AECB Trustee Applications

The AECB AGM is being held on Thursday the 15th of December at 12.00-13.00, and all Members are invited and welcome to attend. This year we have six candidates for the four vacant places on the AECB Board. There will therefore be an election held at the AGM, in line with our Articles of Association. Voting will take place through a zoom poll at the meeting.

Only Members registered for the AGM will therefore be able to vote.  Supplementary Members will be able to attend the AGM but will not be able to vote. 

Below is the trustee applications:

Ben Fazakerley 

  • I have a lifetime of construction experience.
  • I work on a daily basis with designers, main contractors, and subcontractors with the aim of promoting construction excellence. I communicate well with all stakeholders.
  • The current board of trustees does not have a hands on builder as an AECB representative.
  • My excellent knowledge of Environmentally Conscious Construction allows me to communicate confidently with all stakeholders.
  • Certified Passive House Consultant.
  • AECB Member & Carbonlite Retrofit Student.
  • Excellent industry knowledge supported by an MBA in Construction and Real Estate.
  • Excellent thinker and always full of ideas.
  • Always aware of when questions need to be asked, and who might be best positioned to answer them.
  • Full of energy, confident we can make a difference and continually looking for the largest positive impact possible.
  • Experience of member run organisations.
  • A new pair of eyes able to observe the AECB and convey my observations of where the most efficient improvements can be made.

 

Julia Bennett

  • DipArch MScEEB ARB
  • Chartered Architect and trained Passivhaus Designer
  • AECB Trustee for previous 9 years
  • Trustee of Strawbale Building UK
  • Member of RIAS, SEDA, RIBA, SBUK, EBUKI

I have been working in low carbon and ecological design for over 30 years in both large and small practices, and in building physics teams. I now run my own architectural practice based at Batsford Arboretum in the Cotswolds, focused on retrofit projects using natural materials. I work in a local collective of sustainable installers and builders to achieve real low carbon construction. As biogenic materials come to the fore as we take on our embodied carbon/ energy responsibilities, I co-wrote the first edition of the Technical Guide for Strawbale Building 2022. I am a Training Developer at The Green Register, have curated the 2022 TGR conference ‘From Linear to Circular- – a WHOLE Mindset’, and in 2023, and will be developing a practical training course in real retrofit skills for builders. I am currently researching the evolution of design from sustainable through circular to the coming call for the deep regenerative approaches that we need to adopt. I believe AECB can be a leading light in this.

Since joining the AECB in the 90s, I have been an enthusiastic and active member – I ran the Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire Local Group for several years and co-curated the AECB Conference at the Enterprise Centre in the University of East Anglia in 2016.

I continue to be passionate about the AECB and especially want to support the radical improvement of AECB member connection, services and engagement to enable our community of  individuals and businesses to play our important part in deepening climate action in our industry. I believe in continually evolving the AECB’s growing national recognition for high quality thought- and practice- leadership and I don’t feel I am done being a Trustee yet!

 

Anna Carlton

  • The high quality of work and the extremely useful influence of the AECB on the UK Built Environment is my motivation to become more involved at this critical time leading up to 2025.
  • I have experience with retrofit to full Passivhaus certified standard (including Totnes B&B), through to working with Prewett Bizley Architects on award winning retrofit projects (2014-2019) and then to new-build to the full Passivhaus standard using the PH15 System, winner of the Ashden Award in 2020 for scalable climate change solutions.
  • My skill base is both in design and technical design, with PHPP modelling, including upfront carbon calculations with PH Ribbon, and construction detailing.
  • I am interested in energy efficiency and low upfront carbon solutions, especially in the appropriate use of timber in a contemporary, low energy context.  More recently I have become engaged in trying to drive retrofit action at a local level, using and enhancing local skills and addressing local issues.
  • I feel passionate about the need to be strategic in our collective thinking and our outputs as the time periods available for a safe transition to ‘net zero’ continue to shorten and the urgency for action continues to increase.

 

Adam Harper, MCIOB

I’m standing to be a trustee for the AECB this year because we need to have better representation and recruitment of younger members. Our organisation and its members have significant expertise that younger construction professionals would benefit from, knowledge that is not being taught in educational institutions. It’s vital we recruit younger members to be the future of the AECB. I would support the organisation to forge closer links with colleges, universities and help drive recruitment of younger members, including introducing a student membership level.

As a member working in local government, I would seek to strengthen our links with councils and promote our training, retrofit standards and membership offer. Councils can be an important vehicle for change as demonstrated by Norwich and Exeter councils delivering significant Passivhaus and retrofit schemes.

I am 32, live in North Yorkshire and have been an AECB member for 11 years. I’m active in the Yorkshire group helping organise events and supporting Harrogate College with retrofit events. I am a Chartered Construction Manager (MCIOB) and work for City of York Council delivering affordable Passivhaus homes. I am a firm believer in being the change and spend my weekends retrofitting my own home!

 

Kit Knowles, MEng, Sustainability Consultant

  • I am the founder and director of Ecospheric, an award-winning Passivhaus design and sustainability consultancy based in the Northwest of England.
  • My background is in chemical engineering provides practical knowledge in heat transfer, building technology and integration.
  • My varied experience and passion for decarbonising the built environment has led him to become one of the country’s leading experts on sustainable building.
  • I have advised the Greater Manchester Combined Authority on its large-scale retrofit strategies for residential housing as well as its commercial retrofit group, supported Co-op Foods in developing low carbon “green stores”, delivered technical expertise for Passivhaus multi-story social housing developments, and is currently acting as the net zero carbon building standard coordinator for the NHS’ new Countess of Chester Women & Children’s Hospital.
  • I am driven by an overarching aim to deliver maximum decarbonisation in the UK’s built environment and feel I can provide a positive contribution to the AECB through his skills, passion, and experience.
  • Ecospheric supports architects, planners, and developers to deliver pioneering eco developments ranging from new-build commercial/healthcare and multi-unit residential towers, complex period and listed retrofits, and innovative Paragraph 80e country house projects.

 

Jarek Gasiorek

  • I am an associate at Smith Scott Mullan, an architect and a Passive House Designer working in Scotland since 2006.
  • My adventure with sustainable design started at Wrocław, Poland, Technical University with my MA research on Straw bale and Passive House. Working closely with company Smith Scott Mullan Associates directors Eugene Mullan (BE-ST innovation champion), and Graham Acheson (PH Designer); and fellow associate Ben Rainger (RIAS Sustainability Working Group Vice Chair); I helped to transition the company to a sustainable design centred organisation.
  • I am responsible for influencing, managing the sustainability related procedures, knowledge base, training and publicity, as well as informing the Business Framework Strategy and project specific design decisions within the company.
  • I am involved in a range of projects spanning from strategy documents (Midlothian Council Net Zero Housing Design Guide), Passive House schemes, retrofit and conversion projects to research.
  • I have a significant experience management and working with community organisations. In the past years I was a committee member or a secretary of several Polish cultural organisations in Edinburgh. Through these groups I was involved in projects, research and events leading to community capacity building. 
  • My main reason to put my name forward as a candidate is to be able to influence and accelerate the much-needed change with the maximum impact possible. As the organisations of similar character in Scotland tend to have slightly different centre of attention and less technical/practical focus, i’m interested in an opportunity to growth new membership with fresh perspective on practicalities and skillsets needed for the industry transition.