AJ sustainability editor Hattie Hartman and FCBStudios partner Joe Jack Williams discussed how to use their new book, MATERIALS: An Environmental Primer, to help make responsible material choices and reduce the environmental impacts of construction: what to consider, what questions to ask, how to read an EPD - and more. They also highlighted current trends and innovations related to conventional materials and the increasing use of bio-based materials.
ABOUT SPEAKERS
Hattie Hartman
Journalist and author Hattie Hartman is sustainability editor at the Architects’ Journal and hosts the AJ’s Climate Champions podcast.
Her books include: MATERIALS: An Environmental Primer (RIBA Publishing, 2024), co-edited with Joe Jack Williams; Energy| People|Buildings (2021) co-authored with Judit Kimpian and Sofie Pelsmakers; and London 2012: Sustainable Design: Delivering an Olympic Legacy (2012).
Hattie is an Honorary Professor of Architecture at the University of Nottingham.
Dr Joe Jack Williams
Joe is a Partner at FCBStudios and leads environmental research for the practice, identifying, developing and enabling research across sectors and projects. He is a recognised expert in many aspects of building performance, including the educational impact of the built environment, building performance evaluation, indoor air quality, retrofit of buildings, and whole life carbon. He led the development of FCBSCarbon, a tool which estimates the whole life carbon of a building to inform design decisions prior to detailed design, which is widely used by universities and practices across the UK.