Wrapping up Phase I and looking towards Phase II

By Jenny Jackson-Smyth, Research Assistant and Project Lead on the Architects of Change programme.

Sustainability is a trigger word in modern conversations. It can invite fruitful discussions or heated debates. And despite its incredibly far-reaching themes, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. There are those who strongly oppose the reality of climate change with the rhetoric of “it has always been this way. Global warming isn’t real” or “it’s a lot of fuss about nothing.” At ground level, and to those in the know, the repetition of alarming statistics often falls on deaf ears. To the individual who thinks “well, what can I do? I’m only one person”, it can seem a daunting task to re-evaluate how impactful your carbon footprint truly is.

A background in Architecture

When I joined the Architects of Change project as its Research Assistant and project lead, I had some knowledge on the current climate emergency, mostly from gleaning information through news articles, short TED Talk videos, and keeping up to date on released reports on global ecosystem damage. But despite my best efforts to keep a sustainable “foot” on the proverbial “pedal” I often lacked the follow through to pursue radicalised efforts and to reign in my consumerist habits.

Coming from a background in architecture, albeit a few years ago now, I understand the importance of a city’s infrastructure adapting to the needs of current and future generations. Having grown up in Hong Kong, a city whose only speed is Go, and whose sustainable journey (people, places, planet, etc) is nowhere near the top in comparison to other leading examples, I was interested in discussing (and learning from) those who had the knowledge on impactful topics that will affect the way in which we live our lives. Current statistics aren’t lying and if the IPCC reports are anything to go by, taking climate change seriously is the only thing that should be on everyone’s agenda.

Pilot phase delivery

Throughout this project’s lifespan and given that the first phase is only just wrapping up, the project team and I have tried our best to deliver topics that interest and educate our local business leaders and stakeholders. Heavily influenced by the Norwegians in their ambitious net zero targets, including researching case studies from other countries such as China, Australia, and England, Architects of Change sought to compile relevant sustainable information into bitesize formats to maximise discussion — especially those topics relevant in the Belfast context.

Our Master’s students (from the School of Architecture and the Built Environment), taken from Professor Houlihan Wiberg’s ZEN Architecture III – Zero Belfast, were able to deliver topics derived from their final two years of their Architecture course: Caolán delivered presentations on mobility, transport, and spatial quality; Rory spoke on embodied emissions, how they impact construction in Belfast; and finally, Cathal delivered presentations on architectural reuse/retrofit. Each of these workshop days were topped and tailed by introductions and short talks from the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Kate Nicholl, Simon Hamilton Chief Executive of Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, David Gavaghan Founder of Aurora Prime Real Estate Limited, Grainia Long Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and Joe O’Neill the Chief Executive of Belfast Harbour Commissioners.

The next phase - an exciting new chapter

We received great feedback from stakeholders who attended our 3-day workshop and are eager to improve and to pursue even loftier aspirations and, as we are at a critical stage for change, and with the younger generation counting on us to drive change, the next phase of Architects of Change focuses on children from KS2 (ages 7-11) and KS3 (ages 11-14) in the early stages of their sustainable journey. With funding support from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, an organisation which places children and young people at the forefront of a new sustainable cross community engagement programme, the next stage of Architects of Change will begin a vastly different, but no less exciting, chapter in June 2022.