Victoria Watson leads ArchTam’s High-Performance Buildings team in California, overseeing sustainability consulting, high-performance and net zero building design, and energy simulation. With over 17 years’ experience working in both North America and Europe, she has spearheaded numerous net zero energy projects. Victoria partners with clients to realize their net-zero ambitions such as LEED Platinum, carbon neutrality, and resilience.

Tell us a bit about yourself – your role and career journey.

My journey into sustainability engineering was unexpected—I initially planned to attend medical school but soon realized my true career path lay elsewhere.

I didn’t realize it at the time but a key moment that led me to choose a career in engineering came when I was at high school and I heard a female engineer speak about her career. Her experiences of travel and innovation sparked my interest in engineering, though my real passion for it developed gradually over time. While studying engineering at the University of Manchester, I secured a six-month internship in ArchTam’s Advanced Design Group where I worked on performance-based design, renewable energy, and sustainability. This led to ArchTam sponsoring my last year of study and offering me a full-time position after graduation. That was 17 years ago!

My desire to grow led me to seek new opportunities and, through a timely connection, transitioned to ArchTam’s High-Performance Buildings team in Orange County, California, moving to the U.S. in 2013, where I now live with my husband and two children Noah and Sophie. Initially, I faced challenges adapting, but over the past decade, I’ve embraced them, growing into my current role as co-lead of ArchTam’s High-Performance Buildings and Communities Team in U.S. West.  Along the way, I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with remarkable individuals on transformative projects, further solidifying my passion for sustainability engineering.

Talk to us about a sustainable design or high-performance building project that has impacted or been a major highlight of your career. How is it solving the challenges and issues our clients and communities are facing today?

So many exciting projects come to mind, but one that stands out is the Intuit Dome, the new home of the LA Clippers located in Inglewood, California. I led the high-performance and sustainable design analytics for this incredible new NBA arena. Venues like Intuit Dome present invaluable opportunities for honing new skills and pioneering innovative processes. A significant challenge faced by our clients today is the imperative to decarbonize their assets and operations. In response, the Intuit Dome is not merely aiming for excellence; it has set a new standard as the first LEED v4/4.1 Building Design and Construction (BD+C): New Construction (NC) sports arena in the world.

Notably, its 2-megawatt solar panel array and 11-megawatt hour battery storage system underscores not only the arena’s and client’s commitment to sustainability but also ensures resilience and reliability in its energy infrastructure. Moreover, the vision for Intuit Dome wasn’t just focused on environmental impact during its design phase; it was equally dedicated to sustainable operations, leveraging their zero-waste room to sort and reduce waste from events.

Being part of this endeavor has been immensely fulfilling, emphasizing the significance of sustainability in our work and local impact.

What are some key design principles that you take into consideration when creating sustainable, high-performance buildings? 

The ethos behind high performance building design champions a collaborative, process-driven approach aimed at crystallizing a project’s vision and establishing tangible performance benchmarks. Our role involves translating our clients’ definition of what performance means for a project into a performance-based approach leveraging our multidisciplinary integrated teams to track and meet performance goals.   

In recent years, there’s been a notable pivot from energy efficiency towards addressing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon footprint comprehensively. This includes scrutinizing embodied and operational carbon, integrating renewable energy solutions, and exploring avenues for carbon offsetting.

Looking ahead, I anticipate a heightened emphasis on waste management, occupant well-being, resilience, and optimizing building controls. It’s imperative to recognize that we’re not designing for today alone; we’re shaping the built environment for future generations. As such, we must continue to evolve our approach to meet the ever-changing needs and priorities of tomorrow.

As the global lead for ArchTam’s High Performance Buildings Technical Practice Group (TPG), I am very fortunate to work with amazing colleagues who remain committed to delving deeper into these critical areas, driving innovation, and staying at the forefront of sustainable building design.

The US and California in particular is facing a host of environmental issues, such as wildfires, flooding, earthquakes, and extreme heat. How are we embedding resilience into our designs and engineering to mitigate the impact of these issues? Can you give any examples?

Resilience encompasses the capacity to prepare for, withstand, recover from, and adapt to adverse circumstances successfully. In our approach to design and engineering, we view resilience through the lens of encouraging resilient communities. For example, we recently completed Integrated Energy Resource Plans for three campuses within the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD), the largest community college system in the United States, catering to over 80 percent of students from underserved populations.

Central to these plans is the concept of a microgrid, leveraging innovative infrastructure that integrates renewable energy sources and battery energy storage systems to enable continuous operation of critical campus facilities, even in the face of extreme conditions or utility blackouts. For instance, during heatwaves or power outages, designated areas of the campus can function as cooling centers, providing essential relief to the community.

By prioritizing resilience in our designs and engineering solutions, we not only fortify the physical infrastructure of campuses but also strengthen the social fabric of the communities they serve, ensuring their ability to withstand and thrive in the face of adversity.

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The aviation sector stands at the forefront of one of the biggest challenges — how to grow and evolve while reducing its environmental impact. For airport operators, that means grappling with growing passenger demands, aging infrastructure, and an increasingly complex web of energy, carbon and resiliency targets.

Our team has been partnering with the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA) to create a comprehensive decarbonization roadmap for two of its airports: Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) Thurgood Marshall Airport and Martin State Airport. This roadmap supports both MAA’s priorities: to achieve compliance with state and federal climate legislation while preparing their infrastructure for future passenger and airline growth.

Our challenge was to help MAA to meet ambitious climate targets, including Maryland’s Climate Solutions Now Act goals of a 60 percent greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction by 2031 and net zero by 2045; while simultaneously accommodating terminal growth and enhancing system resilience.

Tools that visualize action

Our aim was to help MAA make sense of a very complex picture. To do that, we created several in-house energy and emissions modeling tools, including:

• Central energy plant analysis tool (CEPA), which allows us to rapidly simulate various plant configurations and identify cost-effective, lower-carbon solutions that align with future electrification goals.
• Microgrid modeling tools, which allow us to model the performance of on-site solar power, battery storage, diesel backup generation, and their ability to collectively maintain critical operations during grid outages. Beyond resilience, we explored how a microgrid could also reduce energy costs by selling power back to the utility when it’s economically viable.
• Digital twin technology, which shows exactly where new energy systems (solar PV arrays, battery storage, future electrified central plants) are located. This not only helps with internal communication and stakeholder buy-in but also serves as a planning tool that ties infrastructure improvements directly to capital investment decisions.

Metrics that inform decisions

Metrics are the backbone of any credible roadmap, and for MAA, we focused on three primary dimensions: 1) energy use, 2) GHG emissions, and 3) cost.

One of the most important strategies we had to deploy was the transition away from fossil fuels by electrifying legacy natural gas systems. This helped shift emissions from Scope 1 (on-site combustion) to Scope 2 (purchased electricity). At the same time, we modeled future electricity market scenarios in the PJM grid (which includes Maryland), where electricity prices are forecast to rise by as much as 30 percent. This dual focus allowed us to balance emissions reduction with cost resilience.

We also provided clarity on Scope 3 emissions, particularly those from airline operations, providing strategies for how MAA can influence reductions through collaboration with carriers, sustainable aviation fuel adoption, and more efficient airfield and gate operations.

Timelines that anchor implementation

We mapped each target to specific, timed actions and bundled them into short-, medium-, and long-term initiatives that integrated with MAA’s existing capital improvement plans. In effect, we transformed decarbonization from ambition into an embedded part of their growth strategy.

We helped MAA identify which projects they should advance now (e.g. electrifying existing systems, installing solar and storage) and which could be phased in later, ensuring each investment was justified not only environmentally, but financially and operationally.

Through a clear, actionable framework, we helped MAA move from planning to progress, with every decarbonization initiative supporting both their sustainability goals and long-term operational success.

For more information about our portfolio decarbonization and climate resilience services visit: Portfolio Decarbonization and Climate Resilience

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With over 11 years of experience in the energy sector, Laura Ducamp has developed a diverse range of sustainability skills, focusing on social impact. Currently, she coordinates our ESG scope of services in France, specializing in ESG performance and ratings, sustainability strategies, renewable energy technologies, environmental, social and human rights auditing, environmental and social international standards, and sustainable procurement. 

Laura’s experience covers a wide range of projects and programs at different scales and geographies, including Papua New Guinea, China, India and Mexico. Throughout her career, she has been involved in international projects, on environmental, social and economic development aspects.  

What inspired you to join the industry? 

I have always been deeply convinced of the need to adapt our societies to better preserve our environment and have always wanted to work towards this goal. Having always worked in large, well-structured companies in the field of sustainability (Total, EDF Renewables and EDF Group), I have observed the growing prominence of ESG issues and requirements for many years. The increasing complexity of this regulatory framework, coupled with the proliferation of stakeholders and ESG approaches, poses a real challenge for all companies, regardless of their size.  

I have experience working with sustainability teams at major energy companies. Joining ArchTam was a natural step for me, aligning with my desire to engage more closely with business issues in an international environment, to support both global and local companies in their sustainable transition, as well as continuing to develop sustainable practices internally. The advantage of consultancy work is that we acquire a tremendous amount of knowledge each day, the tasks are always varied, and we are able to stay thoroughly informed about societal developments. 

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?  

As a sustainability expert, it is hugely satisfying to see the current shift in corporate reporting to integrate environmental and societal impacts of their operations. Helping organizations on this journey is very rewarding.  

Supporting clients in decarbonizing their projects and assets — from field audits to net zero roadmaps, including energy consumption calculations and practical recommendations — is the most fulfilling work for me as it contributes in a very pragmatic and measured way to the necessary climate transition. To cite just one example, for one client we recommended an innovative energy-saving method, involving the application of a bio-based white paint on their building’s roof. This reduced the cooling needs and made it possible to install bifacial photovoltaic panels, significantly increasing solar energy production through sunlight reflection on the white surface. This solution also offered the advantage of causing less wear on air conditioning systems installed on the roofs, thanks to lower air exchange temperatures, and extended the lifespan of the roof coating by ten years compared to traditional solutions. 

I’ve also recently led an ESG monitoring project as part of a client’s data center development initiative. At the very beginning of the project, and with a multidisciplinary team, it was highly informative and constructive to analyze the key challenges of this rapidly growing sector. We were able to provide practical environmental and societal analysis, and recommendations that guided the client in their decision-making before the conceptual stages of the project progressed, and where most of the impacts can be mitigated. For example, we recommended recovering the fatal heat that otherwise is dispersed in its environment, combating electricity waste (Power Usage Effectiveness), supply from renewable energies, and even provided a guideline to lead stakeholder engagement. 

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community. 

A significant part of our activities is related to the environmental, building and construction sectors. Together, these sectors contribute to nearly 40 percent of global CO2 emissions and represent one of the priority sectors for necessary decarbonization. It is therefore crucial for our employees to be aware of the climate issues and to collectively explore concrete ways to reduce our impact. My team and I have been involved in raising awareness through the Climate Fresk NGO, which was established in France and runs climate related education workshops. 

This powerful network now has a global community of 1.6 million ‘Freskers’ raising awareness on the challenges of climate transition. Educating and empowering people to act, both at professional and personal levels, is key. Across ArchTam’s France and Benelux teams, we aim to train more than 200 employees in two to three years, alongside our annual training on Sustainable Legacies, our global ESG strategy. 

Share a piece of career advice. 

With determination, nothing is impossible (especially in the field of sustainability). It may take time, but when one is convinced of the value of an action, both for the environment and for our clients, interests often align. The key is to explain it clearly for it to come to fruition, and the art lies as much in the substance as in the form! We are currently at the tipping point where the notion of ESG is considered alongside the financial aspects of a company’s performance. To provide our clients with the best possible support, it’s now necessary to discuss ESG performance on all types of projects, and to incorporate these concepts at all levels. For example, we were able to strongly encourage certain clients to engage in a voluntary consultation process or to conduct a decarbonisation study on a building’s structure, which had not initially been considered. Our clients were very satisfied as these actions proved successful, reducing the project’s reputational risks and even significantly lowering its cost. 

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Christopher Williams joined ArchTam in 2023 as a sustainability consultant based in our Bristol office. His work covers a range of climate change and circular economy related aspects for infrastructure projects and clients in various industry sectors. He works on projects including environmental impact assessments, carbon lifecycle assessments and climate change risk assessments. His interest in the interconnectedness between climate change and biodiversity makes him a key part of the carbon team for ArchTam’s Natural Capital Laboratory. 

What inspired you to join the industry? 

I’ve always been passionate about the natural world, and for as long as I can remember, I’ve known that I wanted to work in the environmental sector. I also wanted a career where I could use my analytical skills, so I studied chemical engineering with the aim of getting into the broader environmental engineering field. My final year project at university focused on greenhouse gas calculations. This prepared me for a career in sustainability consulting, which I soon discovered was a fitting path for me to embark on.  

I am interested in the relationship between the natural environment and the built environment, so this role at ArchTam is a great fit for me. Here, I’m able to contribute towards sustainable development in the built environment, sometimes even on nationally significant infrastructure projects. I enjoy being in an industry where my day-to-day work can have a positive influence on the planet and its people. 

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?

One of my favourite ArchTam projects that I’ve worked on so far was a review of circular economy best practices in key industry sectors across the UK. This review was for a public sector client, with the aim of recommending how the client could promote circular economy in these industries. I had the opportunity to speak with stakeholders across industry and academia and hear first-hand their circular economy innovations, including the use of waste from the steel sector as a feedstock in the cement sector. This project was an exciting opportunity to share recommendations for how the client could further enable circular economy in these sectors, for example by regulatory changes. Circular economy is a key piece of the sustainability puzzle and has an important role to play in transitioning to a more sustainable society. 

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community. 

Working in sustainability in the built environment, I believe my work has a positive impact on the natural environment and the communities that are linked to these projects. One project I worked on was a climate change hazard assessment for a dairy company based in Northern Ireland. This company has members and suppliers across the region. The assessment looked at climate change hazards including changing temperature, changing precipitation, and droughts. The assessment has been one of the first steps in helping the farmers and value chain members understand the specific climate change risks facing their business, for example livestock heat stress. This informs how they can adapt to climate change and protect their business and livelihood, such as adapting livestock housing to be more resilient to changing temperatures. Although climate change is a global phenomenon, its impacts can be seen on the community level. This project was an opportunity to communicate this in a way which was relevant to the stakeholders, empowering them to take positive action. 

Share a piece of career advice. 

My educational background helped equip me with problem solving skills which are key to the work that I do, but it was not a traditional environmental or sustainability degree. I have learned a lot of the technical skills I use in my day-to-day work on the job. Don’t be afraid to jump into opportunities that interest you, even if they are outside your comfort zone. The best way to learn new things is to get involved. 

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With so many paths to choose from, navigating a new career in sustainability can be daunting. That’s why seven of recent starters in ArchTam’s Carbon & ESG team — are keen to share their personal experiences to help others entering the field.

Whether you’re wrapping up your studies or thinking about switching careers, we hope these stories and tips will inspire and guide you towards a new career in sustainability. As you’ll see, their diverse backgrounds and routes into this sector demonstrate that there is no single path to success.

Below, they have answered some commonly asked questions to help you navigate your own career path.

First, who are the Carbon & ESG team and what do they do?

Our Carbon & ESG team, comprising 70 consultants in offices across the United Kingdom and Ireland, has been advising infrastructure, energy and industrial clients on sustainability and governance issues for over two decades.

Through our work, we enhance the resilience of businesses and projects, with a special focus on achieving net zero carbon, fostering climate resilience, advocating for the circular economy, promoting social equality, and creating positive social outcomes.

What experience is required to begin a career in sustainability consulting?

Career growth in our field doesn’t have to follow a fixed path; in fact, we value and embrace diverse experiences and backgrounds.

Many of the team members have specialised in sustainability, climate change and carbon studies, while others have backgrounds in broader environmental sciences like geography, biology and geology. We also have colleagues who have joined from specialist fields.

For example, Sustainability Consultant Lizzie Holmes studied biological sciences and worked in forestry for two years before completing a master’s degree in climate change science and policy.

“Subject-specific knowledge is obviously useful, but I think life experience can be a massive help for getting into roles,” says Lizzie.

Adam Bavington, a graduate sustainability consultant, echoes the importance of having versatile experience.

“The current graduate market is saturated with talented individuals so it’s important to stand out with real-life, transferable skills,” says Adam. “For me, these included skills from sports leadership roles, part-time work, and even voluntary work.”

Graduate Becca Payling credits her involvement in extracurricular activities, such as chairing her university’s environmental society and copyediting for a student-led magazine, as providing a strong foundation for her career.

While technical skills and knowledge certainly matter, possessing leadership and organizational skills — coupled with a passion for positive social and environmental change — is equally crucial in forging a successful career in sustainability consulting.

How does ArchTam support new starters?

One of the ways we support graduate new starters is by enrolling them in ADVANCE, our early careers development program. This initiative is designed to smoothly transition graduates into the professional environment, while providing them with ample opportunities to network with colleagues across different teams throughout the UK and Europe.

Natalie Bell, another graduate sustainability consultant, joined ArchTam after completing her Master of Science in carbon management at the University of Edinburgh. Despite her limited industry experience, she found it was an easy shift from academia to a corporate environment.

“One of the biggest benefits of working at ArchTam is the variety of projects that you get to work on,” says Natalie. “It really gives you a sense of how broad the team is and helps you recognise your strengths, and the route you’d like to follow.”

Meanwhile, sustainability consultant Christopher Williams came to ArchTam with two years’ experience from a small ESG advisory firm in South Africa.

“It was a big change moving to a much larger company (let alone in a different country). But it has impressed me how welcoming and supportive the team has been,” says Christopher. “I have had the opportunity to use the skills from my previous job — but also to grow and explore new facets of sustainability.”

What skills are necessary for a career in sustainability consulting?

Since joining the team, they have all learned new technical skills and refined existing ones — ranging from specialist software for life cycle assessments to analysing climate change projections.

But it’s not just about the technical know-how. As you enter this field, consider how you manage your time and the way you communicate with others as both these skills will be crucial.

Henry Rousham, who joined ArchTam in 2022 as a graduate air quality consultant before transitioning to the Carbon & ESG team as a sustainability consultant, explains that because of the variety of tasks he could be working on for multiple clients at any given time, he’s been able to develop and nurture these skills on the job.

In this fast-paced, evolving industry, we are continually learning, no matter our career level. Therefore, we also recommend that those considering starting a new career in sustainability should stay abreast of the latest policies and regulations. This will help you understand how current and future trends relate to the challenges and opportunities of private and public organizations.

What does a typical day involve as a sustainability consultant?

Given the dynamic nature of consultancy work, no two days are the same at ArchTam. One day you might be involved in meetings with stakeholders and carrying out technical project work; the next day you could be working on proposal writing and business development.

Working within a multidisciplinary team also means you’ll get to regularly collaborate with experts from different fields — enriching your experience and broadening your perspective.

“Every day I come to work and feel stretched (in the best way possible) and know that I still have so much to learn,” says Meegan Worcester, who joined ArchTam in October 2023 as a graduate sustainability consultant. “It is such a fast-paced industry, which not only makes it exciting to learn more on-the-go, but it also allows me to try a bit of everything and figure out what I want to specialise in later in my career.”

For Christopher, his role at ArchTam brings daily fulfilment.

“It is rewarding to know that I am part of a team helping nationally significant infrastructure projects becoming more sustainable.”

How does ArchTam support professional growth and work-life balance?

Our Carbon & ESG team delivers a broad range of services for clients in different sectors, which allows the team members to recognise their strengths, what they most enjoy working on and identify the route they would like to follow to achieve their career aspirations.

Members of the team with a particular interest in circular economy, for example, have had the opportunity to participate in projects such as engaging with organisations across different industry sectors regarding circular economy best practice, or facilitating quarterly meetings with the Forum for Circular Economy.

Additionally, ArchTam’s Freedom to Grow framework provides the flexibility to work in the way our teams feel most productive and energised. As well as enabling new starters to reach their full potential, this initiative opens opportunities for new them to work in different offices, expanding their networks within the company.

“Coming from a smaller company, joining ArchTam has taught me how to work in a much bigger, more varied and dynamic team,” reflects Christopher. “It has also broadened my technical sustainability skillset, building above and beyond my previous experience.”

He adds that ArchTam’s emphasis on Freedom to Grow offers him flexibility when he needs to balance his work and personal commitments.

What about extra-curricular activities and social events?

Whether you’re into running and five-a-side football or boardgames, book clubs and weekly wellness walks, there are extracurricular activities for everyone at ArchTam. Engaging in these activities not only allows you to pursue personal interests but also helps to expand your network within the company.

Each of our 16 offices across the UK and Ireland has a dedicated Green Team, which coordinates environment-friendly initiatives such as promoting active travel or taking part in Veganuary.

Lizzie, Henry and Becca each co-lead their respective office Green Teams and share that this has been a good way to network beyond their team, including the other businesses in the office building as well as the wider community.

ArchTam also encourages employees to use two paid Social Value Days annually, enabling them to give back to their communities — from volunteering at a local charity to giving a talk on the valuable work our teams are doing. The choice is ultimately up to you how you spend these hours, so have a think about the causes that you’re passionate about and have a look at opportunities in your local area. You never know what you might find!

Get ready to make a difference

We hope these experiences from our new starters have helped shed a light on the opportunities open to you in this expansive and varied field — as well as given you an insight into the day-to-day workings of our Carbon and ESG team.

As sustainability consulting becomes increasingly vital in today’s world, remember that success in this career is not just about technical expertise. Effective communication and time management skills paired with an openness to continual learning are also key.

Keep these points in mind, and you’ll be well on your way to making a meaningful impact in the world of sustainability.

To explore current opportunities at ArchTam, click here and for graduate opportunities, click here. Read more on how we’re helping our clients build Sustainable Legacies.

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Calum Thompson is ArchTam Buildings + Places’ Energy Planning Lead based in California. He leverages his extensive experience of buildings and infrastructure modeling to develop decarbonization and resilience plans for campuses and portfolios.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself – your role and career journey

I’ve been with ArchTam for 13 years based in the Orange County, New York and Edinburgh offices. I grew up in Scotland and from an early age I knew I wanted to do something with sustainability — something that would play a role in helping to fight climate change. I did a degree in enviro-mechanical engineering at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. After graduation, I volunteered with the organization Engineers Without Borders on a project in India to research the use of biogas to produce clean and accessible power in rural communities. When I got back, I started my first industry job as a sustainability master planner in London.

My first role at ArchTam, in 2010, involved developing Excel-based models for feasibility assessments of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects across facility portfolios such as cities and military campuses. This grew into developing larger, more sophisticated models that could evaluate a range of scenarios from the impact of policy on future carbon emissions, optimize the operation of battery storage systems, or create phased decarbonization roadmaps for entire building portfolios. These models now serve as the foundation for our Energy Planning team’s core services: the development of strategic decarbonization plans and data-driven energy system design.

2. Talk to us about a project that has impacted or been a major highlight of your career. How is it solving the challenges and issues our clients and communities are facing today?

I think most engineers love the projects that actually get built. I’ve spent 90 percent of my career in strategic planning or energy systems master planning, which can have long lead times and are often very different once (and if) they’re realized. I was fortunate enough to work on the design of National Western Center (NWC) district energy system in Denver. Completed in 2022, it’s currently the largest sewer heat recovery district energy system in North America.

My role in the project involved design conceptualization, feasibility assessment, and business case development of the system as part of the wider ArchTam design team. We used energy master planning as the basis of design and worked with engineers and experts across the world in areas such as sewer, water, heat recovery and wastewater systems to implement a decarbonized energy system by electrifying heating systems in cold environments. By taking advantage of the wastewater connection, providing more than 90 percent of the heating and cooling needed for the campus, the system avoids 2,600 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent and over 15 million gallons of water per year. This project demonstrates one great way to solve the biggest pressing issue for mitigating ongoing emissions from our buildings — decarbonizing heat. 

3. Different sectors are at different stages of maturity when it comes to their energy transitions. How are we helping our clients implement decarbonization strategies and roadmaps to achieve their net zero goals?

Different sectors certainly vary and even within individual sectors, such as cities or higher education, there are wide variations to our clients’ readiness to act now. Some may not yet understand their existing energy performance or have established goals they’re working towards. Others have already implemented and are teaching us about how it can be done.   

One example is our recent work with the San Diego Gas and Electric facilities team. They had publicly announced a net zero target, but while they made great strides in the implementation of solar and established net zero requirements for new buildings, they didn’t know what else should be done and by when. In cases like this, we can help our clients to set their own vision — by educating stakeholders and conducting workshops to help them define their targets, strategies, and lay out the initial foundation to further quantify their current performance by reviewing their energy use data.

In addition to developing technical energy projects, we also help to identify organizational, educational, and financing strategies for our clients, developing a final action plan which is reflective of what is realistically achievable for that organization. Our role is to make each roadmap bespoke and unique to each individual client, empowering them to implement it successfully.

4. How do you utilize the latest technological advancements and strategies to help clients in different industries with their decarbonization efforts.

There are two primary ways that technology advancement impacts our work:

1. Using the right tools to support our work. Internally, we are constantly innovating to accelerate processes through data analytics and feasibility assessments, allowing us to do it more cost-effectively, easily, and robustly at an early stage. For instance, I led the development of Rosetta, a web-based analytics platform funded by ArchTam’s Global Challenge — a global employee ideation competition. It allows us to rapidly model energy demands of facility portfolios and the projects that can help meet the client’s carbon, cost and resilience goals. Like all the tools we develop, it’s about making smarter decisions faster. Externally, we support our clients to develop their own technological innovations. We are currently supporting a national lab to develop a new type of infrastructure planning model to understand the infrastructure implications of different planning scenarios, and to quantify and visualize the impacts on electrical infrastructure.

2. Understanding available emerging technologies. There’s currently a lot of innovation and development in energy systems for decarbonization including batteries, solar systems, heat pumps to hydrogen. Our responsibility is not only to understand the technologies and where they might apply, but also to know about procurement, market availability, performance, reliability, and associated components so we can accurately advise our clients on how to incorporate them most effectively.

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Diana Edwards is our climate resilience manager based in San Francisco. She began her career as a field biologist 11 years ago before returning to school for environmental planning, specializing in climate change and sea level rise adaptation. She worked on the climate change vulnerability assessment and adaptation plan for Metrolink and the city of Davis, California, mitigating climate impacts on rail networks, increasing extreme weather responses and enhancing the well-being of affected communities.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself – your role and career journey   

I manage ArchTam’s climate resilience practice in San Francisco.  I started my career at ArchTam more than 11 years ago as a field biologist. Initially, I loved working outdoors and contributing to projects in their final stages, after the designs had been completed. My role was field based which involved safeguarding wildlife and rare plants during the construction phase.

As I progressed in my role, I realized I wanted to be involved at the beginning of the planning process, so that I could be more effective in my efforts to protect natural resources by helping to shape elements of projects such as decisions to locate projects away from sensitive habitats. This led me to a pivotal decision in my career – to return to school to study environmental planning, with the intention of participating in projects right from the start. During my time in graduate school, I studied environmental planning with a focus on climate change and sea level rise adaptation.

2. Talk to us about a project that has impacted or been a major highlight of your career. How is it solving the challenges and issues our clients and communities are facing today? 

A particular highlight of my career has been working on the execution of the climate change vulnerability assessment and adaptation plan for Metrolink, the regional commuter rail in Southern California’s Los Angeles area. 

As climate impacts increase in frequency and intensity, the interior temperatures in the state of California just keep getting hotter and hotter. Metrolink was starting to see a lot of impacts on their rail networks. For instance, rail lines beginning to misalign and warp at high temperatures. These issues required either halting rail services or enforcing slow orders to navigate affected areas with caution. This adversely affects transit-reliant communities, leaving them exposed to scorching weather while waiting for trains, impacting human health.

Our project focused on identifying system vulnerabilities, spanning extreme heat, wildfires, droughts, sea level rise, and flooding – and adopting a comprehensive multi-hazard approach. We also devised strategies and made recommendations to enhance the system’s resilience which were swiftly implemented by Metrolink. Within the following year, Metrolink subsequently revised their design criteria guidelines and are continuing to implement some of our strategies. This includes innovations like station designs geared towards providing ample shading during extreme heat, as well as improving the materials and construction of the rail to reduce misalignment. Witnessing our planning work manifest into tangible on-ground actions was really exciting and rewarding.

3. How is some of the work you are doing supporting cities to adapt to challenges such as sea-level rise or extreme weather changes? 

We recently completed the climate action and adaptation plan in the city of Davis, California, focusing particularly on the issues of extreme heat and flooding.

Throughout our planning process, we collaborated with the city to identify opportunities to increase their extreme weather responses. One such measure involved establishing cooling centers and clean air facilities during wildfire smoke events. This straightforward approach exemplifies how we can effectively pinpoint vulnerabilities and solutions to assist both the communities and clients we serve.  We always aim to identify reasonable strategies that can mitigate those vulnerabilities, especially in disadvantaged communities where initiatives need to be directed toward areas that can yield maximum outcome. Building resilience hubs in areas of lower income or without car access can have a really significant impact.

4. Share an example of a project where your climate adaptation solutions have positively impacted the local communities which we serve. 

I’m currently working with the city of Palo Alto in Northern California to craft their sea level rise and adaptation plan. This project entails examination of potential future flood scenarios. We’re addressing both the risk of levee overtopping and the complex implications stemming from groundwater dynamics. Groundwater presents challenges since it can spread contaminants underground, posing threats to clean drinking water and public health. I’m working with our teams in Northern California to try to understand how those contaminant blooms may occur, and then figure out how to best mitigate this issue since contaminated soils also overlap heavily with disadvantaged communities, which is prevalent in many areas.

This calls for a holistic approach – one that aligns climate adaptation objectives with social resilience, and at the same time lifting vulnerable communities. The stakes are high, as groundwater issues can compromise infrastructure integrity, causing roads, rail, and buildings to breakdown. Ultimately, all the infrastructure that we help deliver is here to serve people, and so our thought process circles around the interconnectedness of those elements. How can we enhance infrastructure resilience, advance client objectives, and uplift the communities these systems cater to? So, when we’re approaching a project, we prioritize what we can do to improve resilience for the infrastructure itself, improve resilience for the client and improve resilience for the communities.

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