From February 29th to March 11th, the School of Architecture was the venue for the Sustainability Weeks, organized by the Master's Degree in design and management Environmental Buildings. For two weeks, professors of different nationalities have given several lectures with the goal to provide a global vision of sustainability and materialize this concept from different points of view and climates. Francesca Galeazzi was one of the speakers. An architectural engineer with more than 15 years of experience in sustainable development , she currently leads Arup's Sustainability team in Berlin. Arup is a global signature of consultants, engineers and designers offering a wide range of professional services to clients worldwide. Galeazzi is a regular speaker speaker at international conferences and forums on sustainable architecture and teaches teaching at leading universities in Europe and China.

- Why is it important for architects to be experts in sustainability?
- At ARUP sustainability is extremely important, there is a sustainability strategy, which is developed centrally and transferred to all groups, to all teams, who adapt that strategy in different ways. Sustainability is not just about energy, resources, water or coal, it is much broader, encompassing social sustainability, economic sustainability and elements that integrate it. ARUP's sustainability attempts to reconcile the development millennium goals and makes an effort not to lose sight of poverty, Education, resources and more traditional environmental sustainability.

- Why is it important for architects to have this vision?
- Sustainability is a way of approaching the world today, which is very complex and in which changes are emerging and need to be addressed. When I think about what are the most important aspects of an architect's Education I think he or she should understand these complexities and think about how they can be addressed from a sustainable thinking and approach. Architects have a very interesting role, because the big difference between artists and architects is that artists can create things that have no meaning and no consequences, but architects, when they design, have a great social responsibility, because when what they do fails, it has negative repercussions. Therefore, the responsibility is very high, the architect has to be aware that there are many elements that influence his work and he has to be aware of that, of that complexity. For me, the architect is an integrator of many disciplines that should help him to do his work in the most efficient and appropriate way. We should work hand in hand with ecologists, psychologists, different engineers and technicians, who can help us to create a product that makes sense and is appropriate for the context, because each context is different and requires different answers, different projects.

- What would be your message to young architects?
- When I talk to architects who are just starting out, one of the things that interests me most is to know what they think their role will be in a team multidisciplinary, because today architects are part of large teams. At ARUP we work integrated in multidisciplinary teams, we work closely partnership with engineers, experts in other areas, such as Economics, sociology, or psychology. For me, it is essential to be able to understand oneself as part of this group multidisciplinary , to be collaborative, open, to receive inputs from other disciplines. The role of architects has changed over the last few years. In the past, architects knew a lot about construction techniques, materials, construction sequences, and were capable of carrying out complex constructions. This has evolved in recent years, and architects have become more specialized in the aesthetics and the more design aspects of buildings, and have passed that design they have conceived to engineers to carry out their work. But this is still a coordinated work , the future points to move from that coordination to integration. The architect can no longer work in isolation.

- And the fruits of that team multidisciplinary, can be very varied, can't they?
- From my experience in ARUP, we have been working on projects with very different characteristics, some of them with high technology, which have resulted in industrial, technological, scientific, very sophisticated buildings; but I have also worked on projects with simpler technology, where there was almost no power, no resources. An example of this can be a beautiful school in India that was built with natural materials and techniques, working with local architects. Both options fulfill their function, their role in shaping the environment. Neither project is better than the other, for me, the success, the solution, is in which one is right for the context, for the building, which has the right Degree of complexity, of technique. Technology is fine, but it must be appropriate for the context, we have to be smart when using technology. The effort should be aimed at finding the perfect balance between high technology and simpler technology, between technology and simpler techniques, automatic and manual solutions... the core topic is that the result is appropriate for the context.

- How should architects face the future and the problems that may arise in it?
- There are two ways to face the future: it can be scary, or it can be an opportunity to do fabulous things. It's up to you how you see the glass, whether it's full or empty. I think it's full all the time, it's clear that the keys change, society changes, and this can generate vertigo, but we have to be able to understand them and respond to these changes in a positive way. But this must also become an opportunity to rethink the role of the architect as someone who puts his work at the service of society, because we must not forget that buildings are built for people; we have to be able to provide multiple solutions to solve the problems of tomorrow. Until recently, sustainable buildings were designed taking into account energy, materials, water, waste... all elements that had to do with the environment. People were left out of the equation. Today, on the other hand, people are already at the center of the sustainable design , designed for their comfort, taking into account health, well-being... there is a new sustainable certification that focuses precisely on this. This is a sign of a clear change. Finally, sustainable buildings have to be good for the environment and good for people, and the balance must be struck by an intelligent combination of all the elements involved.