The Institute of Market Transformation recently published thought leadership pieces from women working on making a difference in achieving our energy efficiency goals. The leaders come from the worlds of city government, real estate, technology and nonprofit organizations. “Improving building design to reduce the impact of development on the natural environment – combining two of my passions – gives me joy and purpose,” says Charlotte Matthews, director of sustainability at Sidewalk Labs.
I love buildings—their architecture and design. In college, I realized that protecting the health of the environment—the air, water, and habitats on which life and economies depend—would be the defining mission for my life. Combining those two passions—improving building design to reduce the impact of development on the natural environment—gives me joy and purpose.
Getting the microgrid at Hudson Yards financed and into construction was the hardest and biggest thing I’ve accomplished in my career. But, what I am most proud of is the small contribution I’ve made to the larger building performance movement. Every budget constraint, technology risk, or challenging stakeholder that a project team overcomes to deliver a better-performing building sets a new floor for what people expect (and thus demand) of buildings moving forward. I have been a part of that progress.
I believe the collection and study of data, systems integration, and automation will enable buildings to perform much more effectively and efficiently than they do today. The real estate industry is really only just getting started in this space.
