Author and architect Eric Corey Freed closed the successful IES Annual Conference this past weekend, with a fast-paced and thought-provoking keynote talk on new paths to designing healthier buildings, referring to our traditional methods for building “a FAIL.” Principal and Director of Sustainability at CannonDesign, Eric is the author of 11 books (including his latest, Circular Economy for dummies), an expert in green buildings, and a design leader in biophilic and regenerative design.
While many conventional building designs have no outside air, inoperable windows and no access to nature, Eric noted that everyone deserves fresh air, views and access to nature. He laid out his idea to replace “Construction” with “Prostruction – building the way nature does, using nature’s technology”, showing examples of building materials that are grown from plant and animal elements including bacterial concrete and cellulose textiles, bioplastics, and mycelium wall panels. Circadian lighting and Daylighting were included in the design process for Systems (human physiology) and Signals.
Recalling pursuit stage strategies for a potential client planning a new Cancer Center in an urban, low-income neighborhood, Eric shared his suggestions to the client: “what if we offered free cancer screening, getting people in early for better outcomes; what if we don’t put cancer-causing ingredients [building materials with chemicals of concern] into the Cancer Center!” He noted that by making these new design strategies for healthier buildings part of the client’s overarching vision, they don’t get cut in design review.