Reducing the embodied carbon

Tuesday, 28 October 2025
13:30 h – 15:00 h

Moderator: Yvette Audet, IAKS Vice President, Australia

Net-zero ambitions, resilient communities, and sustainable design are redefining how sport and recreation facilities are conceived and built. 

These presentations explore how generational design thinking, advanced performance standards, and innovative materials can transform energy-intensive community spaces into catalysts for positive environmental and social impact. From re-imagining recreation centres to achieve net-zero emissions, to challenging best practice in public architecture, to showcasing the power of mass-timber in long-span arenas, each talk offers strategies and inspiration for creating facilities that reduce carbon, elevate performance, and strengthen community capacity in the face of climate change and evolving social needs.

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Speaker line-up

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As a Principal at hcma architecture + design, Paul is interested in bridging the gap between communities and the built environment. He believes transformative change can happen at any scale and has led projects ranging from a children’s playhouse to the award-winning təməsew̓ txʷAquatic and Community Centre.

Paul Fast Principal, hcma architecture + design, Canada

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Since joining MJMA in 1997, Jeanne plays a key role in advancing public architecture as a catalyst for individual and community wellbeing. Her diverse portfolio includes projects that have driven social and environmental impact, such as the Regent Park Aquatic Centre – designed with groundbreaking inclusivity – and the Western North York Community Centre, one of Canada’s first netzero energy aquatic facilities.

Jeanne N Partner, MJMA Architecture + Design, Canada

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Chris is a Design Principal at Opsis Architecture with over 26 years of experience leading transformative athletic projects across the Western United States. He guides the firm’s sports practice, shaping sustainable, community-focused facilities that reflect campus identity. His work includes the award-winning, mass timber ICCU Arena at the University of Idaho, exemplifying his commitment to student-athlete wellness and resilient design.

Chris Roberts Design Principal, Opsis Architecture, USA

Beyond net zero: re-imagining sport and recreation facilities for maximum positive impact 
Paul Fast, Principal, hcma architecture + design, Canada

Community centre design needs to find a response to climate change. In this talk, Paul will discuss thoughts such as: (1) Healing the land - how can building design be used to regenerate our planet, not just minimize resource consumption, (2) Single-use is dead - how recreation facility design needs to embrace a more versatile, adaptable programme offering to be climate responsive, (3) Beyond carbon - strategies to connect human behaviour to sustainability to enhance outcomes.


Advancing net-zero emissions standards in public architecture
Jeanne Ng, Partner, MJMA Architecture + Design, Canada

Public architecture can do more. Not only can it catalyze change in policy, approval processes, and the construction industry - it’s a critical component to building resilient communities in the face of a changing climate and rising inequities. Coupled with the act of design must be the imperative to initiate discussions - challenging the status quo with stakeholders, authorities having jurisdiction, sub-consultants, and clients alike. Delivering buildings which will outperform existing high performance standards requires a reconsideration of best practice that will make way for better outcomes.


Utilizing mass-timber for long-span sports arenas
Chris Roberts, Design Principal, Opsis Architecture, USA

Designed as a forward-thinking model for the next generation of sports facilities, the mass timber ICCU Arena showcases how locally sourced wood can reduce embodied carbon while elevating design. By partnering with regional foresters and manufacturers, the project embraces the regional character and spirit, creating a low-carbon, high-impact venue that connects community, performance and sustainability in a bold new way.