EPISODE · Mar 12, 2024 · 1H 14M
Entropy, Insight and Our Time to Shine
from The Building Science Podcast · host Nico Mignardi
Luke LeungLuke is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Fellow; He is also a Centennial Fellow from The Pennsylvania State University Architectural Engineering Department; Board of Directors for USGBC (United State Green Building Council), Illinois; Chairman of the ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning) Committee on “Tall Buildings”; Chairman of the Building Pressure Committee, Chicago Committee on High Rise Buildings; Sustainable Committee with Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat; Part Time Professor at IIT; Member of the Chicago Sister Cities Program with China; MBA from University of Chicago, MS and BAE from Architectural Engineering at Penn State University.Luke Leung is the Director of the Sustainability Engineering Studio for Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP. He is the incoming Chair of ASHRAE Environmental Health Committee; Team leader for ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force, Commercial Buildings; Group Leader for LCA and Embodied Carbon, ASHRAE Decarbonization Task Force; National Renewable Energy Laboratory IN2 Incubator Industry Advisor; BOMA Toronto, Health Committee Co-Chair. His work includes Burj Khalifa, the world’s current tallest man-made structure; Multiple times “Excellence in Engineering” award from the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE); Selected projects also include Pertamina Tower (Net Zero Supertall), General Motors Global Headquarters, XiongAn Net Zero Development, Beijing Finance Street, Embassy of Ottawa in Canada, Embassy in Beijing, Lakeside – 55 million sqft low energy development, a LEED Platinum building with the first large scale horizontal wind turbine in the city of Chicago; etc., and has served as a member of the editorial team for the CTBUH guide Natural Ventilation in High-Rise Office Buildings, ASHRAE “Design Guide for Tall, Supertall, Megatall Building Systems”, among other publications.TeamHosted by Kristof IrwinProduced by M. WalkerEdited by Nico Mignardi
What this episode covers
“Engineering and science is poised to deliver a whole new thing to the world but the world isnt ready to ask” - Luke Leung (Not sure about adding the quote?) As a society, we have entered a time where the roles of architects and engineers are converging; form and function inextricably interwoven. The role of the engineer, in particular, is due for an upgrade. It’s time to rethink norms, retool design processes, and reimagine the appropriate. Fundamentally, the role of the engeering in the AEC is poised to both expand and deepen. In this episode Luke Leung of SOM shows us all what it’s like to approach one’s role in society with an expanded and deepened perspective. Luke is an”engineeers engineer” who is also gifted speaker who thinks deeply and expansively. If you haven’t heard him speak recently you’re in for a treat today. Chances are good that you’ll leave this episode thinking “if only more engineers could channel their inner Yoda or MLK like that”. Starting with a century old quote about the importance of teaching and understanding entropy, Luke and Kristof expand on LCA concepts in a way that shows their full potential, breadth and significance. Along the way exploring ideas like these: What if the concept of entropy was actually central to understanding the life cycle impacts of buildings? What if the best thing “to do” to help move society forward in regards to the way we deliver buildings to ourselves was “to understand” the decisions we make more fully? What if humanity’s interaction with the geobiosphere involves far more than just carbon emissions? What if our homes and buildings directly supported human thriving; both for the outer environment and for our inner lived experience?
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Entropy, Insight and Our Time to Shine
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