Spotlighting Aotearoa's leading sustainability professionals who’re transforming the way we design, build and operate our buildings and homes.
These are the people leading the mission for a more sustainable built-environment across Aotearoa.
Phoebe is a leader in driving low-carbon solutions for buildings. As a Carbon Navigator at Beca, Phoebe heads the Sustainable Buildings team based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
What triggered your interest in sustainability?
Different colleagues through my years as a graduate engineer! People who were much more switched on than me to what was happening in the world. It was actually a really sudden shift from first expressing interest, to being up to my neck in sustainability. Within the space of six months I found myself doing my first building life cycle assessment and working on a range of corporate Beca sustainability initiatives. I refer to it as a virtuous cycle – the deeper you dive, the more your interest is sparked.
Much of your childhood was spent in Tanzania – did this shape your view of the built environment?
Yes it did though much of that shaping is only visible in retrospect. One striking difference is that none of the buildings I regularly occupied – school, home, friend’s houses, shops, church - had any form of mechanical ventilation or air conditioning beyond a ceiling fan. Most were constructed with concrete or bricks with very deep eaves or covered walkways in response to local climate and regular planned power outages. A ‘passive first’ approach to design makes a lot of sense to me because I’ve experienced how well it can work in practice.
You have a Masters in Environmental Sustainability from the University of Edinburgh – how have you leveraged this?
I deliberately chose generalist studies because it’s easy to put blinkers on and focus on only one aspect of sustainability to the possible detriment of all others. Wider societal and environmental considerations are crucial when working in the carbon space. Hearing about the experiences of UK building designers working towards low-carbon outcomes was highly valuable and a reference point to compare and contrast our experience here in Aotearoa.
What is the biggest challenge of bringing a low-carbon mindset to building projects?
Overcoming the status quo bias – it is actively draining to make every decision a conscious one. Also most people want their buildings to be ‘special’ and in the world of carbon aspiring to look different or unique or amazing often comes at the cost of structural efficiency - hence carbon. A low-carbon mindset is challenging because in many ways it calls for individuality to be set aside - but it also calls for nothing being taken for granted. Every aspect of the brief must be questioned.
Do developers and property owners understand the need to design and construct low-carbon building stock?
I would say some do but they are in the minority. Of those that do there is a tendency towards creating ‘flagship’ buildings rather than taking a holistic perspective of their overall emissions. There’s also a difference between having an understanding of the need for low-carbon construction and prioritising that need throughout a project. The book The Good Ancestor talks a lot about how it’s hard to act with urgency when the impacts are perceived as being geographically and temporally distant – our short-term brain takes over or our natural optimism underplays the threat. I see this happening - which is understandable when you’re in the pressure cooker of a new project with critical needs competing for your attention!
Advice for developers and commercial building owners?
Don’t forget what we’re ultimately aiming for with low-carbon construction is to reduce global emissions. We all share the same atmosphere – there’s little point making a decision to reduce carbon on your project unless you can be sure you’re not externalising the impact somewhere else.
What do you hope to see in the sustainability space in 2024?
I would like to see more people and organisations transparently owning their impact. 2023 was a year of ‘green hushing’ - when you choose not to be public about or downplay your ESG targets and impacts in order to mitigate any potential future loss of face if you don’t meet them. It’s really powerful when people or businesses are open and honest about their goals and their progress - particularly when those goals perhaps aren’t being met. Speaking as a consumer I would much rather give my business to someone who clearly and fully acknowledges their effect on the world rather than someone who selectively displays only those parts of their business that reflect well on them.
What is your favourite green building?
I have to say the University of Auckland’s Social Sciences B201 Building. To me it epitomises the best type of decision-making. It shows what can happen when property owners or developers stop, step outside of the status quo or business-as-usual approach and ask ‘what might be possible?’