As a part of Google’s Environment Day on April 25th, we invited architect, designer, thought leader, and author William McDonough to Google NYC for a talk on "Design as Optimism." Moderated by Mary Davidge. Design is the first signal of human intention. We are all designers because we all have intentions. What if our intention is to do good and make the world better because we are here? William McDonough shares real world examples of materials, products, buildings, communities, and economies that were designed in the search for good. About William McDonough William McDonough points the way toward “more good, rather than less bad” values and practices for businesses in all sectors at all scales—showing how a positive future of continuous improvement is possible now. He is an architect, a global leader in sustainable development, and serves on the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Future of Environment and Natural Resource Security. For more than 40 years, McDonough—through McDonough Innovation, William McDonough + Partners, Architects, and MBDC—has defined the principles of the sustainability movement. He is co-author of Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things (2002) and The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability—Designing for Abundance (2013). He also co-founded the not-for-profit Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute; and in 2012, he became the subject of Stanford University Libraries’ first “living archive.” McDonough has received the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development (1996), the first U.S. EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award (2003), and the National Design Award (2004). In January 2017, he was awarded the Fortune Award for Circular Economy Leadership at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting where he was hailed as “the father of the circular economy”. In 2009, he co-founded the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, to scale up the rigorous product certification program. Time magazine recognized him as a “Hero for the Planet,” noting: “His utopianism is grounded in a unified philosophy that—in demonstrable and practical ways—is changing the design of the world.”

Architect, scientist, and humanitarian Sergio Palleroni zooms out to remind us of the great imabalances that we as humans have created on our planet, and how through local, community-generated actions and most importantly, education and the implication of students in real projects, have the power to slowly but surely mend the fabric of socities, preserve indigenous communities and improve the living standards of every human being. Event organized by www.blog.arkinet.com in collaboration with www.Elisava.net.

Streamed live on February 28th 2017

Published on Nov 6, 2014

As the world grapples with what some have deemed “the age of urbanization,” affordable* housing has become a great concern. Dr. Joan Clos, executive director of UN-Habitat recommends that housing should be a big part and at the center of the urban planning and design conversation. He means by that, that housing should come back to the center of the urban strategy: urban planning, design, and urban strategy. Published on Mar 19, 2015

When I moved into the Old Town/Chinatown neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, I saw within a three block area many buildings, two within a block, with a "U" as in unsafe.  The neighborhood I am told has the highest concentration of  such buildings.  It is a sad situation for a City that prides itself on its built environment. (April 2014)

UPDATE: December 2014 presentation about Unreinforced Masonry Buildings (UMB) here.

At no time in Portland's history have so many citizens been affected by new architecture. New buildings --bold, beautiful, middling, or downright ugly-- are rising in every neighborhood of the city. The city has a process --Design Review-- to decide what buildings make the grade. But its most stringent oversight only applies to downtown and few other, innermost districts.

How does design review work? How well is it working? Should it be expanded to other parts of the city? Three prominent design advocates who have overseen the city's review during three distinct eras share their opinions about how to get the best buildings for the city. Panelists: Michael McCullouch, architect, urban designer and developer; Guenevere Millius, President of Parachute Strategies and chair of the Design Commission; John Russell, President of Russell Development Company. Randy Gragg, director of the University of Oregon's John Yeon Center, will moderate the program.Published on May 30, 2014

Alejandro Aravena: My architectural philosophy? Bring the community into the process.

Janine Benyus, Jason McLennan, and David McConville describe how our lives are related to nature and ecological design. These speeches (of which clips are shown) took place at the 2013 Bioneers Annual Conference. Published on Dec 9, 2013