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ON THE MOVE ARUP NAMES BRIAN SWETT ITS NEW BOSTON OFFICE LEADER Arup , a global consulting, engineering, and design firm pioneering in urban sustainability and resilience in the built environment, announced that Brian Swett, Arup principal and Americas Cities Leader, has been appointed as the new Boston office leader to helm Arup’s Boston group. Swett is a nationally recognized expert on climate change and sustainable development with more than a decade of experience leading projects in the public and private sectors. As Boston office leader, Swett will lead the continued growth and impact of Arup’s Boston office by delivering top quality projects that provide social and economic value while enhancing sustainability and resilience. Swett led Arup’s recent work with Boston University, the Boston Green Ribbon Commission, and City of Boston to produce the buildings analysis for the Carbon Free Boston strategy, identifying policies and technologies to achieve building sector net carbon neutrality by mid-century. Arup’s Boston office has also undertaken the task of assessing 30 facilities across Partners HealthCare’s system to help them better understand how to prepare for and maintain continuity of service during climate change-driven natural disasters. “It is an honor to be taking on this role for Arup Boston. I look forward to working with
our clients and collaborators to continue producing exemplary projects and broadening our impact locally and around the world,” said Swett. Swett will continue to build Arup’s reputation as a leader in the design and delivery of smart infrastructure and high-performance buildings, parlaying the firm’s success on a wide range of projects into new opportunities. Arup’s Boston office portfolio includes the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Greenline Extension, which provides the first direct rail link to two of metro-Boston’s two densely populated and underserved areas; the John W. Olver Transit Center, the first net-zero energy transit center in the U.S.; and Northeastern University’s Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering Complex, an award winning high-performance building that exemplifies the combination of design aesthetics and sustainability. “We are excited that Brian will lead and grow a diverse and robust office capable of delivering the best of Arup to Boston,” said Andy Howard, chair of Arup Americas. “With Brian’s spearheading our Boston office, we look forward to progressing high quality work for our clients and ensuring positive impact in the communities our projects serve.” Swett joined Arup in 2015 to lead the firm’s Cities and Sustainable Real Estate business. He has played a key role overseeing Arup’s
involvement in major efforts to address climate change at the state and municipal level, including the Carbon Free Boston plan and the state of Massachusetts’ 80x50 emissions reduction planning initiative. He has also provided extensive sustainability and climate action insight for private sector developers and owners, including Boston Properties, Invesco, HYM, and Pembroke. Swett leads Arup Americas’ ongoing activities with C40, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network. He is currently serving as the co-chair of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Energy and Climate Leadership Council and serves on the Urban Land Institute’s Center for Sustainability and Economic Performance Advisory Board. Prior joining to Arup, Swett was the chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space for the city of Boston. Arup provides consulting, planning, engineering, and design services for the most prominent projects and sites in the built environment. Since its founding in 1946, the firm has consistently delivered technical excellence, innovation, and value to its clients, while maintaining its core mission of shaping a better world. The firm’s employee-ownership structure promotes independence, unbiased advice, and ongoing investment in joint research to yield better outcomes that benefit its clients and partners.
DAN PISELLI, from page 11
organizations provided scientific insight into bird behavior, habitat, and ecology, which, coupled with our technical expertise and previous experience, allowed us to address questions and concerns of a wide variety of stakeholders. The local chapter of the American Institute of Architects partnered with the BSBA in support of the legislation. 4)Spread the word. Depending on your objective, there are many avenues of communication you can utilize to get the message out and call your community to action. Your firm’s website is a natural starting point; use blog posts to keep your colleagues and coworkers up to date on activities. Engage with key individuals and organizations on social media. Write an op-ed or a letter to the editor of the local newspaper, or to relevant publications whose readers are a logical target for your cause. Local professional organizations often have a program of speakers; look into getting on their calendar to make a public presentation. In the end, our participation in advocacy paid off: NYC’s bird-safe construction bill was passed and it will lead to demonstrable change. As an architect, I am proud to have served as part of a team of professionals that helped and continues to help shape the built environment for the better. DAN PISELLI is director of sustainability at FXCollaborative. Dan has extensive experience on LEED projects in the U.S. and internationally, and has pioneered exploration of Passive House at FXCollaborative. He is also an industry leader on bird-friendly building design and is a board member of the Bird-Safe Glass Foundation. Dan recently presented FXCollaborative’s bird-safe building strategies at the AIA in Washington, D.C., for the DC Department of Energy and Environment. Contact him a dpiselli@fxcollaborative.com.
architects often use glass to connect people with nature, if done wrong, that glass can literally kill the nature we all seek to connect with. “In the end, our participation in advocacy paid off: NYC’s bird-safe construction bill was passed and it will lead to demonstrable change. As an architect, I am proud to have served as part of a team of professionals that helped and continues to help shape the built environment for the better.” 3)Build a team. Internally, a committee structure is a good way to organize your advocacy work. By delegating roles – who will be the face of your cause, who will coordinate communication, who will act as project manager, and so on – it will be easier to keep things on track and moving forward. Externally, investigate organizations that have a similar focus and decide if and how a strategic alliance could be mutually beneficial. To collaborate on bird-friendly building issues, we helped form the Bird-Safe Buildings Alliance to team up with other architects and avian experts at the American Bird Conservancy and NYC Audubon, among others. These
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THE ZWEIG LETTER MAY 18, 2020, ISSUE 1345
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