THE CLIMATE INTERVIEW SERIES

Towards a Sustainable Practice: an interview with Kate Bubriski, AIA by Gabriela Baierle, AIA

Kate Bubriski, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Fitwel Ambassador, is the Director of Sustainability and Building Performance at Arrowstreet in Boston.

She brings two decades of experience working to ensure the built environment simultaneously creates social, health, environmental, and economic benefits. Through her expertise in net zero, embodied carbon, integrated design, materials evaluation, and occupant engagement, she advises teams and leads the firm’s work towards meeting the AIA 2030 Commitment.

Kate currently serves on the AIA Design & Health Leadership Group and Boston Society for Architecture Membership Committee, as well as, participates on several local committees. She has also shared her expertise as a featured speaker at Greenbuild, Getting to Zero National Forum, New Buildings Institute, Boston College, Boston Society for Architecture, and Built Environment Plus.

Gabriela Baierla (GB): What influenced you to become an avid advocate for climate resiliency and sustainable building performance?

Kate Bubriski (KB): My interest was first fostered in college. I attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where sustainability was embedded in the curriculum. After I began working in the industry, I was surprised to find that sustainability was not commonplace in design practice. This motivated me to actively change that condition. Looking back, I also realize that it was my eco origin story, growing up in diverse environments from the Maine woods to the Hudson River Valley to New York City, that has shaped my work towards creating health and equity through the built environment. GB: Tell us some of the ways that you mentor emerging professionals at Arrowstreet (and beyond) to become stewards of the environment in the future.

KB: First, I ask what someone is passionate about. I suggest that they seek out organizations and attend networking events to ascertain what direction and focus they want their career to take to support this passion. It's important to have a plan but be open to changes along the way. I encourage mentees to take initiative and start acting on one thing right now. Educating oneself about the topics and areas of interest is key - this is especially true in sustainability, where information, technology, and techniques are all constantly emerging and improving.

GB: How can the College of Fellows contribute to the AIA’s Climate Action Initiative?

KB: think a key component to the success of mitigating climate change and creating a healthier more equitable world is to apply more focus on sustainability in architectural education at universities. This includes working with academic institutions to show a demand by firms for students with this expertise, as well as lending expertise as practitioners to teach concepts and skills.

GB: What is something you believe architects can do more of to ensure building and construction practices that are better for the environment?

KB: Create goals and verify that they are met. Create sustainability, resilience, wellness, and equity goals for every project with all stakeholders and communities and ensure each design decision supports the goals. It is critical to follow up design with construction commissioning and post occupancy evaluations to verify that the design is actually meeting the goals in operation. 31