Katie Ackerly on housing as the core of a resilient future

Design the Future

Katie Ackerly, a principal at David Baker Architects and the firm’s sustainable design lead, is committed to elevating the critical importance of high-performance, equitable housing as the essential core of a successful, resilient future.

Katie would like to see more focus on the big questions. “What is the value of housing to society?” she asks. “And why is it so expensive to build? If we can tackle the construction market, that would go a long way toward increasing the performance and resilience of homes for people and communities.” In addition to the many things that are usually associated with climate-responsive housing, she says, such as energy, water, materials, waste, and ecological impact, “we should also be talking about many layers of human experience. What about home improves the ability for people have a stable, thriving life? What allows them to be safe and well?”