Creating eco-friendly buildings that support sustainable development was the topic of Dezeen's third talk with Velux as part of the brand's online Build for Life conference.

The talk saw Dezeen founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs in conversation with Susanne Brorson, founder of Studio Susanne Brorson, Kasper Guldager, co-founder of Home.Earth, and James Drinkwater, head of built environment at the Laudes Foundation.

The discussion centred on the ways in which environmental systems can be designed to work in tandem with architecture in a bid to support sustainable development.

The speakers also considered the potential of modular buildings and prefabricated systems.

The discussion is one of three panel talks that Dezeen is hosting and live-streaming as part of the free Build for Life online conference. Find out about the Dezeen sessions here.

Brorson is director at Studio Susanne Brorson, which is based on the German island of Rügen.

She graduated from the Bauhaus University in Weimar in 2004 after having studied at Politecnico in Milan and the Bartlett School of Architecture in London.

She has taught at various institutions such as the Wismar University of Technology, where she was a visiting professor from 2019 to 2021, and the University of Riga, where she was a professor in the RISEBA Faculty of Architecture and Design.

Guldager is co-founder of European real estate company Home.Earth, which aims to develop urban communities that are inclusive and sustainable.

He is a visiting professor in architecture at institutions in Munich, Delft and Calgary, and has co-authored eco-related publications including Cradle to Cradle Manual and Building a Circular Future.

Guldager is also a circular economy advisor for the Danish Government and the City of Amsterdam and was recently appointed Chairman for the development of European Standards for Circular Construction.

Drinkwater is head of the Built Environment programme at Laudes Foundation – an independent foundation working to develop a more climate-positive global economy.

Having begun his career as an environment and climate change lawyer at global firm Linklaters, Drinkwater went on to work for the Royal Institute of British Architects.

He has also worked at World Green Building Council, the world's largest sustainable buildings network. Here, he worked as the organisation's first regional director for Europe.

Organised by window and skylight brand Velux, the Build for Life conference sees over 90 experts discuss climate-related issues and solutions in relation to architecture and infrastructure.

Download the programme here and register for the conference here.

Velux's Build for Life conference takes place online from 15 to 17 November 2021. For details of more architecture and design events, visit Dezeen Events Guide

Dezeen x Velux Build for Life

This article was written by Dezeen for Velux as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.