Lauren Algiers
31, Director of Sustainable Design
STV
New York City
More than a year after serving as a virtual delegate for the 2030 architecture at the UN COP28 climate summit in Azerbaijan, Lauren Algiers remains energetic to meet the highest climate challenges and solutions in the industry amid the change in political landscape.
“The current administration prioritizes jobs and economic growth. Thus, the really exciting component about the field of sustainable design is that you are researching and developing new materials to ensure that they will act and that you are in the creation of new jobs and training programs,” says Algiers. “These are things we have to do for a resistant and durable infrastructure.”
Algiers worked for a number of contractors before taking a new position in 2022 as a sustainability manager for the STV professional services. In its current role, it helps to mitigate the environmental impacts on the projects and ensure their sustainable design.
He says that regardless of political stripes, making systems work properly during their lives, opens the door to the creation of the centralized language that everyone can use to find these opportunities for more efficient systems, less material, finding ways to repopulate waste currents and ensure that they fulfill performance and functionality standards. “
But, although it is important to find common linguistics, Algiers say that the formation of sustainable design strategies on STV goes beyond keywords. Sustainability is a principle of efficiency, according to her, building less resources while designing projects to support the evolutionary challenges of climate change.
“Sustainable design is really efficiency,” he says. “How do we do better, more affordable and more intelligently? How do we build in innovative and practical ways?”
But as the Trump administration reduces the federal role in these conversations, when the ability to measure the impacts of climate change in the built environment, states, cities and cities are forced to implement regulations to promote specific climate requirements without a centralized body that “ can collect more widespread information and be this network of connectivity in terms of communicating best practices and challenges, which are facilitated.
Algiers, chaired by the American Group of Civil Engineers Infrastructure 2050 and helped launch their decarbonizing infrastructure initiative, says the group can help develop network communities to share information, understand lagoons, identify good practices and promote informed data results. It can be that best practices such as flood mitigation in New York City that may be applicable to another city are communicated to all interested parties, from research and government institutions to designers, engineers and contractors to material manufacturers. “All of these interested parties must participate,” he says.
Algiers claims that data informed on data is crucial related to construction codes that are often behind real -time climatic risks. She emphasizes the importance of continuously updating codes and standards to reflect climatic projections, ensuring that “infrastructure be resistant to unpredictable environmental changes”.
Algiers’ work also extends to material innovation, defending performance-based specifications that allow manufacturers to develop the most effective and sustainable materials, instead of adhering to rigid and obsolete requirements. Collaborating with the stakeholders of the industry, it is fostering an ecosystem for innovative solutions.
After his father’s footsteps towards civil engineering and watching his work on the main hand -in -hand projects for Atkins, Algiers was inspired by his work ethics, morality and dedication to industry,
Having a “direct mentor was a” clear motivator for me, “he says.” Looking back, it’s great to see how this has played such an important role in my career. “
