Wash Post on Architecture's future

Hi Katie – thanks for sharing. Fascinating read. I am happy to share the statement I drafted for Opsis a while back. This was just before the BLM movement ignited, so it took a back seat in terms of a public statement as our focus turned towards responding to specifically to Social Justice. It is in progress of being added to our website. Design for The Change We Want We see an opportunity to bounce forward from the current Covid-19 pandemic, not just back to business as usual. We invite you to join us in creating a better normal. Health and Well-being As a nation, we are experiencing a hyperawareness of the role buildings and indoor spaces play in facilitating the spread of Covid-19 and jeopardizing our health. Because of this shared experience, we are primed for a more holistic discussion about how our built spaces and building operations can promote health and wellbeing. Let us have a conversation about healthier materials, creating connections to the natural world, and optimal daylighting while we also address strategies for touchless interfaces and enhanced air quality. Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion We have known for a long time that lower-income communities are disproportionally affected by climate change, environmental disasters, and lack of access to nature. Covid-19 is now added to that list. The intersection of Social justice and Environmental justice must be part of our conversation. Additionally, well-designed spaces can foster inclusivity, and help people feel welcome and safe. We must design with greater inclusion, and are developing equity-based engagement frameworks, methodologies, and tools to support more powerful participation in the design process. Climate and Resiliency The pandemic has brought us together in an unprecedented way as a global community, with science leading the way. This is the time to build on such momentum. We must address anthropogenic global warming and other environmental crises with urgency, at a variety of scales. Choose all-electric over gas, engage with emerging smart-grid technology, measure the impact of embodied carbon in material choices, collaborate on post-occupancy evaluations, and engage building occupant in bringing down the loads of their buildings. Heather DeGrella AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Fitwel Ambassador, EAC-PS, | associate principal / sustainable design director | she / her / hers | opsis architecture LLP | o:503.525.9511 d:503.943.6228 | www.opsisarch.com Opsis remains committed to our clients and projects and will continue working throughout the COVID-19 emergency through remote locations and tools. Due to our office closure, please use cell phones or email as the primary contact and note that we will conduct meetings online wherever possible. Updates to our office status or policies will be posted here. F

Re: the Milan building – this 99PI article did a fair job at critique. Especially to the question, “what role should green space serve in cities?” https://99percentinvisible.org/article/renderings-vs-reality-rise-tree-covered-skyscrapers/ Gwen Fuertes, AIA, LEED AP BD+C O: 415-495-1700 x 311 C: 401-369-2170 LMSa is working remotely during Shelter-In-Place. From: