The Holistic Energy and Carbon Emission Impacts of Telework (Conscious Cities Festival 2020 London)

Session Description: Starting in the 1970s, telework was widely touted as a working style with a lower environmental impact – largely due to the reduced distance travel of single-occupancy cars. While the telework movement has seen modest growth since then, it pales in comparison to the abrupt shift since the latest pandemic. However, telework has numerous rebound effects that are far less appreciated by most of its advocates and citizens. This talk will build upon empirical evidence from the scientific literature to explore whether telework is truly a more sustainable approach. It will conclude by discussing policies and design approaches to improve the environmental sustainability of working.

Speaker: Liam O’Brien (Associate Professor, Architectural Conservation and Sustainability Engineering, Carleton University)

Liam O’Brien, Ph.D., P.Eng. is an Associate Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. He is the principal investigator of the Human Building Interaction Lab, which consists of a team of 15 researchers with diverse backgrounds in engineering, architecture, and psychology. His team is developing occupant-centric design processes, building code, and controls for high-performance buildings. He has authored over 150 publications and two books on this topic. He is the Operating Agent of International Energy Agency EBC Annex 79: Occupant-Centric Building Design and Operation.