Radical Reinterpretation: SOM’s Yasemin Kologlu on A Net-Zero Carbon Built Environment, Collective Expertise, and an Open Heart
By Julia Gamolina
SOM’s Design Principal Yasemin Kologlu is a leader in the industry’s efforts to respond to the climate crisis. From carbon-sequestering high-rise proposals to the first carbon-neutral district in Paris, her work exemplifies a forward-thinking approach to holistic environmental design and the latest material and building technologies. She co-founded SOM’s Climate Action Group, which helped the firm become carbon neutral starting in 2022.
Yasemin co-chairs AIANY Committee on the Environment and serves on numerous sustainability-focused advisory groups. In her interview with Julia Gamolina, Yasemin talks about her evolution into climate advocacy, moving our industry towards net-zero, and some of the real examples in the built world that do this, advising those just starting their careers to keep open minds and doors.
You are very well known in the industry for your dedication to solutions to climate change and sustainable design. With this focus, what is your number one priority in this realm for 2024? What should we all be paying attention to the most?
This year, I am focused on radical reinterpretations and collaborations. The built environment is responsible for 42% of global carbon emissions, so it’s no secret that the time for incremental progress has passed. We can no longer rely on a limited amount of natural, renewable resources nor systems and materials that are dependent on a fossil fuel economy. Instead, through a synthesis of low and high tech, a new generation of low carbon materials, and an adaptation of systems-level thinking, we can transform the built environment into a part of the solution to the climate crisis, rather than a contributor.
These days, I am excited about moving toward a whole life carbon approach, leveraging zero carbon policies and carbon trading as a means to advance our industry towards net zero. A big step toward achieving this goal is to advocate for a net zero or even a carbon-absorbing future within our organizations, building projects, and policies. As founder of SOM’s Climate Action Group, I spearheaded our efforts to become a carbon neutral business in 2022 with carbon reductions and offsets. I look forward to pushing our industry further and believe that many of us can achieve this through creative leadership, transparency, collaboration, and data sharing.
Karlatornet in Gothenburg is the tallest mixed-use high-rise in Scandinavia. Photography by Kasper Dudzik.
Going back now, how did you choose Cornell to study architecture?
I was first drawn to Cornell’s founding principle of “any person, any study,” which demonstrates how people from all walks of life, all income levels, backgrounds, races, religions, and genders have the freedom to pursue academic interests wherever they lead. There is no limit to what you can do and who can do it. During my time there, I had the opportunity to collaborate with incredible people from all over the world, and these relationships introduced me to the importance of taking care of our people and planet, within different contexts, and inspired my personal and professional work.
My education taught me analytical thinking, the most important tool to understand the complex equations that surround us in today’s world, particularly in the climate space—and something I practice everyday in my many roles in this industry. I see myself as more than an architect. I am an activist, researcher, advocate, innovator, carbon expert, among many others.
“I have always been a curious person, which is so important especially when working in the sustainability and climate space. This realm is unchartered territory. It’s as if we are building a plane as we are flying at the same time.”
You've been with SOM now for twenty years — tell me how you got there, and how your role has evolved over the years.
I began my career at SOM as an intern in the New York office. I was first inspired by the opportunity to work with people and projects from all across the world, which remains true today. While I was working on projects at a global scale, I also had the opportunity to live and work in London for more than ten years. During this time, I focused on many sustainable projects in new geomarkets like the tallest mixed-use high-rise in Scandinavia. and many low carbon headquarters around the globe. By the time I returned to New York, I had found a way to successfully align my personal and work priorities by becoming a climate advocate and carbon strategist. This alignment also enabled me to lead projects like Urban Sequoia, a modular building approach that can absorb more carbon than it emits. Can you imagine a world where all buildings can absorb carbon? That would be groundbreaking.
What kind of initiatives are you focusing on today?
When I founded our Climate Action Group, I wanted to harness our collective expertise and interdisciplinary practice to advance a net zero carbon-built environment. I led our efforts to set progressive carbon goals, create decarbonization roadmaps, and develop platforms like “Carbon Loop” to monitor and reduce the embodied and operational carbon of 96% of our projects. We also became a carbon neutral firm starting in 2022. I am committed to establishing new protocols, influencing best practices, and setting new policies to grow our impact in the industry. Today, I see every project as an opportunity to accelerate the transition to a zero carbon future.
When I reflect back on my career, it has always been defined by the opportunity to continue to learn and grow each day. I have always been a curious person, which is so important especially when working in the sustainability and climate space. This realm is unchartered territory. It’s as if we are building a plane as we are flying at the same time. It’s exciting to be at the forefront of a movement and equally rewarding to learn and experiment everyday with a new set of opportunities—all alongside exceptional people.
The JTI Headquarters in Geneva. Photography by Hufton + Crow.
Looking back at your career at large, what have been the biggest challenges? How did you manage through perceived disappointments or setbacks?
Early in my career working, I was always the only woman in the room. In fact, I remember working with a particular client, who kept referring to me as my boss’ secretary over and over. I was a senior designer at the time! Luckily a lot of progress has been made since then and we are seeing more women take on leadership roles—especially in the sustainability and climate realm. In fact, there was a period in my career when sustainability was not a priority in our industry and I saw a need to change it with advocacy for better policies and incentives.
My advocacy work gained momentum with proposals like the Low Embodied Carbon Concrete Leadership Act (LECCLA) and many others. Since then, I have been involved in numerous advisory councils with New York State and New York City to help shape government policies on carbon and energy. Policy and incentives are a critical way to shape our societies and key drivers to internalize the negative externalities. Plus they have inspired me to become a more outspoken activist and a vocal spokeswoman for our society and planet.
“As an everyday citizen and mother, I am committed to defining a livable world and empowering the next generation...When I have moments of despair, I remind myself that there is no time for this, and my son’s generation needs people like me to keep on going and bring along others on this journey with me. ”
On this note, what is the impact you’d like to have on the world? What is your core mission?
I want to ensure that my son can live on a similar planet, access the food and water security I had, have the same basic human rights, and not be traumatized by the effects of climate change. There are many reasons to be determined, stay hopeful, and continue to make change. That goes for all of us!
How to you measure success in something like this, which has such a long time span?
To me, there is a very simple measure of success, which is staying under a critical 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold by the end of the century—and the built environment should be well positioned to lead this charge.
To do this, our role as designers and climate leaders needs to evolve and expand to respond to challenges of climate change. Sometimes that means being an activist joining climate walks around the globe, and other times it means coming together with our industry peers and policy makers to advocate for greener policies. Sometimes it means participating in groundbreaking research and setting new sustainable benchmarks, like we did when we worked on a new generation of low carbon materials—such as an algae-based cement that could be a net zero carbon alternative to concrete. For me, success and progress are all of these things depending on the day, and that’s the beauty of expanding our role beyond the traditional norms.
Charenton-Bercy is Paris’s first net-zero-carbon district sequestering high-rise. Visualization by Luxigon.
Urban Sequoia is a radical proposal for a carbon-sequestering high-rise. Courtesy of SOM and Miysis.
Who are you admiring now and why?
I am currently inspired by people like Edward Marzia, the founder of Architecture2030, also a mentor, who has been leading sustainability and climate efforts in architecture for many years and Yvon Choinard, founder of apparel brand Patagonia, who has committed to donating the company’s profits to environmental causes. I have a deep appreciation for people who have a new vision and are not afraid to go for it, no matter how avant garde the vision might seem at the time.
Finally, what advice do you have for those starting their career? Would your advice be any different for women?
Be yourself. We all take many different paths in life, but no matter which path you choose, it is important to always stay true to your core values. For me, those are the wellbeing of people and the planet, which have become guiding principles in all parts of my life.
This is also an important reminder to give more than you get. I wouldn’t be in my position if it wasn’t for the many pioneering leaders and mentors who have helped pave the way. Our work is dependent on collaboration, which is why it is incredibly important to build connections with others in our industry, and also with collaborators outside of it. Together, we can amplify our impact to continue to build a better future for many years to come.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, always keep an open mind, heart, and door. You never know when a new mentor, collaborator, or friend may come through that door at the most unexpected time or place. They may have a significant influence on your journey, help you to discover the unknown, or nourish your mind and soul along the way.