| The green light on sustainable architecture |
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Posted: Thursday, February 11, 2010 5:36 am
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As Director of Work Place, Earle is well respected in his field. His position at Woods Bagot has earned him much deserved praise for his efforts in innovative design. Earle enjoys an intentional record of achievement in a wide range of architecture and masterplanning projects. As one of Earle’s major roles, he is positioned as Design Director for the Grosvenor House Redevelopment in Central London as well as the Design Director for the Bank of New Zealand project in Auckland, New Zealand. Earle is based in London and currently works across Europe, Australasia, USA, and the Middle East. Noted as a Thought Leader in Environmental Sustainability, Work Place and Urban Design; he has lectured extensively and is a regular speaker on the subject of sustainability internationally. Who better to answer our questions…
How long have you worked for Woods Bagot?
I’ve been at Woods Bagot for 10 years, starting off my career in Australia. I’m now Woods Bagot’s Director of Workplace and a Global Board Member. I’m currently based in London and work on projects across Europe, Australasia, USA, and the Middle East.
What is your earliest memory of becoming an Architect?
My father was an architect and my mother an accomplished artist. Both were avid readers and our family home was stacked with art and architectural books. Accordingly, my introduction to architecture was by osmosis. We regularly discussed architecture, visited art galleries and reviewed articles in journals.
What is your career highlight so far? How important is research to architecture and what research are you engaged in?
I am fortunate enough to be part of an organisation that encourages and values research that can be applied to our craft. I contribute to many of Woods Bagot’s research publications, most recently Work Life, which examined a number of topical issues facing workplace design today, including sustainable practices and innovations. I have a particular interest in sustainability and have published research papers on The Business Case of Environmental Sustainability and a global perspective of What’s Next in Sustainability?
What is your favourite sector to work in when working on a project?
I work across all sectors but I am the global Director of Workplace at Woods Bagot and have a deep specialty in this sector. Creating workplace environments that are highly effective and productive within often strict commercial parameters is a good discipline that can be employed in civic and educational projects. Similarly, transferring the ideas of an unfolding guest experience commonly applied to hotel projects is a great way of elevating workplace environments.
Take us through some of the innovative project that you are leading for Woods Bagot?
We are currently exploring bio-mimicry on a project, which learns from Butterfly wings and how they reflect and absorb light and how this can create a highly effective skin of a building. Light emitting diodes have progressed in recent time by a similar technological transfer and have been applied to making visual displays on mobile devises more efficient.
What do you hope to achieve through the BNZ project?
This project is focussed on creating a workplace, which is a business enabler of cultural change. The client is currently housed in three different locations and this project brings them together in a connected vertical campus that is transparent to the public and the customers they serve. The project also aims to be a good urban citizen by being the most advanced sustainable building in a country, which enjoys a long history of caring for the earth. The building was also a pilot project for the introduction of the Green Building Rating System in New Zealand
How have clients briefs changed and evolved in the recent years?
Clients have become increasingly more sophisticated over the past two or three decades. The value of the workplace to be an instrument to attract and retain the best and brightest is now understood as is the value of sustainability.
What do you consider to be one of the best ‘green buildings’ built so far?
I am fascinated by traditional mosques in the gulf region. These sacred buildings often employ wind towers that draw in hot air, channel it over a cistern of cool water and allow it to dramatically reduce the ambient air temperature of the prayer hall by way of convection. I also believe the most sustainable machine is the tree. When you think about it, what other machine can pump water 40 metres into the sky, all fed from sunlight, enriches the soil and converts carbon dioxide into oxygen?
How do you see the future of sustainable buildings evolving? Are we on the correct course or do you feel that there is a better way of promoting a sustainable approach through architecture?
I do not believe that we will rely on technology to be the silver bullet of sustainability. We are seeing an increased awareness on learning from the past, alignment of building response to place and harnessing the power of nature to create environments that touch the earth lightly. |
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