EP 84 Rethinking Building Design

Molly Jones is a seasoned architect with over 30 years of experience and founder of Jones Design Studio. Based in Arkansas, Molly has dedicated her career to sustainable architecture and design-build methodologies, helping reshape the way projects are delivered and executed.   She shares her personal journey—how a pivotal moment early in her career led her to sustainability, the challenges she faced, and how she carved out her niche in the industry. We also explore the intersection of design-build with sustainability, resilience in the built environment, and the evolving role of technology like digital twins in construction. Join us for an insightful conversation about innovation, sustainability, and the future of architecture.

Dr. Carolina Montana-Owen, Technical Lead for Sustainable Buildings at the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), joins the Think.Future podcast to discuss key highlights from COP 29, provide an update on the Buildings Breakthrough Initiative and progress in the circular economy of buildings.  Listen in as Carolina shares the new bold on buildings strategy for 2025, challenging the sector to transform the future of buildings.

Dr Matthias Irger, Head of Sustainability, COX Architecture, is an experienced architect, urban designer and academic specialising in regenerative design, holistic city planning and climate adaptation. Matthias graduated in Architecture at the Bremen University of Applied Sciences in Germany and holds a PhD in Sustainable Urbanism from the University of New South Wales, Sydney. He is also a Senior Research Fellow and Industry Adviser at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). As the Head of Sustainability at COX Architecture, Matthias oversees the practice’s sustainable design and planning agenda. He returns to the Think.Future podcast to share some award-winning examples and describes what it means to rethink building design for a sustainable future.

Philiip Lund-Nielsen Co-Founder and Head of Americas for COBOD is a global leader in construction 3D Printers. He joins the Think.Future podcast to tell us about how this technology is evolving by using innovation combined with open-source materials with the potential to address environmental, economic, and social sustainability challenges.

 Malin Lindblad is the Principal Sustainability Consultant at Anthesis in Sweden. With a passion for sustainability, Malin’s strength lies in supporting clients and stakeholders to ensure  sustainability solutions align with and challenge their ultimate goals. Prior to working at Anthesis she held positions as a Technical Director at Mott MacDonald and a Senior Mechanical and ESD Engineer and Associate at ARUP in Australia. She has extensive experience in building and precinct design and delivery across a range of market sectors. Through her work, Malin continuously uses her technical background in combination with her project delivery experience to get the best project outcome. She joins the Think.Future podcast to share her reflections on differences in the applications of systems at scale and where the roles of stakeholders involved in scaling systems can vary. 

 Dr. Anneloes Smitsman is the Founder and CEO of EARTHwise Centre and EARTHwise Ventures, where she leads initiatives for systemic transformation, sustainable development, and governance innovation. She is the lead author of the EARTHwise Constitution for a Planetary Civilization and the Participatory Framework for a Global AGI Constitution and is an award-winning futurist, systems scientist, and bestselling author.   Anneloes holds a master’s degree in law and Judicial Political Sciences from Leiden University, the Netherlands, and received a doctorate degree from the Maastricht Sustainability Institute at the School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Her Ph.D. dissertation Into the Heart of Systems Change, is being implemented worldwide for systemic transformation in economics, education, politics, and governance through her proposed Transition Plan for a Thrivable Civilization. Her leadership is sought after around the world for making the great transformation feasible. Anneloes is the creator of the Elowyn: Quest of Time game and joins the Think.Future podcast to talk about the potential for positive impact, transformation, and future possibilities through the exploration of artificial sentience and creativity.

 Associate Professor Henrik Ny from Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) is an accomplished researcher and is committed to accelerating a transition to sustainable transport and energy systems. Henrik runs the SustainTrans research team at the Department of Strategic Sustainable Development at BTH and is the Chair of the MagLev2024 Conference held in the South of Sweden from 18 to 21 September.  He joins the Think.Future podcast to tell us about the potential of magnetic levitation as a viable sustainable option for local city and regional rail transport.  

Tica Masuku is the Director of Workplace Strategy at Spaceful and is a highly experienced Human Geographer. Tica joins the Think.Future podcast to offer a fresh perspective on the world of work and the interrelationship between people and place. Join us to explore Tica's expert insight into how a blend of workplace strategy, topophilia, and the right use of technology will set you up for a sustainable future. 

Ryan Colker, Executive Director of the Alliance for National & Community Resilience (ANCR) and Vice President for Innovation for the International Code Council (ICC) was our very first guest on the Think.Future podcast!  Ryan has spent his career looking for opportunities to influence and improve society and has a passion and mission to improve the built environment for communities and people. Through policy and education, Ryan continues to drive progress across the building, construction, and manufacturing industries to create great places and spaces with sustainability and resilience in mind. Today, Ryan updates us on Community Resilience Benchmarks that provide a holistic perspective to communities when looking at the intersection of different policy issues related to buildings, housing, and water. Listen in as Ryan shares a leading example of a building designed for flood resilience in the US and offers insights into how the broader conversation on resilience is unfolding from an international perspective.

Mary Casey is the Principal at Introba’s on the Australian Sustainability team, bringing over 25 years of international and Australian experience working with the environment. She practiced Architecture in the US for 8 years before becoming a sustainability consultant, then made a career transition to project management and management consulting. A lineage member of the Carol Sanford Institute, and a founding director and past Chair of the Board of the Living Future Institute of Australia, Mary was named a Living Building Hero by the International Living Future Institute in 2014. She is excited to be working in a role with an explicit focus on moving humanity’s relationships with the ecosystems we inhabit back into reciprocity. Join the Think.Future conversation to hear Mary talk about the nuances of regenerative practice and share intriguing insights into understanding patterns of places and their potential to tell a story when we take the time to listen.