In this session of This Is CDR week we welcome Yasemin Kologlu and Aaron Zeligs, Design Director and Design Associate for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s (SOM) New York office. Yasemin and Aaron will present Urban Sequoia, a brilliant proposal to use architecture, design and planning to reinvent the urban built environment into a network for absorbing carbon. The project initially premiered at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow in November. Taking inspiration from natural processes and ecosystems, the plan envisions “forests” of buildings that sequester carbon and produce biomaterials to create a new carbon economy and a resilient urban environment.
Hosted by Chris Neidl and Megha Raghavan.
ABOUT OUR PRESENTERS Yasemin Kologlu is a design director in SOM’s New York office. Kologlu adopts a forward-thinking and holistic approach to design that integrates wellbeing, environmental design, and technology. She is a strong advocate for equality, diversity, and innovation in the design industry. Kologlu joined the firm in 2004 and has since worked in SOM’s New York and London offices. Her portfolio of completed projects is diverse—it includes innovative headquarters, near-zero-energy offices, and net zero-carbon residential and mixed-use developments. Kologlu is an industry recognized leader and mentor in sustainable design and construction. She is a founder and firm-wide leader of SOM’s Climate Action Group, which promotes stronger sustainable practices in our built environment. She is part of the Carbon Leadership Forum NY (CLFNY) Steering Committee, AIA New York’s Committee on the Environment (COTE), and the Building Energy Exchange (BE-Ex) Architect Advisory Council, and has contributed to multiple industry advisory groups to help shape New York City and State policies on carbon and energy.
Aaron Zeligs is a design associate in SOM’s New York Office. In his work he seeks to negotiate the contact point between Architecture and Engineering with a focus on complex, mixed-use, tall buildings. Interweaving a sense of local culture and site ecologies into his work, he is interested in New Modalities for Urban placemaking and Architectural Design. Aaron leverages a unique design perspective as a prior aerospace engineer, integrating architecture, sustainable technology, and performance oriented design. Academically, Aaron looks to create new dialogues around digital technologies and computational tools, pursuing emerging material research and contemporary carbon theory. Aaron holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the US Air Force Academy, and a M-Arch from The University of California, Los Angeles.