120 | Beyond Green Design

In the early 2000’s, Lazarus founded the sustainable design initiative at the global firm Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum. There, she also served as the director of sustainable design, integrating forward-thinking sustainability criteria into basic practice.

She has also been active with both the American Institute of Architects and the U.S. Green Building Council: at the AIA she led the development of the renowned Guide to the International Green Construction Code and has previously served as their Sustainability Resident Fellow. With the USGBC, Lazarus helped develop “The New Orleans Principles” The assembled ideas spun off into the Resilient Design Institute and the development of three Resilient Design Pilot credits.

She is the author or co-author of multiple books, guidelines and protocols on green and resilient design, including the highly influential The HOK Guidebook to Sustainable Design. She is also an adjunct faculty and sustainability program coordinator at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

We were fortunate enough to catch up with Lazarus on our podcast Social Design Insights, where we discussed the origins of green policy and how designers can get involved. Have a listen at the link above.