Book review, RIBA Climate Guide

This is a book for every built environment professional who is influencing key decisions across the value chain and want to address the climate and biodiversity emergencies within their day-to-day work. It maps out the essential background knowledge around climate science, international agreements, legislations, commitments and roadmaps. A collection of short, building- and urban-scale case studies presenting key takeaways, illustrating real-life applications of design strategies and industry-wide tools, as well as standards that are deployed in climate-conscious built environments all around the world.

Climate change is a threat to humankind, which requires immediate action. The built environment has a vital role to play in responding to the climate emergency. There is a pressing need for architects to acquire the requisite skills and knowledge to design buildings that deliver sustainable outcomes, meeting the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge and mandatory competence in climate literacy. Contextualising the climate emergency and the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 within the built environment landscape, the RIBA Climate Guide is structured around the six, core themes of the Climate Framework. (see also page Climate Framework: A cross industry action group initiative)

Featuring images and original illustrations, each themed section will guide you through fundamental elements and competencies for creating a sustainable design and delivery framework that can be implemented by you in your practice. With a collection of building- and urban-scale case studies, and key design strategies, this book will equip all built environment professionals with the essential knowledge required to mitigate climate change’s impacts day-to-day.

The book will be published from April 18 and is available to pre-order via the RIBA webste here

[edit] About the Author

RIBA, ARB, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, BREEAM AP Sustainability Director & Climate Advocacy Lead

Mina Hasman leads SOM’s sustainability and wellbeing daily operations and long-term vision. As the Co-leader of SOM’s Climate Action Group, she oversees the firm’s progress on climate action, as it pertains to its global business operations, and projects. She challenges existing best-practices by developing new systematic, design- and science-based approaches applied and tested in complex, international projects.

Mina has experience in a wide variety of projects in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, bringing a greater understanding of the implications for sustainable design in different climatic, social and regulatory contexts. As a recognised expert in her field, Mina has been elected to, and is actively involved in the UK Green Building Council’s Board of Trustees, Royal Institute of British Architects’Council and the Practice & Policy Board Committee, UNEP/Global Alliance for Buildings & Construction’s COP Task Force, Commonwealth Association of Architects (as Chair of Practice), UK Construction Industry Council’s Climate Change Committee and the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard (as the Stakeholder Engagement Lead), Architects’ Council of Europe, Union of International Architects’ Commission on UN SDGs, World Green Building Council’s Advancing Net Zero Steering Committee, CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group (as Vice-Chair), and International WELL Building Institute’s Health Equity Advisory Group.

Mina regularly contributes to the wider climate change, sustainability and wellbeing debate in her role as tutor at various academic institutions, including The Bartlett (UCL), Architectural Association, University of Westminster, Manchester University School of Architecture, and Cardiff University, as well as a regularly invited speaker at many international events. She is also the author of the RIBA Climate Guide, which equips the built environment professionals with key knowledge to mitigate the impacts of climate change in their day-to-day work.

[edit] What people say about the RIBA Climate Guide

“Mina Hasman has created the most timely and important book in the race to decarbonise and regenerate our built and natural environment. In this digital age, there is no shortage of information and opinions on what should be done to address the climate crisis. But these opinions are often contradictory and create uncertainty and hesitation in decision making. The aim of this book is to filter these opinions into a single holistic source which has been peer reviewed by a large cross-industry group of climate experts. The importance of this distilled source of knowledge cannot be overstated. This book should be a must read for all architects and professionals in the built environment.”

Gary Clark, Regional Leader Science + Technology, HOK & Past Chair of the RIBA Sustainable Futures Group‍

“Climate change is an existential threat, and paradoxically with some 40% of global emissions building related, we as built environment professionals have a direct responsibility for this. Mina Hasman’s excellent book - RIBA Climate Guide - examines key issues such as energy and carbon, circularity, biodiversity, and the associated human factors, so that we can understand what we are doing wrong and fix it.”

Simon Sturgis, Founder, Targeting Zero & Whole Life Carbon Network (WLCN)

“I congratulate the RIBA for publishing this valuable guide and Mina Hasman for creating a very accessible and illuminating book on a crucial subject. It will help architects and other professionals appreciate the impact of their design decisions on our built and natural environment, and the Climate and Biodiversity Emergency. It cannot provide all the answers, but it will certainly help ensure people ask many of the right questions.”

Dr Mike Cook, Chair of Climate Emergency Task Group, Institute of Structural Engineers (IStructE) & Past Chairman, Buro Happold

“This book provides a comprehensive and thorough yet accessible overview of the issues which need to be considered by built environment professionals, for climate action and beyond. With numerous illustrations, case studies and references, it offers a really useful common ground as an introduction for beginners, and as reference to go back to for more established professionals.”

Julie Godefroy, Head of Net Zero Policy, Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE)

“The RIBA Climate Guide provides valuable insights into how you can design and deliver buildings in a climate conscious way, making efficient, equitable and sustainable built environments the norm. Today we have the tools to create a better world at our disposal, and our legacy lies in how we choose to use them. We must embrace collaboration across the entire value chain, engage every stakeholder, and make every decision count.”

Cristina Gamboa, CEO, World Green Building Council

“Mina Hasman has produced an excellent, accessible guide to the single biggest challenge facing this generation. It is a valuable resource for any built environment professional and will support the collaboration between architects, planners, engineers and many other disciplines that we need to deliver a decarbonized future.”

Andrew Crudgington, Climate Change Associate, The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT)

“This holistic guide will be the essential companion to navigating the increasingly complexity of creating a sustainable built environment. It will be of interest to both general practitioners and specialists in the field; we have to ensure that architects are leading the conversations by having the right knowledge at their fingertips.”

Louisa Bowles, Whole Life Carbon & Sustainability Designer, Hawkins\Brown & London Mayor’s Design Advocate

“The RIBA Climate Guide by Mina Hasman is a useful resource for all practitioners that wish to act and contribute to solving the climate and biodiversity emergencies. The core topics are well organized with practical information, that is also well-illustrated, with abundant examples and case studies, providing a practical reference book for all architects in a mission to halt climate change while creating meaningful architecture.”

Dr Pablo La Roche, Principal & Sustainable Design Leader, CallisonRTKL & American Institute of Architects

“In our future, there must only be buildings created with energy, resource and performance optimisation in mind, with nothing less than positive impact on the environment, nature, and most importantly, the people who will use them for generations to come. That vision is much closer to being achieved with the publication of this book, and I hope it will inspire the systemic shifts we desperately need.”

Victoria Burrows, Director, Advancing Net Zero, World Green Building Council

“This is a timely contribution to furthering the climate change agenda in education and practice. This book prepares the ground for discussion and action that recognises the complexity of the climate crisis and how it pertains to architecture.”

Dr Angela Connelly, Senior Lecturer, Manchester School of Architecture

“As built environment practitioners, we are blessed to be in an industry that can positively shape and influence our daily lives through creating healthy, safe, and inclusive spaces. To continue doing this whilst keeping global warming to 1.5 degree C rise, will require a shift change in the way we design, build, and use our cities, buildings, and spaces in between. The RIBA Climate Guide seeks to provide practitioners with a helpful guide around the fundamentals of climate action, ranging from considering health and wellbeing, to circular economy principles – all contextualised with practical case studies to demonstrate real-life application.”

Emily Huynh, Past Senior Advisor, Advancing Net Zero & Circular Economy, UK Green Building Council & Current ESG Associate Director EMEA, Avison Young UK