This session will offer a deep dive into the current state of practice-based research, with an explicit focus on firms and practitioners who are successfully developing applied climate action tools and strategies for the built environment. Presenters will focus on how to build tools, develop insights, and expand disciplinary knowledge from a cross section of small, medium, and large design firms. Equal parts information and inspiration, this session will show attendees how in-house research initiatives can be integrated into design practice to advance robust climate action and provide competitive service offerings.
Learning Objectives
- Learn the importance of practice-based research for climate action in the context of the design field’s rapid and continuous evolution.
- Pinpoint relevant research questions and identify innovative methods for addressing them through design practice and collaboration with academic researchers and nonprofit institutions.
- Identify at least four different approaches used by leading firms to catalyze industry-wide climate action by integrating research personnel into design projects and corporate operations.
- Communicate the business case for practice-based climate research to clients, firm leadership, and design teams through a “triple bottom line” (people, planet, profit) approach.