Question: Technology, globalization, and sustainability–we are always talking about how these modern factors are changing designs. But how are they affecting the way designs are being made?

Bruce: Each of these factors is challenging designers to re-evaluate how creativity and service can continue to be relevant and provide real value.

The business of architecture is no longer focused on creating icons and real estate value. The old business model focused on balancing design and cost. The new business model for architecture has to be expanded to include energy. The ultimate goal, however, is to balance these so that architecture has a direct positive impact on the human experience. The most effective way is through integrated design thinking.

Question: What does it mean to you to be "ahead of the times?"

Bruce: Marshall McLuhan once said, wisely, "Never predict anything that has not already begun to happen."

In architecture, to be ahead of the times you have to make exemplars that break old paradigms. Today, that means making architecture that responds to global climate change. This means the opposite of exporting a style. It means expanding on and expressing the specific opportunities of place, its climate, geography, and character.

When we started Manitoba Hydro Place, we knew how to achieve a 50% energy reduction. But we wanted more. We targeted 60% for a 700,000 square foot building in an extreme climate. The building is now targeting 65% plus. People from around the world are now looking at it as a model for the next generation of architecture.

Question: What new sustainable tactics are you incorporating in your work that weren't there five years ago?

Bruce: Our approach to sustainable design is based on an integrated design process (IDP). We are incorporating proven technologies and systems inspired by European design and modifying these to the North American climate and context. Sustainability goals, particularly in terms of energy consumption, are defined and quantified. The design innovations that were developed to maximize passive heating and cooling for Manitoba Hydro were motivated by the goal to reduce energy consumption 60% below Canada's Model National Energy Code Building standard.

Our goal is to make the systems evident so that architecture plays an active role in awareness and accountability, both by instructing and inspiring.

Question: How should we continue to redefine what it is to be "green" as we move forward?

Bruce: In order to continue to redefine what it is to be "green" we have to be able to demonstrate how to create sustainable urban communities at higher densities that support a mix of uses and encourage pedestrian activity. We need to find a deeper value in designing buildings for the long term and we need to think about how these buildings are constructed so that they can work as an interdependent environment.

Question: Can you explain what it is for a building to be climate responsive, and how you achieve this in your designs?

Bruce: To be climate responsive means thinking about how to use the climate as an opportunity for providing passive energy. Some of the most timeless principles of architecture – such as massing and orientation – still impact a building's ability to be energy efficient and sustainable.

For Manitoba Hydro Place, we collaborated with Transsolar, a climate engineering firm from Stuttgart. The climate engineers identified the unique characteristics of Winnipeg's extreme climate and its potential for maximizing passive systems in the design. Because Winnipeg receives more sunlight and solar radiation than any other major city in Canada, and because the prevailing wind comes from the south, Transsolar recommended the integration of large south-facing wintergardens. These six-story, unconditioned spaces act as the lungs of the building and in conjunction with raised floors and a high performance triple-glazed building envelope, process 100% fresh air for the interior 24/7, year round.

Question: You seem to focus on an integration of the physical design and the human experience surrounding that design–how much can you control as an architect?

Bruce: I believe architecture must be respected as a long-term investment. It is the responsibility of the architect to create platforms or infrastructure that can enable and adapt to constant change. For example, the loft is one of the most flexible building types. It can be applied for a variety of uses if it has great daylighting conditions and a robust, flexible structural system. Manitoba Hydro Place is, in essence, two lofts connected by the core and the systems that drive the natural ventilation.

The ultimate purpose of sustainable architecture is to make healthy, inspiring environments that support and enrich the human experience in all spheres of life, work, and play. In any business model, the largest investment is in staff salaries and benefits. All architects have the potential to contribute to that investment by prioritizing the well being of people, the real drivers of creativity and productivity. Even a small increase in productivity, and/or a small decrease in sick leave can have a huge impact on the bottom line of any company.

Question: Tell me something unusual about yourself.

Bruce: When I was growing up, I enjoyed playing chess and I had tropical fish as pets. Chess is a game that is all about the play of forces in space and time and a great discipline for training oneself to plan and strategize. Aquariums are finite environments and fragile ecologies in which every element has to be balanced and maintained because it is highly dependent on external factors such as water quality, temperature, light, vegetation, waste management and food supply. I always felt very vulnerable when we experienced a power outage but the experience made me aware of the interdependency of systems.