Julie Hiromoto on the role of architects in climate action

Design the Future

Julie Hiromoto is a Principal at HKS, where she serves as firmwide Director of Integration, leveraging business, design excellence, and technical expertise to advance socially and environmentally responsible design. Julie is a big believer in research and coalitions, and has always engaged with numerous organizations, including AIA, ULI, ILFI, and IWBI. She attended the UN’s COP26 (as part of the AIA delegation). Julie stresses the value of asking questions and being open to learning through different roles.

Julie notes that the built environment community has finally gotten governments and the public to recognize that buildings are a part of climate action. The reasons are clear: the built environment is responsible for more than 40% of emissions, we spend 90 percent of time indoors, and two thirds of the buildings that will be standing in 2040 are already built -- we have to address existing buildings. “What are we going to do with the leadership platform?” Julie asks. “It’s time to start sprinting.” The urgency of the crisis, Julie notes, is really pressing us toward collaboration and invention. “We know that collectively we can do amazing things. Can we translate that to our carbon, resilience, wellbeing, and equity work?”