The climate crisis has reshaped contemporary architecture. Sustainability has become a central guiding force in design, and in turn, architects are rethinking how to build today. For CO Adaptive Architecture, addressing the climate crisis begins with a process oriented practice. Together, Ruth Mandl and Bobby Johnston have created a firm that embodies how a values-based approach can tackle the most pressing issues of our time. The result is elegant and impactful architecture brought to life with poise and finesse.
Ruth and Bobby are focused on retrofitting the existing building stock to create energy efficient, climate resilient and spatially beautiful environments. Their designs are rooted in functionality, durability, and the embodied energy of materials. Together, they are working to minimize carbon footprints by understanding there is a global cost to every decision made. The practice was founded in 2011 in New York City, and over a decade later, their groundbreaking portfolio speaks for itself. In the following interview, Ruth and Bobby share their early inspirations and recent projects, as well as what it means critically question the status quo.
Why did you both choose to study architecture?
Ruth: My grandfather was an architect, and I was therefore introduced to the profession from an early age. I did a Foundation Course in Art and Design in England before settling on an undergraduate degree in Interior Design, having found a passion for designing space. After that, I worked in a few architectural practices, which solidified my desire to do my masters degree in Architecture.
Bobby: I was one of these weird kids that knew I wanted to be an architect from about the age of 10. I would design floor plans on my dad’s, then basic CAD software, and come up with inventions and structures in my free time. I started working in architecture offices at the age of 17.
Can you tell us about CO Adaptive Architecture and your roles, and how your work has evolved over time?
When we first started working on competitions together during and right after graduate school, we discovered that my passion for sustainability and Bobby’s passion for optimization were naturally a good fit. Since then, we find we are continually honing our thinking on what sustainability and building for longevity and health really means. We strive to be a horizontal office that welcomes and incorporates input from all team members on the direction of our practice, and as such its evolution is also driven by our amazing team’s input, as we aim to continuously improve and advance our commitment with every project we take on.
You’ve designed a range of adaptive reuse, low-carbon and energy efficient projects. Can you tell us more about your commitment to sustainable design?
Bobby and I have always agreed that architecture places too much emphasis on aesthetic values; and given the problems our planet and species on it are facing, we feel a responsibility to build towards solutions to the overarching problems this industry as a whole has contributed/is contributing to. This is not to say that we don’t aim for beauty - but in our mind this is always secondary to improving our footprint and thinking about the health of the inhabitants of the building and the whole material chain - from production, use and disposal (or ideally reuse).
Net-Zero Architecture is being increasingly used as a term to describe an approach to carbon and energy reduction. What does it mean to the both of you?
To us, Net-Zero refers to the aim of reducing the operational energy consumption of our buildings to Zero - designing in such a way that a building does not use more energy than it can produce locally (ideally on site). We approach this by using the Passive House design methodology of heavily insulating and installing an airtight membrane to reduce heating and cooling loads by 80-90%, and also by thinking about exterior shading to reduce solar heat gain for the ever hotter summers. By decreasing the need for active systems, and relying more on a well designed thermal envelope, it becomes easier to meet the reduced requirements for energy with renewables. It's also worth noting that we aim to entirely eliminate any gas or fossil fuel use in our buildings, so cooking with electric induction, electric water heaters alongside a heating system that can be powered by renewables is important.
That being said, we think a truly Net Zero building should take into consideration the embodied energy that goes into materials in it and for it, and we therefore have a particular passion for adaptive reuse and retrofits of older, existing building stock. We also look to use wood and natural building materials for the same reason. I was really fascinated by an article I came across written by John Ochsendorf, which states that the energy required in building a house equals the amount used in operating it for 20 years (assuming a normal operating efficiency). That data point just illustrates to us that our focus has to be equally on operational efficiency and embodied carbon to make a significant difference. It follows that all the materials currently used in our buildings and cities are a trove of embodied carbon that should not be wasted - and it is this that has sparked our recent interest in deconstruction.
What are some recent projects you’ve been working on?
We are super excited about a surgical, careful renovation of a small house which just started construction in Queens that updates the house to make it a Certified Passive House and essentially render it Net Zero, while making sure that we are wasting as little as possible in regard to the materials already in place; our focus for this house being on deconstruction rather than demolition.
We are, for example, only removing the perimeter of the existing wood flooring in order to get our wood joists taped and air-sealed, and to install the airtight membrane. To commemorate this move, we are installing the infilled new wood floor at an angle to the existing, using reclaimed local red oak to match what is already there. Everything we are removing from the house is being diligently sorted - woods from gypsum products and metals etc. And we have found homes for all of it, diverting it from landfill and down-cycling it for use in the making of new materials.
We are also currently planning an office move at the end of this month, alongside its build-out, for which we will be able to prototype and test fit an idea we have been developing for a demountable, deconstructable wall system that takes our ideas around deconstruction one step further.
With changes to climate, technology, and construction, how do you think architects and designers will adapt ways of practicing to change the profession?
In a world where materials are valuable and valued, and in which we start moving towards a circular economy and a considered approach to embodied energy and waste, we think the future of our profession has to lie in thinking about the adaptability of designs as we conceive of them.
We also think that good design should be equitably available, and as such solving for efficiency has to become more standardized / more productized - not everything will be able to be fully custom or bespoke if we want to broadly implement solutions for our built environment.
You founded CO Adaptive Architecture in 2011. What advice do you have for other designers looking to start their own practice?
Say yes to all projects initially because you learn so much from each and every one. Share resources and think of our profession as a collaborative endeavor. Lastly, do not be afraid to question the status quo.
As you look to the future, are there any ideas you think should be front and center in the minds of architects and designers?
How can we keep precious materials in a circular system and plan for continuous reuse as needs change and adaptation is required? How can we plan the change that is required in retrofitting our existing buildings to the efficiency and resiliency that is required of them, without wasting resources and adding to the piles of landfill in doing so?
This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: The Road to Net Zero Architecture presented by Randers Tegl.
Randers Tegl aims to take responsibility and think sustainable as a part of reaching the goal of Net Zero. Both in terms of how building materials impact the climate and how the materials age, but also with a focus on architecture. That is why Randers Tegl created their sustainable series GREENER, which comes with full documentation in the form of EPD, so it is possible to use the product in technical calculation programs.
Every month we explore a topic in-depth through articles, interviews, news, and projects. Learn more about our ArchDaily topics. As always, at ArchDaily we welcome the contributions of our readers; if you want to submit an article or project, contact us.
