Building the Next Generation of Urban Infrastructure
Founded in 1965, Gensler is a global architecture and design firm working across sectors including urban development, commercial real estate, and civic infrastructure. SBN Detroit sat down with Najahyia Chinchilla, senior associate and sustainability consultant, to discuss mass timber, embodied carbon, and what sustainable construction means for Southeast Michigan. Q: Why is wood re-emerging right now as a serious option for large-scale, urban construction? A: Mass timber blends strength, sustainability, and design quality in ways few materials can. Wood has been used for centuries, but today’s engineered timber products – CLT, glulam, DLT, and NLT – bring a new level of precision, consistency, and performance that aligns with modern building requirements, including strict quality control and predictable fire resistance. Another driver is the industry’s increasing focus on reducing embodied carbon. Compared to steel and concrete structural systems, mass timber can significantly lower a project’s carbon footprint. At the same time, sustainably managed forests contribute to carbon sequestration and biodiversity, while modern processing methods reduce waste. Wood’s lighter weight also cuts fuel use and emissions during transportation, particularly when sourced regionally. From a delivery standpoint, mass timber offers compelling schedule advantages. Prefabricated components, lighter assemblies, and the ability to sequence work in parallel can meaningfully shorten construction timelines, an increasingly important factor for clients who need projects delivered quickly and efficiently. Q: Detroit and the Midwest have long been defined by steel, concrete, and manufacturing. How does mass timber challenge or complement that legacy? A: Mass timber is highly complementary. Michigan was once the nation’s top lumber producer, giving the region a timber legacy that predates its steel and concrete era. At Gensler, we’re designing hybrid systems, such as Fifth + Tillery in Austin, that combine timber and steel to modernize existing structures. For each project, we partner with clients, engineers, and contractors to select the right system based on performance, sustainability goals, schedule, and budget. As mass timber gains momentum for its lower embodied carbon, it is also prompting steel and concrete industries to innovate and compete. Q: How do projects like the tall timber work featured at the MSU Tall Timber exhibit help shift conversations about what sustainable urban buildings can look like? The MSU Tall Timber exhibit, at Chrysler House (open until March, 2026), is a great way to broaden the conversation across the design and construction industries, real-estate community, property owners and the public on what is possible. The exhibit includes Gensler’s Proto-Model X project for Sidewalk Labs and mass timber projects from across the state. The curation team is also doing a great job of hosting events and panels that give project teams a chance to talk about projects and lessons learned. In legacy industrial cities, where we have a strong existing building inventory, we have a responsibility to preserve and repurpose our buildings. Nothing is more sustainable than reutilizing buildings and reducing waste, as seen with the Book Depository building in Corktown. For new buildings, we also have a responsibility to build for the future and make the best choices that we can with the materials at our disposal. Mass Timber is a responsible option and should always be considered. Q: Beyond sustainability, what design or human-scale qualities does mass timber introduce that more conventional materials often don’t? A: Wood brings a natural warmth and biophilic quality that supports wellbeing – lowering stress, improving cognitive function, and creating spaces that feel welcoming and calm. Exposing the structure adds authenticity and makes the architecture legible, helping people feel more grounded in the space. Q: What makes Michigan uniquely positioned to lead in mass timber and low-carbon construction? At the MSU Michigan Mass Timber Update in December, I was able to see the strength of the Michigan mass timber community coming together. The institutional leadership from Michigan State University and their director, Sandra Lupien, is positioning Michigan’s mass timber capabilities on a global level. Connections are being established across the market from – architects, structural engineers, MI EGLE, code officials, business and economic development associations, workforce training leaders to contractors and suppliers. Q: How could mass timber and life cycle thinking influence redevelopment in cities like Detroit, where adaptive reuse and reinvestment are central to the urban story? A: Detroit has led in adaptive reuse for over 25 years, proving that reinvesting in existing buildings delivers cultural, social, economic, and environmental value. Mass timber and lifecycle thinking are the next steps, offering lower carbon pathways as the city continues to grow. To make informed decisions, architects and clients need a full understanding of a material’s life cycle, from extraction and manufacturing to reuse and end of life. This is why circular economy thinking is so critical to future development. At Gensler, our Gensler Product Sustainability (GPS) Standards help guide this process by providing clear, industry-aligned criteria that accelerate the adoption of lower carbon materials in collaboration with the Common Materials Framework. Q: In a region shaped by reinvention, how do you see sustainable materials and measurement tools contributing to the next chapter of Detroit’s built environment? A: Detroit and Michigan have always thrived on reinvention. That same spirit of creativity positions the region to lead in the next wave of sustainable development. Our climate challenges, paired with the natural and industrial resources already here, create an ideal environment for adopting materials and strategies that will help Michigan thrive through future change. The growing investment in next-generation technologies is especially exciting. As industries across the state push toward innovation, there’s real potential for that momentum to drive broader adoption of low carbon materials, mass timber, and performance-based design tools. If we want to attract new residents, businesses, and industries, we need to shape buildings and public spaces that reflect where Detroit is going – healthy, efficient, resilient, and future focused. Q: As sustainability expectations continue to rise, what do you think will separate projects that genuinely reduce impact from those that simply meet minimum standards? Minimum standards are steadily improving as energy codes tighten and reduce allowable energy use, which means operational carbon is no longer the primary differentiator. What will set truly impactful projects apart is a commitment to addressing embodied carbon as well. Conducting Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) early in design gives clients and teams a clear baseline and empowers them to make more informed material choices. Projects that are serious about reducing their overall footprint will also look beyond efficiency to incorporate clean energy—whether by purchasing renewables from their utility or integrating onsite solutions. Michigan is particularly well-suited for ground source heat pumps, with stable underground temperatures that perform reliably through freezing winters and hot summers, and a strong network of engineers and installers who understand the technology. In short, the leaders will be the teams that measure comprehensively, design holistically, and pair low carbon materials
Restoring Detroit’s Tree Canopy
Detroit was once known as the “city of trees,” but disease, invasive insects, and budget cuts over time have decimated our area’s distinctive tree canopy. But efforts are underway to replenish trees while also providing job training, green spaces, education, and community engagement. On Oct. 31, 2024, Sustainable Business Network Detroit hosted an informative discussion sponsored by the Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation regarding these efforts and how restoring tree canopy benefits individuals, neighborhoods, businesses, and the economy. The panelists were: Lionel Bradford, president and executive director, Greening of Detroit, a nonprofit focused on enhancing the quality of life for Detroiters by planting trees, providing job training, and involving youth in the education of the natural environment. It involves Detroiters in the process through community engagement, green spaces, education, and jobs. Maureen Donohue Krauss, president and CEO, Detroit Regional Partnership. DRP works to serve as a single point of contact for information, connection to services, incentives, and data for businesses who want to locate or expand in the 11-county Southeast Michigan Region. Robert Riney, president and CEO, Henry Ford Health, and leader of HFH’s $4 billion Destination: Grand initiative. The project includes a $2.2 billion expansion of HFH’s Detroit campus anchored by a new state-of-the-art hospital facility that will span 1.2 million square feet. It includes a 20-story patient tower, with three floors dedicated to providing intensive inpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation in partnership with the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and its own Central Energy Hub, making it one of the largest fully electric-capable hospitals in the country. The event was moderated by Terry Barclay, president and CEO of Inforum, and chair of SBN Detroit. Some of the takeaways: The case for tree canopy Lionel: Growing up in Southeast Louisiana – which is very hot – you quickly learn the value of a tree. It’s also a sportsman’s paradise – We did a lot of hunting, fishing, and camping, and I developed a great appreciation for the environment and its value. I also love people. The work that we do is about people at the end of the day, so when we do this work it’s to build community and neighborhoods. We try our very best – changing landscapes and lives is our motto. When someone has been incarcerated for 20 years and needs a second chance, they can come through your program – the Detroit Conservation Corps – and they can be trained and support their families. You can train people to put trees in the ground and maintain them. Maureen: Part of my role is to inform people that economic development is more than just a new factory in your town, more than just a tax abatement. It’s creating an environment that both people and companies want to be in. Sixty percent of our projects are from international companies – when people come here for the first time, they have expectations of what a first-class city looks like… Think about Paris and its phenomenal tree canopies. People want that here. I did a little research before this event: Homes with trees sell two days faster and for 15% more than homes without. Tree value increases with age – the cost of trees has 100% payback. Three properly placed trees can reduce air conditioning by 56% and reduce home heating bills by 10% by serving as a windbreak. Bob: You may think what does a healthcare system have to do with tree canopies? HFH is absolutely committed to increasing the health of communities – the role that hospitals and doctors play is about 20%. We don’t underestimate the power of that 20%, but true health – meaning how long people will live and have a high-value life – is a partnership of healthcare, policy, and environmental factors – which are huge. You may have seen that the biggest determinant of your health is the ZIP Code that you live in. You need to have fabulous healthcare, access to it, economic security, environmental security, and food and nutrition security. At HFH we need to be a population health company – we pick and choose how we should make our mark and one of the things we believe in is the power of the tree. We have to walk the talk. The economic benefits of tree canopy Maureen: Our organization has three pillars: market, grow, and support. It’s so much better now. People are curious to hear about Detroit and see what’s happening. Talent is No. 1 – we have the second-highest amount of engineers in the country and have experienced manufacturing talent. As one of my teammates says, it’s workforce, weather, and water. When you talk about climate change, Michigan will be in the top five least affected. The right amount of tree canopy and how trees are sourced Lionel: American Forests did a study and determined that a city the size of Detroit should be at 40%. Right now we’re at 26%. We lose about 2,000 trees a year, so those have to be taken into account. We get most of our trees from New York and Indiana and, more recently, Wholesale Tree Inc. in Northern Michigan. More importantly, we’re growing our own trees now – running the Walter Meyers Nursery in Rouge Park, which is owned by the city. We’re very intentional about turning into a full-fledged operational business. Last year, we harvested our first set of trees. We have lost a lot of trees over time, and the reason we have lost a lot of those is because the city lacked the resources, and dead trees were not removed and were taken down by storms. This administration has done a great job by taking trees down when dead and dying. Working with DTE has been quite thrilling – they have given financial support to planting trees but also to making sure that the next generation of environmental stewards are trained by supporting our Green Corps summer programs and also the tree
Moving Toward a More Just and Sustainable Future in Southeast Michigan
Sara Soderstrom is an associate professor in Organizational Studies and Program in the Environment and the Erb Undergraduate Fellows faculty director at the University of Michigan. Sustainability has evolved significantly over the years. At the University of Michigan’s Erb Institute for Sustainability in Business, this evolution includes working toward market transformation: business transforming the market to make it more sustainable. We can’t be thinking only: ‘How do we do less bad? How do we pollute less? How do we use fewer resources?’ We need to actually think about ‘How do we do more good?’ That fundamentally pivots the way that you think about business—it’s much more of a proactive than reactive conversation. It also centers justice in a way that early business sustainability didn’t. This shift changes the local vs. global dynamic to consider the local as part of the global system, and it sharpens the focus on small and midsize businesses. It also considers supply chains and key stakeholders more broadly. A study that I conducted with Kathryn Heinze, associate professor in the School of Kinesiology at the University of Michigan, shows some of the ways these shifts are happening. The study focused on the nonprofit FoodLab, which was operating in Detroit at the time. FoodLab aimed to promote healthy, environmentally sustainable, and accessible food systems and to grow a good food economy by working with its members: local food entrepreneurs. One thing that we realized as we were working with local entrepreneurs was a focus on being embedded in place—what is Detroit? What is the commitment to the city? What is the future for the city we envision? And how do we place ourselves in that future as entrepreneurs? With this network of businesses, there was a strong motivation not just for the financial viability of the business, but for doing good through business. But at the same time, these entrepreneurs have resource constraints, so there are tradeoffs. How do you balance things like a living wage with ensuring composting or locally sourced materials? FoodLab helped ease some of these constraints by serving as a connector that lowered the barriers to entry around sustainability. This way, each entrepreneur didn’t need to have all the answers or all the resources—they could get the information they needed about sourcing, financing, or best practices through the network. FoodLab functioned as part incubator, part social movement organization, connecting folks with these shared interests to collectively learn, but also as the space that could aggregate these resources and make them accessible to people, so that they could more effectively move forward towards sustainability and justice goals. FoodLab asserted that they couldn’t have a just and sustainable food economy if there wasn’t engagement, ownership, and voice from diverse entrepreneurs that reflect the City of Detroit. So they had a lot of intentionality around diversity and engagement, both in who was participating as entrepreneurs in the network, but also in what they were prioritizing as their goals as an organization. It was centering equity and justice in almost every conversation and decision they were having. The ways that FoodLab built its organizational practices and structured conversations made sure that everyone involved felt like they were heard, even in contentious conversations, which built trust and helped them move collectively towards this more just and sustainable imagined future. The Erb Institute – a partnership of the Ross School of Business and the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan -. works to create a sustainable world through the power of business. Somewhat like FoodLab, we also serve as an enabling network. The students are the key actors, We are the convener, and then the network continues with alumni who are now 10 to 20 years out but still lean into us and each other for support as they work toward solutions to sustainability and justice challenges. Two of our key programs are: Impact Projects, through which students design projects, often working directly with businesses or partnering with businesses and community partners on organization-led projects. The projects give businesses access to students who have time, expertise, and passion around sustainability and justice efforts, who can help them focus on an issue—such as supply chain, procurement, or skills redevelopment. Erb on the Road, which brings both graduate and undergraduate students to businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations across Michigan. The program allows students to engage with a variety of different types of businesses and nonprofits that are focused on local sustainability challenges and figure out solutions for them. For undergrads specifically, what has been powerful is hearing them reflect on learning what is happening locally—which makes what we talked about in the textbook real—but their experiences are helping them recognize that business and sustainability is an available career path. People are committed to sustainability in myriad ways, and you don’t need to wait until you are chief sustainability officer to do sustainability. The Erb Institute is focused on preparing future leaders – and also service to the state of Michigan. We want students to recognize that being part of the University of Michigan isn’t just the Ann Arbor campus – it’s also the state and world. So we work to help focus that commitment to: What does it really mean to be the leaders and the best? Supporting and engaging locally in Detroit and across Michigan is part of that. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for regular updates on sustainable business practices in and around Detroit.
America Recycles Day in Detroit, November 15th
NATALIE JAKUB, IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR GREEN LIVING SCIENCE, AND A LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS NETWORK DETROIT America Recycles Day held annually on November 15th holds immense importance as it serves as a powerful reminder of the critical role recycling plays in conserving resources, reducing waste, and protecting the environment. This annual observance encourages individuals, communities, and businesses to take concrete steps toward sustainability by pledging to recycle and promoting recycling education and initiatives. It reinforces the idea that recycling is not just a one-time effort but a continuous commitment to creating a greener, more sustainable future for generations to come. America Recycles Day inspires collective action and underscores that every small recycling act contributes to a significant positive impact on our planet. ENHANCING RESIDENTS’ ACCESS TO RECYCLING SERVICES For nearly two decades, Detroit has been proactively enhancing residents’ access to recycling services as part of its broader sustainability mission. Acknowledging the importance of diverting recyclable materials from landfills to minimize environmental impact and conserve resources, the city has implemented initiatives such as expanding curbside recycling pickup, improving access to public space recycling, and fostering partnerships with local organizations. These strategic moves aim to make recycling more accessible and convenient for Detroit’s residents, empowering the community to actively participate in sustainable practices and contribute to a cleaner, greener city for all. GREEN LIVING SCIENCE At the forefront of Detroit’s sustainability journey stands Green Living Science (GLS), a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating Detroit residents about waste and recycling. Initially established in response to the Detroit Public Schools Community District’s request for recycling and conservation education, GLS has grown to provide a range of educational programs aimed at instigating behavior change for a more sustainable society. SERVING RESIDENTS GLS serves Detroit’s 600,000+ residents who have been adversely impacted by the trash, air pollution, and debris pervading communities. The city launched a curbside recycling program in 2015 and contracted GLS to teach residents about recycling and sign them up for free recycling carts. GLS remains the recycling and outreach contractor for the Department of Public Works (DPW), educating residents about recycling services available to them and working closely with block clubs and community groups throughout the city. One of GLS’s flagship programs, the Bee Green Business initiative, launched in 2014 in response to the corporate sector’s need for effective recycling and waste reduction solutions. This program educates and certifies companies in Southeast Michigan committed to responsible corporate citizenship. By training businesses to establish waste reduction and recycling systems and educating their staff on correct usage, Bee Green Business supports companies in minimizing their environmental footprint. Moreover, it recognizes and celebrates businesses that are leading sustainability in Michigan. Southeast Michigan, with its historical legacy of manufacturing and innovation, has emerged as a vibrant hub for sustainability initiatives, embracing the principles of responsible business practices. GLS envisions a future for the region where sustainability is integral to business operations, and where companies prioritize environmental impact alongside financial success. To realize this vision, GLS focuses on reducing waste through recycling and composting advocacy, partnering with local businesses to ensure recyclable materials are diverted from landfills, thus reducing the environmental burden. CIRCULAR ECONOMY GLS champions sustainable sourcing practices, encouraging businesses to embrace the circular economy, which minimizes waste and maximizes resource efficiency. These initiatives help bolster the regional economy while diminishing the environmental repercussions of long-distance transportation. While Southeast Michigan has made significant headway in its sustainability journey, it grapples with challenges stemming from its industrial past, including pollution and environmental degradation. Nevertheless, GLS’s emphasis on circular economy principles and waste reduction contributes to overcoming these challenges and forging a cleaner, more sustainable city. Remediation and cleanup efforts continue to address these issues. We are seeing businesses adopting circular economy principles, minimizing waste, and maximizing resource efficiency which will help address and overcome the legacy not dedicated to creating a cleaner city. Green Living Science plays a pivotal role in Southeast Michigan’s path toward sustainability by serving as a catalyst for change. Through engagement with businesses, schools, and communities, GLS offers valuable resources and educational programs that empower individuals and organizations to embrace sustainable practices. In conclusion, Southeast Michigan stands as a burgeoning center for sustainable business practices and environmental responsibility. As Southeast Michigan confronts its sustainability challenges and strives to attain its goals, the role of GLS in educating, inspiring, and facilitating change cannot be overstated. Together, Southeast Michigan and GLS are forging a path toward a greener, more sustainable future, benefiting all who call this region home. 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Cumulus Holds Global Design for Adaptation Conference in Detroit
Cumulus, a global association of art and design education and research, held its annual conference, Design for Adaptation in Detroit Nov. 1-4 at the College for Creative Studies. This marks only the second time in its 30-year history that the conference was in North America. Cumulus connects 350 member institutions across 63 countries to exchange knowledge and best practices to elevate the positive role of designers and artists in creating sustainable and humane futures for all. “If there is one thing we know, we are stronger together,” said Terry Barclay, SBN Detroit Chair and CEO of Inforum, in a Thursday afternoon welcome address. “I think we have a common sense of urgency to break down silos that slow collaboration and this conference is certainly about that.” SBN Detroit was a conference sponsor. “This international conference has such diverse participation,” said Neil Hawkins, president of the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, who moderated a keynote address. We have creative designers hoping to change the trajectory of climate disasters. We have local Detroit leaders demanding justice for people already suffering impacts. We have great minds from all corners of the earth here in Detroit, which in many ways can be called ground zero for the climate crisis.” To that end, he noted that metro Detroit has endured serious local flooding from three 500-year rainfalls in the last ten years, holds 25% of the world’s surface freshwater in the great lakes, and the state is fittingly named after a natural resource – Michigan meaning “big lake.” Ian Lambert, co-chair and submissions chair for Cumulus 2022 and also dean of graduate studies at the College for Creative Studies, said, “As the only UNESCO-designated city of design in the U.S., Detroit has an incredible history of makers and manufacturing and design, so it’s fitting that Cumulus was held here. And it’s huge for Detroit.” The conference – focusing largely on the issue of climate change, automation, and income inequality – explored the role designers play in fostering adaptation through a wide range of approaches, methods, visions, and experiments. In that vein, the mission is to think ahead to catalyze ideas to reduce vulnerabilities and foster resilience for communities. Noting that the world is 1.2 degrees Celsius warmer than at any point in human civilization and that 300 billion tons of carbon have been added to the atmosphere by humans, keynote speaker Mikko Ollikainen, head of the Adaptation Fund, said to the audience of designers, “You are the minds to shape the future and you have your work cut out for you. … “We are facing an increasing arrival of uncertainty and must be prepared for things we do not expect and prepared to withstand shocks.” Land use and its relationship to climate change and inequity were the focus of several panels. Anika Goss, CEO of Detroit Future City, said in her keynote, “When we look at the cities in Detroit and around the world that are hit hardest by climate change, it’s always the poorest and the brownest neighborhoods.” She pointed to a community on the lower east side that suffered stormwater flooding as an example, saying, “From an economic standpoint these families continue to lose value in their homes and property simply because they live in a neighborhood with poor infrastructure.” The Eastside Community Network is working to put residents in charge of enhancing their neighborhoods toward resiliency. President Donna Given referenced its LEAP Sustainability Fellowship saying, “When you give someone a small amount of money and the responsibility to build a better space it’s amazing what that can do to a neighborhood.” The fellowship is a training and development program where fellows develop community projects, apply for grant funds to support them, and then implement them with the help of the community. To that end, Jerry Hebron, executive director of Oakland Avenue Urban Farm, shared her story of growing up near Motown in its heyday, leaving the city, and then returning in 2005 to find it riddled by crime and decayed. She became an activist and was charged to find out what needs the community had. “I knocked on doors to collect information and found that housing and food were the residents’ most important needs.” The high vacancy rate and open land equaled opportunity. The community wanted a garden and they built one – 20×20 feet. Today, 14 years later, they are farming 3.5 acres, a farmers market, youth programming, and more. “The community reclaimed that land and worked together to change their neighborhood.” Linking this back to design, Lambert and Leslie Tom, chief sustainability officer at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, presented a collaboration involving the repurposing of three dying trees on the museum’s property. Instead of letting the trees end up in a landfill, The Wright and the Center for Creative Studies repurposed the trees and created a curriculum around co-design for sustainability, climate justice, and African American material culture, out of which came a narrative around how two neighbors – a museum and an art school – set a precedent for climate justice art. “One of the pieces a student created spoke to land use in Detroit by combining window panels from an abandoned home and the repurposed timber to tell the story of decay and rebuild,” Lambert said. There is no doubt that the complex consequences of climate change have pushed the need for community resilient strategies to emerge and thrive in the face of change. About the role designers play in this, Ollikainen said, “How designers see the world and work has a profound impact on building sustainable solutions. You have the vision, and you have the skills to turn that vision into reality.” Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for regular updates on sustainable business practices in and around Detroit.
