Sustainability isn’t a job title. It’s a way of practising.

From early lessons in solar living, discover how Kristi is redefining sustainability in design and preparing for LEED v5.

Kristi, Sustainability Manager for North America and Architecture Project Manager, on growing up in a solar pioneer’s house, the project she’s most proud of, and what LEED v5 is going to demand of all of us.

Kristi’s understanding of sustainable design started before she had a name for it.

I grew up in an environmentally progressive house designed by my father who was a solar pioneer, she says. The desert Southwest, with its long sightlines and unforgiving sun, was her first teacher. Conservation of resources wasn’t an idea she encountered later. It was the default.

Thirty years on, Kristi works out of Denver, Colorado, as part of the Buildings & Places technical group at AtkinsRéalis. She holds two roles. As an architecture project manager, she leads new construction and renovation projects across the US and Canada. As Sustainability Manager for North America, she provides technical guidance on every building project in the region with a sustainability component, mentors staff working toward accreditation, and liaises with platforms including the US Green Building Council and Austin Energy Green Building.

The dual role isn’t accidental. It reflects how Kristi thinks the work should be done.

Sustainability should be the driving force behind every project, influencing every decision the design team makes, she says. There is a disconnect between the academic dogma and professional practice that enables a chasm to develop. By providing technical expertise at the project level and demonstrating to our clients that we take sustainability seriously, we can help bring the conversation to the forefront.

A project that proves the point

Ask Kristi for an example of what that looks like in practice, and she’ll point to the Colorado National Guard 100th Missile Defense Brigade Readiness Center in Colorado Springs.

The project is new construction on a previously developed site, a deliberate choice that reduces pressure on undeveloped land. The building has been oriented to capture natural light and frame views of the surrounding sky, water and vegetation, on the basis that proximity to nature improves the wellbeing of the people inside. Landscaping uses only native and adaptive plants, cutting potable water consumption.

The most distinctive feature is the geothermal heating and cooling system, which will reduce both operational costs and the global warming potential of the supporting HVAC over the building’s lifetime. Construction is nearing completion, and the project is on target to receive LEED Silver certification under v4/v4.1.

It’s the kind of project that doesn’t make headlines but quietly reshapes what a building can be for the people using it, and for the climate around it.

What LEED v5 is going to ask of us

Looking ahead, Kristi is energized by the imminent rollout of LEED v5, the next major version of the certification system that has shaped sustainable building for over two decades.

Version 5 is more robust and stringent, more tightly integrated with the building code, and takes greater consideration of the role of the user and occupant, she says. It focuses on a low‑carbon future through decarbonisation, quality of life and ecological conservation.

The shift will require design teams to collaborate at a deeper level than ever before. It will demand a responsive, data‑driven design approach to prove the design is as progressive as possible. This is an exciting and challenging transition.

For Kristi, this is the future of the profession and the reason she’s actively looking to grow her team.

Beyond the walls of the office

What’s clear talking to Kristi is that sustainability isn’t a brief she picks up at her desk and puts down at the end of the day. Native and adaptive plants in her garden. Alternative transport over the car. Windows open before the air conditioning goes on. The principles she applies to a federal building in Colorado Springs are the same ones she applies at home.
Sustainability and green design go beyond the walls of the office. It is a shift to daily life and practice.

Working with Kristi

After ten years at AtkinsRéalis, Kristi has progressed from architectural staff to design manager, project manager and Sustainability Manager. She’s emphatic about wanting more people on her team, particularly those serious about sustainability accreditation.

Please do, she says, when asked what she’d tell someone thinking about joining. I am always looking for people interested in sustainability. The Buildings & Places group is a US GBC Gold member; we have a lot of resources for staff to take advantage of. Most importantly, I am looking for people that are serious about sustainability and want to utilise their accreditation.

If that’s you, get in touch. 

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