Best Ross OCeallaigh Podcasts (2025)

1
#119: Timber-first Development, with Bywater Properties 1:00:56

7d ago1:00:56

1:00:56

A conversation with Theo Michell (COO) and Joe Jack Williams (Head of sustainability) at Bywater Properties. We talk about: A timber-first approach to development A case study of 'Paradise', a six-storey timber-led office building in London How timber is becoming more mainstream in UK construction Advice for architects and developers getting starte…

1
#118: Sustainable Street Furniture for Joyful Public Spaces, with Furnitubes 46:38

15d ago46:38

46:38

This episode is a conversation with Catherine Barratt, Managing Director of Furnitubes. Furnitubes create modular street furniture that helps to bring communities together. In this episode we discuss how they are innovating with sustainable materials and manufacturing processes to create lower impact furniture at the same price. Furnitubes Website:…

1
#117: (WILD) Wilding Campuses 52:38

22d ago52:38

52:38

This episode is a conversation about the 'Wilding Campuses' programme, led by Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK). We talk about the practicalities of applying a 'wilding' approach on highly altered and designed landscapes on educational campuses. My guests are: Jo Wilkinson, Senior Project Manager, SOS-UK Celine Clarke-Miller, Project …

1
#116: A Climate of Truth, with Mike Berners-Lee 53:20

26d ago53:20

53:20

Mike Berners-Lee is a consultant and author of the new book A Climate of Truth. In this episode we discuss the polycrisis and how raising standards of honesty is essential to respond to the challenges we are facing. Learn more about and purchase the book: A Climate of Truth - - - Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: h…

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#115: (WILD) Urban Rewilding with Communities, with Citizen Zoo 40:02

29d ago40:02

40:02

This is a conversation with Elliot Newton and Ben Stockwell of Citizen Zoo, a Community Interest Company that are rewilding urban areas with communities. We talk about: What rewilding in the city means Grazing animals in urban green spaces Reintroducing water voles and beavers to London Bringing white storks back to London The challenges and opport…

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#114: Regenerative Design in Practice, with Scott McAulay (Architype) 1:12:48

1M ago1:12:48

1:12:48

This is a conversation with Scott McAulay, Regenerative Design and Infrastructures Specialist at pioneering architecture studio Architype. We talk about: What 'regenerative design' means in practice for an architecture studio Working with clients in a regenerative process Circular economy principles as a gateway into regenerative design Why regener…

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#113: The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard explained 1:03:38

1M ago1:03:38

1:03:38

This episode is a conversation with Salem Qunsol, Principal Sustainability Consultant at Verte, about the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard. Salem was one of the contributors to the standard. He joined me to discuss: The best practice approach to Net Zero Carbon building design The role of natural materials like timber in net zero The role and …

1
#112: How to make sustainability irresistible 57:44

2M ago57:44

57:44

My guest is Virginia Cinquemani, a coach, trainer and Director at Green Gorilla. In this episode we discuss strategies from her book The Good Communicator on how to communicate sustainability with clients, communities and colleagues. This episode is for anyone who wants practical advice on how to promote sustainability by understanding why people a…

1
#111: Engaging Communities with the Future of Place and Nature, with the Place Bureau 1:02:39

2M ago1:02:39

1:02:39

My guests today are Rosanna Vitiello, Chief at the Place Bureau, and Domenica Landin, Associate Design Researcher at Place Bureau. Place Bureau is a research, strategy and design studio that defines new frontiers for places around the world. We talk about: How to meaningfully engage communities with the future of their places and climate adaptation…

1
Nature-led Masterplanning and Placemaking + Webinar Announcement 1:00:50

2M ago1:00:50

1:00:50

Register for the webinar on 25 April: Nature-led Masterplanning with EcoResponsive Environments This podcast is a re-upload of my conversation with Prachi Rampuria and Soham De of EcoResponsive Environments from October 2024. We talk about their approach to designing sustainable and resilient new places based on natural systems. I'll be hosting a f…

1
#110: Wild Cities - Lessons from cities where biodiversity thrives 57:12

2M ago57:12

57:12

My guest today is Chris Fitch, author of the upcoming book Wild Cities: Discovering New Ways of Living in the Modern Urban Jungle. In this episode we discuss case studies of cities around the world that embrace wilder nature. We go beyond the usual case studies like Singapore to explore lesser known examples like: Tallinn, Estonia - the city with p…

1
#109: (WILD) Rewilding and Reconnecting Towns with the Landscape 52:22

2M ago52:22

52:22

This episode is a conversation with Stephen Mason, Community Parks Officer at Cheltenham Borough Council. We discuss: Urban rewilding projects in Cheltenham - including meadows and orchards Reconnecting urban areas with their surrounding landscape How the 'rewilding' concept engages communities in biodiversity projects Measuring the success of rewi…

1
Free Tool: Your City's Climate in 2050 9:33

2M ago9:33

9:33

Get free tool: https://free.greenurbanist.org/2050climatetool In this episode I share a free tool you can use to understand what the local climate of 520 major world cities will be like in the year 2050. - - - Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Podcast website: https://greenurbanistpod.com…

1
Announcement: Urban Sustainability Career Kickstart Course 10:07

2M ago10:07

10:07

Learn more about the course: https://greenurbanist.teachable.com/p/course-kickstart - - - Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Podcast website: https://greenurbanistpod.com/ The Green Urbanist podcast is hosted by Ross O'Ceallaigh.

1
#108: (WILD) Rewilding for Urban Flood Resilience 57:04

3M ago57:04

57:04

My guests on this episode are Ian Russell and Jamie Kukadia from the watercourses team at London Borough of Enfield. We discuss: 'Rewilding Enfield' - rewilding urban streets, parks and rivers. Nature-based flood resilience and sustainable drainage versus traditional engineering. Reintroducing beavers to London. The benefits of conservation livesto…

1
#107: Strategies for Communicating Sustainability with Clients and Communities 22:15

3M ago22:15

22:15

In this episode I share 4 tips for effectively communicating about sustainability and climate change with a variety of audiences like clients, collaborators and the public. The four strategies I share are: Start with empathy and tailor your message to the audience. Lead with a positive narrative. Make it tangible and relevant. Don't preach. Co-crea…

1
#106: Sustainable Placemaking - creating places where people and nature thrive 40:55

3M ago40:55

40:55

In this episode I explore Sustainable Placemaking: an 8-step process for creating places that people love and maximise sustainability opportunities. So many masterplans create soulless and unsustainable places. In this episode I explain how getting the planning and design process right can unlock opportunities for placemaking, biodiversity, circula…

1
#105: (WILD) Wilding the City, with Sophie Thompson (LDA Design) 48:28

4M ago48:28

48:28

This is episode 2 of 6 in the podcast series on urban rewilding. My guest is Sophie Thompson, a landscape architect and Director at LDA Design. In this episode we discuss: How wild nature can be brought into city streets and public spaces The importance of working closely with local communities Examples of LDA’s transformations of highly urban spac…

1
#104: Local Energy Solutions: Case Studies + Interactive Map 37:47

4M ago37:47

37:47

My guest is Duygu Kutluay, a campaigner at Beyond Fossil Fuels. We discuss: Why local community projects need to be part of Europe’s energy transition away from fossil fuels. Beyond Fossil Fuels' new interactive map of community-based energy projects that you can access on their website. Six case studies of local energy projects from across Europe.…

1
#103: The 5 Types of Sustainable Change-Maker and Your Role in Systems Change 26:28

4M ago26:28

26:28

In this episode I explore the different roles that built environment professionals can play in leveraging systems change for sustainability. This is based on interviewing 122 guests on this podcast and exploring systems change research. The 5 types of change-makers are: Champion and Coordinator Researcher and Storyteller Topic Expert Innovator Syst…

1
#102: (WILD) Rewilding Urban Parks with Lost Species - Sean McCormack, Ealing Beaver Project 56:16

4M ago56:16

56:16

This episode is part of a 6-part series on Urban Rewilding. My guest is Sean McCormack, Chair of Ealing Wildlife Group. Sean led the reintroduction of harvest mice and beavers into urban parks in London, UK. In this episode we discuss: What is 'Urban rewilding' and why we should do it. What made these projects successful. Getting support from the c…

1
#101: Sacrifice Zones - Rebuild after disaster or return to nature? 56:46

4M ago56:46

56:46

This episode is a conversation with Jonathan Rosenbloom, Associate Dean at Albany Law School who has researched and written about sacrifice zones. He is also the Executive Director for the Sustainable Development Code. We discuss: Whether neighbourhoods that have been destroyed by natural disasters should be rebuilt or designated as no-build 'Sacri…

1
#100: Create Sustainable Change through your Work - Advice from 3 Experts 1:16:37

5M ago1:16:37

1:16:37

This is a recording of a live streamed podcast episode to celebrate episode 100 of the podcast. I was joined by three guests, who you might recognise from past episodes: Laura Baron, Head of Sustainability, Purcel Scott McAulay, Regenerative Design and Infrastructures Specialist, Architype Conrad Richardson, Sustainable Mobility Expert We discussed…

1
#99: Sustainability Career Advice + 3 Circular Economy Case Studies, with Valentina Petrone 54:09

6M ago54:09

54:09

My guest on this episode is Valentina Petrone, a circular economy expert based in New South Wales, Australia. In this episode, Valentina gives career advice for those who want to transition from traditional built environment careers into sustainability. We also discuss three of her projects: New South Wales Circular Design Guidelines Bradfield City…

1
#98: Circular Economy: Making Material Reuse Happen at Scale, with Material Index 49:55

6M ago49:55

49:55

This episode is a conversation with Morgan Lewis, Co-Founder and CEO at Material Index. In the UK, 60% of all waste comes from the construction industry and only 2% of building components in the UK are reused. In this episode, Morgan explains how Material Index are trying to tackle this by working with building owners, contractors and project teams…

1
Course launch: Sustainability Essentials for Built Environment Professionals 11:36

7M ago11:36

11:36

Learn more and enrol now: Sustainability Essentials for Built Environment Professionals My new course is now live and available for purchase. It's an introduction to urban sustainability with practical advice for getting started with delivering more sustainable projects. - - - Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: http…

1
Intro to Regenerative Design (Mini-Course part 3/3) 22:47

7M ago22:47

22:47

Watch this training as a video for the best experience: Link to Video Training This is part 3 of a 3-part mini-course about how to start bringing sustainability into your work as a built environment professional. In this session, I provide a free training session about Regenerative Design, which is an excerpt from my upcoming full-length course: Su…

1
Net Zero Carbon Made Simple (Mini-Course part 2/3) 15:50

7M ago15:50

15:50

Watch this training as a video for the best experience: Link to Video Training This is part 2 of a 3-part mini-course about how to start bringing sustainability into your work as a built environment professional. In this session, I provide a free training session about Net Zero Carbon, which is an excerpt from my upcoming full-length course: Sustai…

1
Kickstart your Sustainability-focused Career (Mini-Course part 1/3) 10:05

7M ago10:05

10:05

This is part 1 of a 3-part mini-course coming out this week about how to start bringing sustainability into your work as a built environment professional. In this episode, I give advice for how to approach learning about sustainability and what roles you can play in your career and community. To get parts 2 and 3 of this mini-course as video lesson…

1
#97: Climate Adaptation Strategies for Urban Trees and Woodlands 51:52

7M ago51:52

51:52

In this episode I share some learnings from my recent research project about how climate change is likely to affect an urban nature reserve in London and climate adaptation recommendations for the reserve's management. I discuss: How to make climate change projections tangible at the city-level How climate change may impact on some common tree and …

1
#96: Mainstreaming Passive Building Design in the USA, with Phius 44:24

7M ago44:24

44:24

My guest on this episode is Katrin Klingenberg, the Executive Director of Phius. Phius is a non-profit organization committed to decarbonizing the built environment by making high-performance passive building the mainstream market standard. They are mainly active in USA with some international projects. In this episode we discuss: Why passive desig…

1
#95: EcoResponsive Environments: Designing with Natural Systems 1:01:42

8M ago1:01:42

1:01:42

This episode is a conversation with Prachi Rampuria and Soham De, co-founders of an urban design practice called EcoResponsive Environments and are co-authors of a book by the same name. They joined me on this episode to discuss the concept of designing settlements with an understanding of natural systems as the starting point. They bring together …

1
#94: Stories of the Internet of Nature from 'The Nature of Our Cities' book, with Nadina Galle 56:43

8M ago56:43

56:43

Nadina Galle is an ecological engineer, National Geographic Explorer, science and nature writer, podcaster, and keynote speaker. She helps green professionals use emerging technologies to improve urban ecosystems for future generations. She is the author of the book, The Nature of Our Cities, which is the topic of our conversation. Through rich sto…

1
#93: An AI Tool to Streamline Biodiversity Net Gain, with Shashin Mishra (BNGAI) 44:12

8M ago44:12

44:12

This episode is all about technology to help us deliver Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). My guest is Shashin Mishra, VP of EMEA for AiDash. We explore how a new digital tool called BNGAI has been created to help developers, ecologists and local authorities deliver Biodiversity Net Gain on development sites. We talk through how can the tool be used to h…

1
#92: Chicago's Wild Mile and Other Urban Nature Innovations, with Doug Voigt (SOM) 45:46

9M ago45:46

45:46

Doug Voigt, a partner at SOM, discusses the Wild Mile project in Chicago and the importance of rewilding and restoring ecological systems in cities. The project aims to reclaim part of the Chicago River as an ecological and community asset. We also discuss how the Wild Mile inspired an innovative approach to flood resilience in the Pearl River Delt…

1
#91: A West African Perspective on Sustainable Architecture, with James Inedu-George (HTL Africa) 51:32

9M ago51:32

51:32

James is founding partner of HTL Africa, a research-driven architectural firm dedicated to addressing the specific challenges of West African environments. He joined me to discuss what we can learn from traditional west African architecture and urbanism to apply to current challenges of climate change and housing shortages. Learn more about James a…

1
#90: Nature-Sensitive Urban Design, with Dr Thami Croeser 53:27

10M ago53:27

53:27

Dr Thami Croeser is an urban planner with a focus on bringing nature back into cities in practical ways, at large scale. He is a Research Fellow at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. In this episode we discuss practical ways of bringing more nature into cities and helping it thrive through urban planning and design. Learn more about Thami and…

1
#89: A Planning System to Address the Climate and Housing Crises, with Shaun Spiers 48:55

10M ago48:55

48:55

Shaun Spiers is the Executive Director of the environmental think-tank, Green Alliance. In this episode we discuss how a stronger planning system in the UK can address the housing crisis and deliver more sustainable outcomes. Read their report, Build Up: https://green-alliance.org.uk/publication/build-up/ - - - Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsl…

1
#88: Restoring Landscapes and Reconnecting to Nature, with Alexandra Steed 57:03

12M ago57:03

57:03

Alexandra Steed is a passionate landscape architect with a deep commitment to art, sustainability, and the transformative power of landscapes. We talk about: Her new book: Portrait to Landscape How to restore landscapes on a large scale to build climate resilience and biodiversity How The UK's Environment Act and Biodiversity Net Gain are working i…

1
#87: Biophilic Architecture and Design, with Louisa Whitmore (@louisatalksbuildings) 23:09

1y ago23:09

23:09

Louisa Whitmore is an architecture enthusiast, TikToker and host of the Nature of Design documentary series. In this episode we discuss her experience making the documentary, the mental health benefits of biophilic environments and case studies of great biophilic projects. Learn more about the Nature of Design documentary: The Green Channel: Link I…

1
#86: Regenerative Architecture Index - Accelerating towards a regenerative built environment 54:51

1y ago54:51

54:51

In conversation with Alisdair Ben Dixon (Collective Works), Anna Lisa McSweeney (White Arkitekter) and Isabel Allen (Architecture Today) about the new Regenerative Architecture Index (RAI). Launched by Architecture Today and UK Architects Declare, the Regenerative Architecture Index (RAI) sets out to benchmark practices progress in the move towards…

1
#85: Using 3D Modelling, Digital Twins and Generative Design for Sustainability, with VU.CITY 40:32

1y ago40:32

40:32

I sit down with Andrew Bullmore of VU.CITY to discuss how 3D models, digital twins and artificial intelligence tools can be used to do better, evidence-based planning and design and get more sustainable outcomes. VU.CITY website: https://www.vu.city/ SiteSolve generative AI: https://www.site-solve.co.uk/ This is a sponsored episode. Thanks to VU.CI…

1
#84: Net Zero Carbon Neighbourhoods, with Sam Luker (AESG) 48:57

1y ago48:57

48:57

Sam Luker is an Associate Sustainability Director at AESG and led on their new report titled 'Net Zero Neighbourhoods'. In this episode we discuss: Why the neighbourhood scale is optimal for decarbonisation and finding local solutions to sustainability Principles and case studies for Net Zero Neighbourhoods Retrofitting existing neighbourhoods for …

1
#83: Decolonise Architecture, with Mohit Buch and Sue Yen Chong 45:42

1y ago45:42

45:42

Mohit and Sue Yen are architects and members of Decolonise Architecture, a solution-based group driven to tackle institutional racism and bias within architectural education and practice. In this episode we discuss: How architectural education and practice can be 'colonial' in its approach, and the problems with this. Expanding architectural educat…

1
#82: Decarbonising Concrete and Steel, with Jeff Rissman 50:37

1+ y ago50:37

50:37

Jeffrey Rissman is Senior Director at Energy Innovation, where he leads the company’s work on technologies and policies to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from the industry sector. He is the author of Zero-Carbon Industry: Transformative Technologies and Policies to Achieve Sustainable Prosperity (2024) and coauthor of Designing Climate Solution…

1
#81: Reimagining Roads as Public Space, with LDA (Landscape Mini-Series Part 4) 14:43

1+ y ago14:43

14:43

Welcome to part 4, the final episode in the landscape mini-series. In this episode I sit down with Cannon Ivers CMLI of LDA to discuss their inspiring project The Strand, Aldwych. The Strand was for centuries a busy traffic thoroughfare in central London that has been transformed into a totally pedestrianised and multi-functional public space. Cann…

1
#80: Transforming an Urban Park, with LUC (Landscape Mini-Series Part 3) 12:19

1+ y ago12:19

12:19

Welcome to part 3 in this mini-series on landscape and urban nature. In this episode I spoke with James Virgo CMLI of LUC. He tells me about LUC’s work on Shoreditch Park. This is a nice case study of taking an existing park and working with the local community to improve it for biodiversity while tackling anti-social behaviour and creating a more …

1
#79: Biourbanism and Landscape Design Code, with McGregor Coxall (Landscape Mini-Series Part 2) 15:07

1+ y ago15:07

15:07

Welcome to part 2 of this mini-series on landscape and urban nature. This episode features an interview with Michael Cowdy FLI of McGregor Coxall. We discuss two of their Landscape Award-nominated projects, a research project on BioUrbanism and the second a design code for green infrastructure for a new community Cherry Hinton North, Cambridge. Mor…

1
#78: Landscape-led Response to Climate Change, with the Landscape Institute (Landscape Mini-Series Part 1) 19:06

1+ y ago19:06

19:06

Welcome to this 4-part series on the role of landscape and urban nature in creating resilient, sustainable and healthy places. Over the next 4 weeks I’ll be releasing short weekly episodes featuring interviews with landscape practitioners that highlight great case studies in landscape design and discuss the wider role of these interventions in gree…

1
#77: Tackling Overheating in Buildings with Antonietta Canta (Arup) 45:03

1+ y ago45:03

45:03

Antonietta Canta is a Principal Environmental and Sustainability Engineer at Arup. In this episode we discuss their recent research report: ‘Addressing overheating risk in existing UK homes’. As dry as that title sounds, the conversation was actually very illuminating and useful. It's also useful for listeners outside the UK! We discuss: How many h…

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Ross OCeallaigh Podcasts

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