A conversation with Sanaz, the CEO and Founder of Bouthouse Architect Inc. and Mani Architect Inc.

A STORY TO SHARE,

Who are you? We would love to know more about who you are outside of work.

I am a registered architect based in West Vancouver and Burnaby. My practice is focused on multi-family residential buildings and tenant improvements in British Columbia. Our recent projects are aiming to reduce construction waste by utilizing modular construction.

Outside of work, I am a part of animal rights groups in BC. I have organized multiple peaceful outreach events focused on stopping use of animals in research labs, horse racing, and the foi gras dishes served in many French restaurants around Vancouver. I have learned a lot about how animals are treated in Canada and the lack of laws to protect animals in farms and labs. In my personal life, I have found that the best and easiest way to be kind to animals is to leave animals off of my plate. I am happy that as a side effect it has an immense positive impact on the environment.

In 2023, I have been approached by some animal rights activists to become a candidate for the political party called Animal Protection Party and will be presented as a candidate in the next election by APP.

What does home mean to you?

Home is where my husband and kids live.

What sparked your personal interest in sustainability?

My interest in sustainability started after I attended an exhibition in Science World by chance. My kids were playing, and I went into this exhibition by the entrance that happened to be about garbage. There was a picture of an albatross bird that laid dead with her tummy full of plastic. I learned that albatross birds travel over the ocean, very far away, to bring food for just one chick. Even though they live in the most remote islands of the world, they unintentionally feed their chicks plastic. The chicks die from plastic ingestion before they have a chance to learn to fly. There, between the love of a mother and her baby, was our garbage, and that changed my life. As I moved through the exhibition, I saw bags and toys and clothing that were inside a plastic tube destined for the landfill. It really opened my eyes and re-enforced my understanding that every personal choice I make has a direct impact on the environment and the future of our children.

What opened your eyes to the waste issues in your industry?

In 2021, I was already determined to have a zero waste household, but it never occurred to me that my job is one of the largest sources of garbage. One day I was doing a field review at one of our townhouse projects on Oak street, and I noticed the garbage around the construction site. The contractor at the time did not keep the site clean, and every trade had left their garbage around: drywall cut offs, insulation, cladding cut offs, studs, roof membrane, flashing, stucco mesh, concrete, plastic pipes…I immediately took a picture, and went home and started researching construction waste. I realized that the only reason I hadn’t seen the garbage before was that all the larger projects before this kept the site very clean and quickly dumped the garbage in the construction bin outside where it wasn’t noticeable.

What are the (sustainability) problems in architecture?

Architecture is a very old trade, and changes happen very slowly. Housing prices have risen around the world, which makes doing things in a new, creative way especially difficult in expensive cities like Vancouver. New and different can mean more costly. Architecture today is not only about creating space. Especially in Canada, I find architecture has become more of a science involving so many different areas of expertise: maintaining energy efficiency, rain protection, material safety, affordability, functionality, durability of the buildings, and sometimes coordinating upwards of 12 other consultants in a small townhouse project. Along with responding to market demands, this all can mean that architects are often overworked and underpaid, and that can also inhibit creativity. For example, concrete production is estimated to be responsible for 8% of the global CO2 emissions, and at the same time, it is one of the most wasted materials in construction according to recent research.

What are the solutions that exist, and what solutions are you still looking for?

The most recent solution I have heard of is designing for disassembly. This idea is now presented as a CSA standard in Canada, and the idea is being taught by the best instructors at BCIT, initiated by a company called Lighthouse. The idea is to design a building that can be easily modified, repaired, and disassembled at the end of its life. Currently, even if a pipe bursts in a unit, we have to demolish parts of the wall and use new materials. In the case of a building design for disassembly, it will be easy to remove a panel with visible fixing devices, instructions, and labels on all materials that will help us avoid those materials being sent to the landfill. This is a new idea, and I am testing it in my latest project in Kelowna that has been proposed for a modular construction.

Another example is the idea of bird friendly design, which is only a guideline in Vancouver. Other jurisdictions don’t even offer a guideline. As the number of birds in Canada is rapidly falling, we have many birds on the endangered list. We need new bylaws that requires the protection of birds. Currently upwards of 25 million birds die each year by glass collisions. The solutions are there but are not being utilized. CSA A460:19 was published in 2019, and yet there is not requirement in any part of BC to design the building accordingly.

How do you find hope to persevere toward net-zero goals in your workplace?

Sometimes I do lose hope. Especially this summer with the rise in global temperatures. I often think to myself, “why am I doing all this and worrying if it is too late?” What if what I do will not make a change in the big picture. What keeps me persevering towards net-zero goals is not hope, but it is my ethics. Because when I know something is wrong, I do not want to be part of it. I want to go to sleep thinking I did my part. I did not contribute to the problem. That is a very good feeling, and it gives me a lot of energy. It’s the same with being vegan. It’s the guilt free feeling after a meal that is so calming and nice that helps me stay in my path.

We recognize that the work you are a part of is all around us and impacts our day to day lives. What message can you give to us as consumers in your industry?

That is a very good question. I ask the end users to take care of their buildings, so the buildings last a long time, even if they are only renting it for a short time. If they do decide to upgrade something in the building, go with the more sustainable alternative, even if it is a bit pricier. Be aware of the developments that happen around you. Currently I see many sites being developed in the North shore area, for example, with 100% impermeable sites. This means that from the 2.5 meters of rain that falls on us each year, not one drop will be absorbed by the land. The rain is collected in a pipe called a storm line, and then we can only hope that later on this storm line does not join a sewer line.

The same idea exists with trees. I see sites that are removing upwards of 15 mature trees. The planning departments are OK now with removing all the trees on a site and on the sidewalks because new underground services are coming. Even when it is possible to save a mature tree, I have seen instances where the authorities in charge did not want to keep it due to cost or liability…. We have to put pressure on the municipalities to enforce bylaws that makes the building site permeable, bird friendly, and retain the existing mature trees that are left.

Thank you, Sanaz, for sharing your story with us.

More work from Sanaz can be found here: www.bouthousearchitect.com

A STORY TO SHARE,

Who are you? We would love to know more about who you are outside of work.

I am a registered architect based in West Vancouver and Burnaby. My practice is focused on multi-family residential buildings and tenant improvements in British Columbia. Our recent projects are aiming to reduce construction waste by utilizing modular construction.

Outside of work, I am a part of animal rights groups in BC. I have organized multiple peaceful outreach events focused on stopping use of animals in research labs, horse racing, and foi gras dish served in many French restaurants around Vancouver. I have learned a lot about how animals are treated in Canada and the lack of laws to protect animals in farms and labs. In my personal life, I have found that the best and easiest way to be kind to animals is to leave animals off of my plate. I am happy that as a side effect it has an immense positive impact on the environment.

In 2023, I have been approached by some animal rights activists to become a candidate for the political party called Animal Protection Party and will be presented as a candidate in the next election by APP.

What does home mean to you?

Home is where my husband and kids live.

What sparked your personal interest in sustainability?

My interest in sustainability started after I attended an exhibition in Science World by chance. My kids were playing, and I went into this exhibition by the entrance that happened to be about garbage. There was a picture of an albatross bird that laid dead with her tummy full of plastic. I learned that albatross birds travel over the ocean, very far away, to bring food for just one chick. Even though they live in the most remote islands of the world, they unintentionally feed their chicks plastic. The chicks die from plastic ingestion before they have a chance to learn to fly. There, between the love of a mother and her baby, was our garbage, and that changed my life. As I moved through the exhibition, I saw bags and toys and clothing that were inside a plastic tube destined for the landfill. It really opened my eyes and re-enforced my understanding that every personal choice I make has a direct impact on the environment and the future of our children.

What opened your eyes to the waste issues in your industry?

In 2021, I was already determined to have a zero waste household, but it never occurred to me that my job is one of the largest sources of garbage. One day I was doing a field review at one of our townhouse projects, and I noticed the garbage around the construction site. The contractor at the time did not keep the site clean, and every trade had left their garbage around: drywall cut offs, insulation, cladding cut offs, studs, roof membrane, flashing, stucco mesh, concrete, plastic pipes…I immediately took a picture, and went home and started researching construction waste. I realized that the only reason I hadn’t seen the garbage before was that all the larger projects before this kept the site very clean and quickly dumped the garbage in the construction bin outside where the waste wasn’t noticeable.