Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities Symposium

This two-day symposium, organised by Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities Symposium, explores how we can design spaces that evolve with us—shaping, shifting, and adapting to the conditions, behaviors, and needs of those who inhabit them. How can architecture move beyond the static, making adaptability a core principle in creating resilient, future-ready environments that respond dynamically to their users and surroundings?

The symposium brings together leading voices in architecture and design and will examine how architectural concepts rooted in an understanding of spatial and material knowledge from the past, combined with emerging technologies, can enable environments that enhance inhabitants’ well-being, extend longevity, and support sustainability by responding intelligently to their surroundings.

Discussions will focus on design principles that engage with outdoor conditions, prioritize environmental responsibility, and foster spaces that adapt intuitively to changing needs. It will also explore how emerging technologies—IoT, AI, and automation—can enhance scalability and real-time adaptability, creating more efficient, responsive, and human-centered spaces across diverse contexts.

The keynote is open to the public and can also be accessed through a livestream. 

Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, co-founder of Snøhetta, will provide insights into Snøhetta's work, highlighting the relationship between people, nature, and built environments. Established in Oslo, Norway, in 1989, Snøhetta was inspired by the Brundtland Commission’s report on sustainability, Our Common Future, published by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) two years earlier. Today, Snøhetta is a transdisciplinary practice with studios in eight locations worldwide.

As the building industry accounts for nearly 40% of global carbon emissions, Thorsen believes designers and architects must take significant responsibility while recognizing the opportunities to drive the industry toward a greener transition. He will discuss how social and environmental sensitivity can inform design, showcasing notable projects globally, including the Library of Alexandria, the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, the firm’s material exploration, the Powerhouse series—buildings that generate more energy than they consume— as well as Harvard HouseZero, an energy-positive prototype and Vertikal Nydalen, Norway’s first naturally climatized mixed-use building.

Day two dives deeper into the symposium's topics and includes case studies of Harvard HouseZero and Vertikal Nydalen, two Snøhetta-designed projects, told by key people that were involved. This part of the symposium is open to Harvard affiliates only. 

Welcome:
Sarah Whiting, Dean and Josep Lluís Sert Professor of Architecture, Harvard GSD

Introduction & Background:
Ali Malkawi, Professor of Architectural Technology, Director of the Doctor of Design Studies Program, and Founding Director, Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities

Historical Context:
Erika Naginski, Robert P. Hubbard Professor of Architectural History, Harvard GSD

Case Studies: HouseZero & Vertikal Nydalen

Architectural Concepts:
Tine Hegli, Professor, The Oslo School of Architecture and Design

Technological Concepts and Emissions/Materials of HouseZero & Vertikal Nydalen:
Tor Helge Dokka, Chief Advisor, Energy and Building Physics, Skanska
Kristian Edwards, Architect and Project Advisor, FutureBuilt

Post-Occupancy Findings and Performance Evaluations:
Niels Lassen, Chief Advisor, Energy and Indoor Climate, Skanska
Arnkell Petersen, Associate Professor, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Professor II, Oslo School of Architecture and Design

Material Innovations and Adaptability:
Martin Bechthold, Kumagai Professor of Architectural Technology, Harvard GSD
Jonathan Grinham, Assistant Professor of Architecture, Harvard GSD

AI and Its Possibilities in Adaptable Environments:
Ali Malkawi
Vijay Janapa Reddi, John L. Loeb Associate Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard

Design Explorations:
Elizabeth Christoforetti, Assistant Professor in Practice of Architecture, Harvard GSD

Scaling Up: Theoretical Foundations:
Antoine Picon, G. Ware Travelstead Professor of the History of Architecture and Technology, Harvard GSD

Panel Discussion and Q&A:
Speakers: Kjetil Thorsen, Tor Helge Dokka, Elisa Iturbe, Assistant Professor of Architecture, Harvard GSD; & Elizabeth Christoforetti
Moderator: Grace La, Professor of Architecture, Chair of the Department of Architecture, Harvard GSD