Architect, planner, and activist bringing design leadership, creative group facilitation, expertise and advocacy to organizations working to advance inclusive and equitable sustainable design solutions. Project types include academic and student life facilities for K-12 schools, colleges and universities, workplaces for mission driven organizations, and urban design and planning that advances equity, sustainability and resilience.

With 30 years of experience designing high performance buildings, campuses and urban neighborhoods, I am a passionate advocate for the “next” sustainable design agenda, which integrates architecture and planning to find synergies between high performance buildings, infrastructure, and community development strategies that build equity and resilience.

Lead author of two editions of “The HOK Guide to Sustainable Design,” one of Wiley’s best-selling sustainable design texts, and with work widely published in print and on the internet, I speak often at universities, conferences and industry events. Current research and writing focuses on the dual challenges of resilience and social equity.

Specialties: Architecture, urban design, planning, visioning, programming, community engagement, sustainable design, EcoDistrict planning, resilience planning

Show Highlights

• Why you never share more than 5 ideas or concepts at a time
• Building pedagogy. Buildings that are performing on multiple levels. 
• Hear about the various projects from her career in green building 
• How to redesign our communities now so that we're more resilient and prepared 
• Downturns in the economy provided a big opportunity in Sandy’s career. How she knew when to make changes.
• The challenge on the issues of sustainability and systemic inequality
• Sandy explains why general sustainability and reduction isn’t a big enough impact. 
• A good designer creates something that solves problems proactively and adds their voice to the solution

“I think we need to look beyond individual buildings; into the patterns of development in the way neighborhoods are built. We have to find the way as architects, to not just work where the most resources are, but to also work where there aren't enough resources. We can unlock a lot of opportunity and a lot of great things through designs.”

--Sandy Mendler

118:Sandy Mendler Transcript

Show Resources

• Sandy Mendler
• The Value of Everything: 
• Sustainability | Chatham University
• The HOK Guidebook to Sustainable Design: 

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