Women are living, learning, and leading towards a sustainable future. Their stories can help us all accelerate toward that vision in the built environment. Design the Future is a podcast created to elevate and explore the voices of women driving sustainable practices in the built environment and related fields. Lindsay Baker, a sustainability and social impact leader, and Kira Gould, a writer and communications strategist, host these conversations.
Pauline Souza, FAIA, LEED Fellow, LFA, WELL AP, and LEED AP BD+C, is WRNS Studio’s Director of Sustainability and co-lead of the firm's K-12 and Civic Studio. Her curiosity is her superpower.
Pauline has led numerous projects with a passion for health, inclusivity and beauty–and for advancing the role of design as a medium for building a more sustainable, resilient, equitable future. Many of her projects are considered important case studies, such as the Sonoma Academy Guild and Commons, a LEED Platinum, Living Building Challenge Petal and Net Zero Carbon project, and AIA COTE Top Ten winner.
Pauline says that she was initially drawn to school design because it is a project type where equity and advocacy for healthy conditions are considered primary conversations–and these were the conversations that she wanted to have as part of the design dialogue. She brings a tenacious leadership approach rooted in the idea that good design and sustainable design are synonymous and can be achieved at any scale and any budget. She is a member of the Architecture 2030 Board of Directors. And she is a generous sharer and collaborator who has dedicated time and effort to many peer networks and other groups that have been essential to progress in the AEC space.