On Tuesday, May 14th, we hosted our 7th annual Design Expo – Bringing Design Into Focus in Duluth, MN at Blacklist Brewing Co. As the event has grown over the years, we have prioritized presenting important, relevant, and cutting-edge topics that reflect our passion for architecture and design. More importantly, we aim to offer thought-provoking information and generate meaningful conversations to all attendees.
Our theme for 2024 was ‘Buildings + Beyond: Regenerative Architecture’. Amber Sausen and I began the presentation with an overview of regenerative design principles, highlighting environmental benefits, social and economic implications, challenges and barriers, alongside project case studies. We were honored to host an outstanding panel of local and regional thought-leaders who shared their perspectives on encountered barriers, necessary policy change, and inspirational examples within the regenerative architecture field. The panel consisted of Mindy Granley from the City of Duluth, Amber Sausen from Alliiance, Jerry Hall from St. Louis County, Benjamin Bahr from Emanuelson-Podas, and Lora Wedge from Ecolibrium3.
To share a fun takeaway from the presentation, as we were discussing the environmental benefits of regenerative architecture, we had a conversation around the mindset difference between the carbon footprint and the ecological handprint. Let’s unpack that a bit. A carbon footprint measures the total amount of greenhouse gasses emitted into the atmosphere. As Amber shared, if you were around in the 80s, you probably remember them coming out of your aerosol hairspray canisters. Today, we refer to CO2 equivalents which consider how much energy used and how many fossil fuels are being burned to operate a building, transport power, people, goods, and waste, and generate power supplied to this building? All of these discussions can get very heavy as we strive for net zero.
Flipping that concept around, UNESCO introduced the concept of the ecological handprint back in 2007. While discussions around carbon footprints focus on mitigating damage, the ecological handprint emphasizes positive impact, reflecting a regenerative mindset and sense of abundance. Instead of a scarcity mindset aiming for zero impact, the handprint mindset suggests that we can continually increase our positive contributions through our activities, choices, and the built environment. We can apply this to our personal and professional lives, striving to do as much good as possible and setting goals that go beyond merely ‘doing no harm’.
For those of you who have never attended one of our Design Expos, a standout feature beyond the presentations is our product tradeshow. This event wouldn’t be possible without the support of the vendors who participate each year. We ensure that the products they showcase align with the overall theme, and this year, every vendor exceeded expectations, as reflected in the high engagement levels from all attendees.
Our vendor lineup included Steelcase, DesignTex, LightArt, Cooper Lighting, OCL, Brintons, Carvart, Maya Romanoff, Tiger Leather, Turf Design, Arcadia – Encore, Biome, Spec Furniture, Tuohy, Lasting Impressions, Lanai, Cultura – Shaw Contract, Creative Zone – Shaw Contract, Connected Threads – Shaw Contract, Butterfly – Lightly, Glow Direct/Indirect – Lightly, and Standalone Unit – Lightglass. If you are looking for various product resources, please connect with any one of these companies. We greatly appreciate their commitment to this event, our firm, and the projects we undertake.
As attendance at this event continues to grow each year, our team is humbled by the support and remains committed to bringing these important topics to our community. We are eager to see what 2025 has in store as we begin the planning for our 8th annual event. If you have any suggestions or general questions about the event, we would love to hear from you!