform working together and receiving support, we see a small but important sector of the regional economy take shape and having impact. Our work with the Living Product Hub deepens that potential.

The Living Product Expo is this September 11 – 13, 2018, in Pittsburgh. To learn more about the Expo, Adam’s session, and more, visit our website here: productexpo.living-future.org

The 2017 Living Product Expo in Pittsburgh, PA, convened passionate advocates for healthy and sustainable materials for the third year in a row. A new feature of this year’s event was the “Rethink the Materials Paradigm” pitch competition for early-stage and emerging designers, as well as organizations of all sizes. Contestants presented to conference attendees and a panel of judges their innovative approaches to materials and manufacturing; the panel consisted of influential members of Pittsburgh’s entrepreneurial accelerator community:

• Matthew Barron, Program Officer, Sustainability, The Heinz Endowments
• Jay Douglass, COO, Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute (ARM)
• Jeffrey McDaniel, Executive-in-Residence, Innovation Works
• Connie Palucka, Managing Director, Regional Initiatives, Catalyst Connection

The judges looked for key components of a successful entrepreneurial pitch:

• The Need: Is there a legitimate need that is currently unfulfilled that the pitch addresses? What is its relevance to building towards a living future?
• The Solution: How effective is the solution to address that need? Is it compelling, original, logical and visionary?
• The Potential for Change:How feasible is the idea? Economically? Technology-wise? How can it be scaled up? How can it inspire others?
• The Style: Tom Robbins said it well: “The mere presence of content is not enough. It is style that gives content the capacity to absorb us, to move us. It is style that makes us care.” Here, the judges looked for powerful imagery, effectiveness of information design on slides, and the presenter’s eloquence and enthusiasm.

Three innovative pitches from passionate materials advocates attempted to address all of this in under 10 minutes. Michael Simpson, Division Manager at City of Los Angeles, LA Sanitation, presented “No time for waste: recycling waste streams for temporary housing,” an idea to process LA Sanitation’s collected waste and water to create materials for tiny homes that could serve as temporary housing for the city’s homeless population, as well as disaster relief housing during natural disasters. Ashley Mariani from PittMoss, a Pittsburgh-area based manufacturer, shared “Disrupting Dirt: A Gardening Revolution”, that featured PittMoss’ growing substrate made from recycled fibers that outperforms conventional peat moss and prevents further depletion of carbon-rich peatlands, which is an increasing contributor to global climate change. Avoiding the destruction of peatlands made another appearance at this year’s Expo, in opening keynote Paul Hawken’s manifesto Project Drawdown as the #13 best solution to drawing down carbon emissions.

The trusses at the Festival Foods Grocery Store in Madison, WI. The store includes almost 40 tons of urban ash trees that were harvested during the City of Madison’s ongoing campaign against the invasive Emerald Ash Borer. Photo courtesy of WholeTrees

The judges praised all of the pitches highly for fully embodying the competition criteria, but they ultimately named “Why Trees are Stronger than Wood” by Michaela Harms from WholeTrees Structures as the competition winner. The Wisconsin-based company forms a critical supply chain link between healthy forest management and high-value, sustainable construction markets through their extensive research and use of the superior strength of round timbers for structural systems.

Currently, a vast majority of our woodlands are undermanaged, requiring culling to restore and revitalize their health. Unfortunately, due to suppressed pulp prices, these cull trees are losing value, reducing incentives to implement management practices. This increases forest fire risk, disease and redevelopment, and leaves an identified high-value building component underutilized. WholeTrees’ ability to create elegant biophilic solutions to structural integrity issues in construction while generating economic, environmental and community benefits for State and National forests and communities received high praise from the judges.

Michaela Harms, as both the Research + Development Programs Manager and Engineer at WholeTrees Structures, showed her passion and vision for her work both on and off stage throughout the Expo. She communicated how WholeTrees products promote wellness for the public through healthier buildings, provide strength comparable to other structural systems while restoring woodlands, and reconnect built space with the inspiration of the natural environment. Recalling her education in Sustainable Building Engineering in Finland as inspiration for her passion for natural building, Harms continues to find avenues for expansion for WholeTrees’ products and services, including a Red List Free Declare label from ILFI.

WholeTrees teamed up with Vermont solar installer SunCommon to create round timber solar carports at Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea Co. Photo courtesy of WholeTrees

“WholeTrees loves being a part of the events and conferences hosted by the ILFI. Their events attract thought leaders and authentic innovators that challenge our perspectives and keep us inspired to stay on the cutting edge of holistic sustainability. Each event sends us home full of excitement and motivation to continue our nature-based mission by directly linking us to clients and colleagues that support beneficial change in business to support environment and community,” Harms said.

As another key Drawdown solution that both sequesters carbon and avoids emissions resulting from cement and steel production, WholeTrees’ structural components captured attendees’ imagination at the Expo. ILFI is proud to award Michaela Harms and WholeTrees with its Pitch Competition Award and continue on our journey to Living Product Challenge certification for WholeTrees Structural Components.