Education

Master of Science, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, U.S., 2024
Bachelor of Science, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, U.S., 2023

Gabriella has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence.

Major projects at Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture:

Chris Drew on . . .

. . . design
When it comes to design, I don’t have to get pens and paper out. This is fortunate, as my artistic abilities are, well, let’s just say limited. However, what I really like to do is sketch out schematic process flows and see how they can be integrated into the design so that sustainable best practices are included from the outset, rather than as some sort of added extra that goes in once people start reading through a building assessment checklist. The early stages of design are the most important when it comes to sustainability; that’s where all the passive design measures such as building orientation, shape, location are all decided. These are the measures that, at least in terms of energy savings (and to an extent indoor environmental quality) have the greatest effect for the lowest cost.

. . . construction
As far as I’m concerned, the days when architects designed buildings and handed a bunch of design drawings over to a builder, who then put it altogether with pretty minimal input from the designer, are well and truly dead and buried. My philosophy is that sustainability starts at the earliest design stage, goes through construction and into operation. If I’m involved in designing a sustainable building and putting my name to it, I want to make sure that I have as much influence over all the stages as possible. As building designs bring about further reductions in energy and water consumption, actual construction processes and the materials used have an even greater impact. If I can work with contractors to specify materials, reduce waste generation and discuss with them techniques to improve sustainability during the construction process, then the environmental impact (and the cost) of the built environment can be reduced.

. . . where he gets his inspiration
I grew up with my brother on a smallholding, or small farm, where my parents did as much as they could to be self-sufficient. While they were at work, my granddad, who was without question the most practical person to have ever lived, would show us how to fix things, often using materials that had once served other purposes. I think I take my inspiration from the people who were around me during my childhood.

More recently, I’ve met or worked with some of the most creative thinkers in regards to sustainability, this experience has taught me firstly the importance of some of the things I studied at university. My PhD. is in desert wildlife ecology—not, you might think, the most relevant subject in regards to building design. However, understanding our part in the ecosystems we inhabit is actually completely relevant. Most of the adaptations of wildlife to their environments are directly applicable to buildings. Desert oryx, or antelope, have high thermal mass to help them keep cool; the ears of desert hares radiate heat to keep cool. Some animals can reduce the blood supply parts of their body when it gets too hot or too cold. In the end, these plants and animals are the ultimate energy and water conservers. If we can’t learn from them, it’s because we are not thinking laterally enough. It’s not just about biomimicry; it’s more about natural systems mimicry.

The second thing I learned was the 1 + 1 =3 approach. This is really the key to achieving economic sustainability; integrating two systems almost inevitably gives an extra benefit. We’ve seen that with co-generation and tri-generation, so we should always look out for integration opportunities.

. . . my favorite moment in architecture
I don’t know that I’ve had a favourite moment. Certainly I’ve had satisfying moments. One of those was having most of the major wood suppliers in the United Arab Emirates come to a meeting that we organized with the Forest Stewardship Council to encourage them to become certified so that we could specify locally purchased sustainable timber, and a couple of weeks later being able to do so because enough of them had committed to becoming certified. Seeing concrete waste from the project being crushed and used in high value applications, seeing wood waste being shredded, dyed and used for ground improvement—all of it saving money and reducing the environmental impact—was extremely satisfying. Being able to walk around inside a building in summer in the UAE that was not air conditioned but was just well designed—that was a good moment.

. . . his favorite examples of sustainability
There aren’t really that many examples of true sustainability out there, at least not on a large, designed scale. I really want to be involved in reducing life-cycle carbon dioxide emissions of buildings in a way that isn’t just operational emissions (typically saving energy) but also the embodied carbon and the emissions associated with maintenance. All too often the focus is on saving energy at almost any cost, even when, if the energy source is renewable such as wind, hydro or solar, it has only a marginal impact on CO2 emissions. In these cases, saving water and using highly durable low-embodied-carbon materials would have a much greater impact. I’m impressed by buildings in which life-cycle carbon emission reductions have been made and a life-cycle cost estimate has shown a positive financial argument for doing it. I think the one-planet living communities have done pioneering work in this regard. And with the BRE Environmental Assessment Method driving designers to consider embodied carbon, we’re going to see some great stuff coming out in the next few years.

. . . his favorite thing about a collaborative design process
Other people have said the same thing and I completely agree: it’s the people in the team. I’ve worked with teams where the contractors have been completely disinterested in sustainability at the outset of a project and, a few weeks later, are fully on board and coming up with innovative solutions of their own. Seeing people being totally committed to something that they either didn’t know about or didn’t understand a few weeks earlier is one of the most satisfying things.

. . . what he’d be if he wasn’t a sustainability manager
I’m interested in so many things, but probably I’d be a conservation biologist.

. . . what he does when he’s not working
I enjoy playing and watching sport and being outdoors, especially with my wife and children. I also read a lot and think about sustainability—plotting and scheming about how things can be done better. It’s almost impossible to not think about it. I go to a shop where the escalator runs when there’s no one on it, I go to a restaurant where the AC is working flat-out just to offset the heat from the lighting, I get in a taxi with a 4-litre engine . . . and so on. Examples of us squandering energy, water and fuel, and producing too much waste, are absolutely everywhere. Once your eyes are open to it, it’s almost impossible to close them.