18B — September 26 - October 9, 2014 — Green Buildings — M id A tlantic
Real Estate Journal
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G reen B uildings Founding partner of the Green Building Center talks sustainability & architecture Twenty questions with movers & shakers: Jason Kliwinski discusses sustainable design
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for different reasons. 9. What one word would you like others use to
Generations of families had owned and lived/vacationed here. In partnership with
career in the green building industry, requiring a mini- mum of ten years experience to be eligible. Unlike a LEED Accredited Professional that you can take a test to earn the credential for, this is some- thing that is awarded based on merit and judged nation- ally by USGBC and the most experienced professionals in the field today. You have to submit your credentials, portfolio, and history in the profession for them to review. I didn’t get it the first time, second time was the charm in 2012. 18. What do you hope to achieve professionally before you retire? I hope to continue doing what I am doing, which is creating a culture of sustain- ability one building, one com- munity, one State at a time using every tool available to me…education, design, and construction. I don’t think I will ever retire. I expect I will be one of those architects that works until he drops, like Frank Lloyd Wright. As Ozzy Osborne once said…retire- ment sucks! 19. What type of music do you listen to and do you play any instruments? My musical tastes are very eclectic and depend on my mood. I listen to everything just about including clas- sical, jazz, new age, rock, blues, reggae, a little heavy metal, grunge and so on. The only music I am really not in to much is pop. You could say I play an instrument. I’ve always liked the drums and played percussion (not a drum kit but the congas, bijos, dumbeck style drums) for a while. I can keep a rhythm and make up my own occasionally. 20. What one piece of advice would you give someone who wanted to follow in your footsteps? There’s more of a road map out there today to creating sustainable buildings and communities than there was twenty years ago when I got in to this profession but there are still a lot of questions and unexplored and unknown technologies and strategies to come I am sure. My advice is be creative and think for yourself. Don’t wait for some- one to tell you the solution… find it for yourself. n
ason Kliwinski is one of the most recognized names in sustainable de s i gn
4. What project in your career has been the most humbling? Probably the Microsoft School of the Future. Until that point, I had worked on projects with a lot of sustain- able pieces but that was the first, and very high profile project, where it all came together. 5. What project in your career has made you per- sonally, the most proud? There’s a lot of work I am really proud of but I would say the Holmes-Rulli resi- dence is probably the one. It was the first new build- ing I designed from scratch through my own firm which also achieved LEED certifi- cation and net zero electric energy. 6. With what project do you wish that you had been involved? I would really like to have been involved with the re- building of New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. People like Brad Pitt who got involved with rebuilding it green were a great inspira- tion. 7. Where do you feel the most significant growth will occur in sustainabil- ity in the next two years and how will you manage those changes? There’s two areas really. I think the increased use of Building Information Model- ing (BIM) to develop projects will change the profession as we know it and allow greater integrative design and higher sustainability levels to be achieved. The second is in the technology of buildings themselves which is always changing. As we develop more sustainable finishes, higher efficiency systems, and smarter and more inter- active facades the impact of buildings on the environment will continue to lessen while human health and comfort increase. 8. Are you most inspired by the challenges of retro- fitting an existing build- ing or working collabora- tively to design and build a new building? Both have their pros and cons. One of the things I love about this profession is the variety of work. I wouldn’t want to do just one or the other so I like both equally
in the coun- try. One of o n l y 1 2 0 LEED Fe l - lows in the world, Jason has a repu- tation as a p r a gma t i c
“As we develop more sustainable finishes, higher efficiency systems, and smarter and more interactive facades the impact of buildings on the environment will continue to lessen while human health and comfort increase.”
AIA-NJ, the City of Brick, and the home owners asso- ciation of Camp Osborne, we organized the community to plan and rebuild green. We spent a weekend with this group visioning and then developing ideas for recon- structing the community in a more sustainable way. The current zoning laws would never allow the community to be rebuilt as it had devel- oped over the last 50 years so we worked with the town and community to change the current zoning and come to a compromise to rebuild as closely as possible to the same feel and character while modernizing and improving safety. 14. If you could be a su- per hero, who would you be and why? Superman I think…he can pretty much do what every other superhero could com- bined in to one and is virtu- ally indestructible. I’d like to be able to fly too…. 15. Is there an archi- tectural style for which you would most like to be known? No not really. There are styles that inspire me but the language of sustainable design and the styles that really make it sing have yet to be seen I believe. If I had a style to be known for it would be for not having one and de- signing buildings that best fit their place and purpose. 16. What misconception about sustainability do you find most frustrating? That it costs too much. 17. What is a LEED Fel- low and how has earning that designation changed your career? An LEED Fellow is the highest level of credential a professional in the business of sustainable design or con- struction can earn from the US Green Building Council. It is a testament to the exper- tise, longevity, well-round- edness, and passion of one’s
describe you? What word would you use to describe yourself? The word I’d like others to use to describe me is passion- ate. The word I’d probably use to describe me is tena- cious. 10. Are you a glass half full or a glass half empty person? I am a ‘there is no glass’ person. 11. Do you have a daily ritual? How do you start each day? Everyone has a ritual of sorts I imagine. Mine is wak- ing up as late as possible, getting dressed for whatever my day holds, having a cup of coffee, and getting on the road with my music to kick- off the day. I am a night-owl and prefer to work until the small hours. 12. What types of projects are you most interested in pursuing and why? At this point in my career, I feel I can design very sustain- able buildings confidently. I am looking for bigger impact and bigger picture things like carbon neutrality master planning and net zero energy design on a community and regional scale. The reason for this is I feel the need to cur- tail our reliance on fossil fuel more urgently now than when I started fifteen years ago. Just looking at the frequency of major storm events, wars around oil, and increased pol- lution, in addition to the glob- al consensus finally reached on climate change in general, are all ground to be ever more concerned and doubling our efforts on sustainability. 13. You provide some services pro bono for char- ity and community orga- nizations. What pro bono project has been most inspiring? The one that comes to mind first is Camp Osborne. This beach front community in Brick NJ was completely de- stroyed by Hurricane Sandy.
J. Kliwinski
architect and passionate advocate of sustainability. The founding partner of the Green Building Center , co-founder of the New Jer- sey Chapter of the US Green Building Council , and former president of the AIA-NJ , Jason currently serves as the North east re- gional chair of the Committee on the Environment for the American Institute of Archi- tects, chair of the Resiliency Committee for USGBC-NJ, and teaches as an adjunct professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology at the School of Architecture in their Sustainable Certificate and Minor in Sustainability programs. Jason is also the director of sustainability for Parette Somjen Architects in Rockaway. 1. Was there a single incident or event that in- spired you to become an architect? Not really. My interests in science, math and art early in school led me to profession of architecture which I consider a perfect blend of the three. 2. Other than family, who has inspired you the most in your career? I’d have to say….another architect, David Gibson who was my first employer, men- tor, and now friend. His knowledge of historic pres- ervation and encouragement of my interests early in my career in sustainable design had a major influence on who I am today as an Architect. 3. When did you first feel that you had “made it” professionally? When people started seek- ing me out for my knowledge and expertise in sustainable design I felt I had arrived. Right around that time I was offered a spot teaching as an adjunct professor on the subject of sustainability at NJIT, which also really meant a lot to me.
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