Metropolis senior editor and engagement manager Francisco Brown sits down with Joe Speicher, Chief Sustainability Officer at Autodesk, for a deep dive into the company’s expanding sustainability agenda. Building on the 2023 debut of Autodesk Forma—its AI-driven, cloud-native platform for predesign and schematic design—Speicher outlines how new digital tools are transforming design and construction teams' ability to evaluate performance and reduce environmental impact. Together, they discuss the role of centralized data, energy-efficient design, workplace strategies, and Autodesk’s broader climate commitments in shaping a more sustainable built environment.

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We talk to a lot of folks from product manufacturing here at Deep Green—and there’s a reason for that. The supply chains of materials and products that make our buildings are still full of opportunities for efficiency and creative breakthroughs.

Improving product design and manufacturing can often have a more holistic impact than say the incremental gains achieved by improving a building’s energy efficiency. We need to work on both, of course—but because products are made by people, any company that makes consistent strides in design, sourcing, and manufacturing can influence communities around the world—from the users who inhabit finished spaces to the workers who supply materials and parts. This kind of networked, multiplier effect has the power to shift entire industries and cultures.

In this episode, created in partnership with Teknion, host Avi Rajagopal sits down with David McDivitt, Vice President of Sustainability at Teknion. The company has long been recognized for its transparency and responsible manufacturing practices, but McDivitt shares where Teknion stands today—and what new opportunities lie ahead for creating even greater impact.

Resources

Teknion Sustainability and Social Responsibility

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Here at Deep Green, we often shine a spotlight on traditional building materials that have fallen out of favor for a variety of reasons—but that we believe deserve reconsideration by today’s architects and designers, especially those concerned about the environmental and social impacts of their projects.

Slate—a gray, flaky signifier of 19th-century luxury—for example, is one that we think deserves a second look. Before the 1930s, when asphalt composite shingles became the most common roofing material in North America, the middle class was rushing to build Victorian-style homes or renovate their Georgian and Colonial-style mansions with slate roofs.

And there was a reason. Slate was easy to maintain, elegant in color, and excellent in thermal performance. Many beautiful buildings around the world still prove its durability, with roofs that have lasted hundreds of years. No wonder there was a slate boom in the 19th century—not only in North America but in many other parts of the world where slate roofs have been constructed for thousands of years.

In this episode of Deep Green, created in partnership with CUPACLAD, host Avi Rajagopal sits down with Drew Ford, USA regional sales manager for CUPACLAD, one of the world’s leading slate providers. Listen in to learn what makes slate a great choice today and what new possibilities have opened up for this ancient material.

Resources

CUPACLAD Sustainability

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