I am a registered architect. As an active contributor to one of the most damaging industries to our climate (construction & building systems), I often daydream about pivoting careers into something more productive for the planet. I’m not talking about stuff like green washing or ~LEED accreditation~. Even sustainably-focused jobs are hard to come by and usually pretty regionally specific. Architects have a broad set of skills, and it’s not always clear where I can take those skills and put them to better use.
Any thoughts/insight would be appreciated as I hop into my mid-life crisis before 30.
I always thought that architecture can play an interesting part in helping plan designs for affordable and regenerative housing. Most of the current designs are pretty shoddy because of the available materials, but some out-of-the-box thinking or maybe even rescuing some ancestral or aboriginal techniques could be really appreciated to find new ways to solve housing, water management, ergonomic design, leveraging social housing, etc.
I personally think you’ve chosen a real cool profession.