As the built environment becomes increasingly aware of the environmental benefits of working with existing buildings and architectural contexts, it is equally important to take into account the social, cultural and economic impact of reuse and renewal within the built environment. Drawing upon the firm’s international portfolio of projects, SOM’s Kent Jackson and Karl Micallef will demonstrate how the interdisciplinary firm is developing and using new practices to inform a resilient and low-carbon built environment.
LEVERS OF CHANGE: SOM’s Approach to Sustainable Architecture
Date: Thursday 30th November, 2023
Venue: Museum of Archeology, Valletta
Time: 18:30hrs (Light Refreshments will be served at the start of the event)
Purchase Tickets Here
Architect Kent Jackson, SOM Design Partner
As a Design Partner at SOM in London, Kent leads the designs of a wide range of scales and typologies across the globe. Most significantly, these include the renovation of the United Nations’ Palais de Nations complex in Geneva and the nearly complete Karlatornet, Scandinavia’s tallest
building. Passionate about improving the future of planetary health, Kent is also a leader of SOM’s Climate Action Group, advancing the firm’s commitment for all active work to be net zero whole-life carbon by 2040.
As Global Ambassador for the World Green Building Council, he works to amplify the call to action for governments and policymakers to accelerate the transition to net-zero carbon buildings. Kent has also spoken widely at conferences and architectural schools around the world. In 2021, he
was invited by the United Nations to speak at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference. Last year, Kent spoke at TEDxGoodenoughCollege about Urban Sequoia: a revolutionary new concept to build regenerative cities.
Structural Engineer and Perit Karl Micallef, SOM Associate Principal
Karl joined SOM’s London studio in 2015 and has since worked on several significant projects as part of the Structural Engineering team. These include the recently completed Nine Elms Square in London, Scandinavia’s tallest building – Karlatornet – in Gothenburg, and Octagon Tower, due to
be the tallest building in Birmingham, the UK’s second-largest city.
Before joining SOM, Karl worked at Foster + Partners for two years. He graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering and Architecture degree from the University of Malta in 2006 after which he worked with DeMicoli + Associates on various projects in Malta and Libya.
Karl later obtained an MSc in earthquake engineering at Imperial College London and after working in the field for a year, pursued his PhD also at Imperial College. His research investigated the response of plated structures to blast loading and how high-performance steels and novel polymeric composite materials can be used to mitigate damage.
Karl is a chartered engineer and remains active in academia by helping to monitor student design projects at Imperial College and delivering taught and design modules at the University of East London as a Visiting Professor from the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is a global practice of architects, designers, engineers, and urban planners, responsible for some of the world’s most technically and environmentally advanced buildings and significant public spaces. From a strategic regional plan to a single piece of furniture, SOM’s designs anticipate change in the way we live, work and communicate, and have brought lasting value to communities around the world. The firm’s approach is highly collaborative, and its interdisciplinary team is engaged in a wide range of international projects, with creative studios based across the globe. SOM is a net zero emissions business. www.som.com
