Earth Day 2024: A Look into Sustainability at DIALOG

April 22, 2024

Today, in celebration of Earth Day, we are proud to highlight five individuals in our practice who are helping shape the future of sustainability in design.

Celebrated every year on April 22, Earth Day is a moment to raise awareness and support for environmental protection. DIALOG is stepping up to meet the world challenges of our time – from climate change to social equity – and it is with contributions from all the disciplines across our practice that we are making this possible.

We’ve asked five sustainability specialists to answer some insightful questions about their role at DIALOG, how they feel their contributions impact the environment, and a project or initiative they are involved in that focuses on sustainability. Read along to see what they had to say.

Stephanie Fargas | Associate, Specifier

Tell us about what you do on a day-to-day basis

I conduct sustainable product and material research focused on validation, and strive to find innovative solutions that minimize the negative impacts products and materials have on the planet. I also prepare project specifications, ensuring our products selected meet high sustainability standards. I also work with project teams across the various studios and provide mentorship focused on material transparency and foster a culture of curiosity and thoughtful material selection.

How do you feel your role impacts the environment?

Through my role, I work with project teams and clients by providing guidance on embodied carbon reductions, social equity, human health, and by developing sustainable and equitable procurement strategies. As Chair of the Specifications Practice Roundtable, I have been supporting DIALOG in elevating awareness in material transparency to facilitate a more equitable, just, and sustainable future. I bring leading-edge thinking to our materials approach and influence the profession through continued industry advocacy through groups such as the Canadian Green Building Council, Concrete Alberta Sustainability and Resilience, Carbon Leadership Forum, and lead DIALOG’s initiative with MindfulMaterials AEC Forum and Common Materials Framework.

What is a DIALOG project or initiative you’re involved in that focuses on sustainability?

I am proud that DIALOG is the first signatory participant in the AEC forum representing a Canadian perspective from an integrated practice. It speaks to our collective thought leadership in sustainable material transparency through sustainable projects and industry advocacy. The purpose of the Forums facilitated by MindfulMaterials is to accelerate the creation, speciﬁcation, and use of holistically sustainable materials. Each Forum has a unique role in driving better products and outcomes, but the groups are designed to actively collaborate and exist as part of an aligned materials ﬂow. mindful MATERIALS Inc. is a non-profit dedicated to reducing, and ultimately reversing, the embodied impacts of the built environment through our collective material choices.

Michael Mousa | Sustainability Consultant

Tell us about what you do on a day-to-day basis

As a Sustainability Consultant at DIALOG, I have the privilege of working with clients and design teams to advance sustainability in the built environment. I support my clients by creating bespoke sustainability frameworks for their real estate portfolios, with goals and actions to advance climate objectives. I also work directly with our in-house architecture and engineering team to integrate sustainable building practices into our designs.

How do you feel your role impacts the environment?

From the materials we select to construct our buildings, to the mechanical systems that heat and cool our buildings, and everything in between, our decisions all have an impact on meeting our climate change goals. I have the privilege of applying my expertise in sustainable design to our projects to minimize our environmental impacts. Beyond environmental sustainability, I have a dedication to center equity in my efforts to address climate change by including underserved and vulnerable populations in sustainability goals, and advancing community wellbeing through design.

What is a DIALOG project or initiative you’re involved in that focuses on sustainability?

I recently wrapped up a project working with the Valley Transit Authority in San Jose, California to develop a Sustainability Strategy for their Transit-Oriented Development portfolio – which involves creating compact, walkable communities adjacent to existing transit stations. With the Sustainability Framework we developed, we supported VTA in recognizing the significant opportunity for environmental, social, and economic impacts, and defining goals and targets to communicate and track performance of these impacts. We helped set targets for many focus areas, including low carbon building materials, energy efficient building operations, water efficient buildings and landscapes, and design of healthy, resilient communities.

Rebecca Mann | Sustainability Consultant, Project Manager

Tell us about what you do on a day-to-day basis

A key component to my role is to support and engage the DIALOG Edmonton studio in sustainability. On any given day you could find me facilitating sustainability workshops, attending client and team meetings, writing sustainability reports, or administering green certifications such as LEED or WELL and supporting proposals. As a member of the Green Practice Round Table, I also keep busy with green initiatives outside of project work such as AIA 2030 reporting, and DIALOG’s operational carbon accounting. The approach to sustainability in the built environment is constantly evolving in response to rapidly changing action needed to mitigate climate change. To keep up with emerging technologies, sustainable material innovations and policies, I also try to prioritize time for learning opportunities such as conferences and webinars. This year I’ll be attending CaGBC’s Building Lasting Change in Toronto.

How do you feel your role impacts the environment?

My role helps foster positive change through climate awareness and education as it relates to the built environment. As a sustainability consultant, a main objective of my role is to assist and identify opportunities to integrate sustainable design on projects to support the long-term needs of our community without jeopardizing the future of the planet. The concept of sustainable design has evolved tremendously over the last 10 years. While environmental sustainability is still critically important, we are now seeing more opportunities to support social and economic sustainability as well. Advocating to support this shift away from a linear ‘checklist’ approach to a more wholistic view of sustainable design has opened the door for more projects to prioritize sustainable design in a meaningful way.

What is a DIALOG project or initiative you’re involved in that focuses on sustainability?

I am currently the sustainability consultant for multiple projects including various typologies from healthcare to warehouses. Recently, I completed the LEED administration for the Gene Zwozdesky Centre which (after a lengthy 6 years) was awarded LEED Silver for Healthcare! I am also working with our structural team to implement the use of low carbon concrete on a large scale campus project which will reduce embodied carbon on the project by 10%. On a studio level I am working with the Edmonton Green Team and the GPRT to identify synergies to leverage the local Green teams from each studio to support sustainable initiatives on a practice-wide scale while still maintaining their local studio culture.

Mara Baum | Partner, Architect

Tell us about what you do on a day-to-day basis

As an architect and sustainability lead, I provide strategic direction to our projects and design teams to elevate outcomes related to sustainability, climate resilience, health and wellbeing. This might mean defining goals and performance targets, educating clients, developing technical strategies, and/or achieving green building certifications. I usually work on urban or building design projects, but occasionally we also provide sustainability consulting services for work such as sustainability strategy plans or research. I also guide internal initiatives undertaken by DIALOG’s Green Practice Roundtable.

How do you feel your role impacts the environment?

All of us who work with buildings and cities have a huge impact on the environment in some way, whether we want to or not. In my role, I strive to reduce impacts on climate change and similar challenges while improving the lives of building occupants and their communities. This includes adaptation to a changing climate – trying to better prepare buildings built today to continue to perform in unknown future conditions that we anticipate becoming more extreme over time.

What is a DIALOG project or initiative you’re involved in that focuses on sustainability?

We have a lot of really exciting projects and initiatives in the works. The San Rafael Transit Center is a personal favorite. Located just north of San Francisco, it faces many of the most pressing challenges of our time: equity, inclusive design, carbon emissions reduction, and a wide range of climate-related impacts including sea level rise, urban heat island effect, poor air quality and more. We recently completed six-month community engagement process and are now working towards a preliminary design concept.

Rony Shohet | Building Performance Analyst

Tell us about what you do on a day-to-day basis

As a building performance analyst, I spend my days evaluating the efficiency and environmental impact of the buildings we design from an energy and emissions perspective. I collect building information, such as how the building will be constructed and how people will use it, from multiple disciplines. Then, with specialized software and custom tools, I digitally replicate the building. By simulating this digital model across time, I can then evaluate the energy performance. I communicate these insights through energy modelling reports and presentations at multiple stages of a project to help guide the decision-making process of designers and stakeholders. I ensure people are comfortable with temperature in the buildings we design, calculate how much energy will be consumed, and how much greenhouse gas (GHG) emitted by all the equipment and processes in the building. Through this I can ensure the building complies with local building code requirements, including energy and emission targets.

How do you feel your role impacts the environment?

I became an energy modeler because of this role’s ability to directly reduce the building industry’s environmental impact. In my work, I am able to guide design decisions to lower the amount of energy used and GHG emitted. My training as a building scientist helps me optimize for sustainability, all while ensuring cost and ease of constructability is maintained. My recommendations may include: alternative envelope options, specifying high efficiency mechanical equipment, and integrating advanced building control systems. Without energy models we would never know the whole building’s energy use or greenhouse gas emissions until the building is built and operating. I help avoid environmentally costly choices by providing input early on in the design.

What is a DIALOG project or initiative you’re involved in that focuses on sustainability?

Because of my connection to the sustainability team at DIALOG, I am proud that most of my projects are focused on achieving some form of sustainability. My most recent work includes the UFV Student Housing project. This project aspired to achieve the highest Step for BC Step Code 4 and also targeted LEED v4 Gold. Since this project is using an Integrated Project Delivery approach, I was able to collaborate across many more disciplines, including building owners, facility and operations staff, contractors (and of course engineers and architects) to help reach these high sustainability targets. I contributed to the design with an early-stage energy model, where I was able to recommend improvements on the design of the envelope and mechanical systems to meet this project’s goals.

We are inspired by the work we do every day, and are proud to have a passionate team who continue to drive progress and meaningful changes that support our vision for a better future.

About Earth Day

EARTHDAY.ORG’s mission is to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Growing out of the first Earth Day in 1970, EARTHDAY.ORG is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 150,000 partners in over 192 countries to drive positive action for our planet.

Lead image: Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre