McLennan Design

McLennan Design Biophilia, Biomimicry, and Place-Based Regenerative Design

THE STATE OF SPORTS ARCHITECTURE: https://isu.pub/GtItdPKEvery sports architecture project—whether a 70,000-seat stadium...
04/13/2026

THE STATE OF SPORTS ARCHITECTURE: https://isu.pub/GtItdPK

Every sports architecture project—whether a 70,000-seat stadium or a community athletics center—offers boundless opportunities to inspire, energize, educate, and affirm a simple truth: we’re better when we gather to cheer or play together.

We’ve brought together leaders from the Perkins&Will Sports Practice to share their perspectives on the future of sports architecture and the evolving role these spaces play in our communities.

Q&A Perkins&Will Sports Practice Leaders:
DON DETHLEFS, Perkins&Will Denver
MAX RICHTER, Perkins&Will Vancouver
TYLER HINCKLEY, Perkins&Will Boston
PHILIP O’SULLIVAN, Perkins&Will Toronto

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LOVE+REGENERATION: Sports & Sustainability IssueSPRING 2026 • VOL. 8 • ISSUE 1LINK TO ISSUE: https://issuu.com/thelorax/...
04/03/2026

LOVE+REGENERATION: Sports & Sustainability Issue
SPRING 2026 • VOL. 8 • ISSUE 1
LINK TO ISSUE: https://issuu.com/thelorax/docs/l_r_26_spring_issuu?fr=sZjBkMzkxMTg0NTI

Welcome to the SPORTS & SUSTAINABILITY Edition of Love+Regeneration!
This issue explores the intersection of sports and design, highlighting standout Perkins&Will athletic projects such as Northeastern University’s Multipurpose Athletic Facility. It also reflects on the Climate Pledge Arena and the creation of the GOAL system, a framework for the continuous improvement of sports environments. Alongside these features are thoughtful contributions from our team, including Josh Fisher’s exploration of his passion for skating and Johanna Collins’ application of biomimicry in practice. On a lighter note, the issue concludes with a short personal piece, “My Life in Gastronomy,” offering a more reflective look at food and experience.

Enjoy the issue, and share comments please – we enjoy hearing from those that read our magazine!

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Twenty years ago, the launch of the Living Building Challenge changed the trajectory of the built environment.At a time ...
04/02/2026

Twenty years ago, the launch of the Living Building Challenge changed the trajectory of the built environment.

At a time when “green building” largely meant slightly reducing harm, the Living Building Challenge asked a far more ambitious question: What if our buildings could give more than they take?

It introduced a bold new standard — one grounded not in promised, unverified performance, but in proven results. Projects were required to demonstrate real, year-long operational outcomes. They had to generate their own renewable energy, manage water responsibly, eliminate harmful materials, and create spaces that nurture human health, equity, and beauty. It reframed sustainability from being “less bad” to being truly regenerative.

We were the first standard in the world to introduce equity and beauty as foundational pillars of green building. We were the first standard in the world to require the end of onsite combustion, helping to usher in visions of a purely renewably-powered world. We were the first standard in the world to require materials free of red list chemicals and FSC wood products with full chain-of-custody – ushering in a movement of material and supply chain transparency. We were the first to include biophilia, urban agriculture, and many, many other notable foundations now common in other programs that have looked to us as the visionary leaders blazing a new trail forward.

That shift was visionary in 2006, and remains so today. As we mark this significant milestone, we also look ahead to what's next and what is required of us.

Today the built environment remains one of the largest contributors to global emissions and environmental degradation – in a world greatly impoverished since 2006 – despite our best collective efforts. And yet, it remains an industry ripe for further leadership and one of the greatest opportunities still for transformation. The principles that defined the Living Building Challenge two decades ago feel more urgent than ever. And over 20 years we have been building models for the future to learn from – Living Buildings that now inspire thousands in communities all over the globe.

Register for Living Future 2026: https://lnkd.in/g2spNeNN

The time is right for Living Future 2026, where leaders, practitioners, and innovators who continue to push beyond conventional limits will gather and redefine what’s possible for the next 20 years. This anniversary is not simply a celebration of what has been achieved. It is a call to advance our future.

We would be honored to have you join us.

Warmly,
Jason McLennan
Founder of the Living Building Challenge

Green Building Movement w/Jason Podcast https://changemakershandbook.substack.com/p/where-the-movement-stalled-interview...
03/30/2026

Green Building Movement w/Jason Podcast

https://changemakershandbook.substack.com/p/where-the-movement-stalled-interview

WHERE THE MOVEMENT STALLED:
Elena Bondareva interviews Jason F. McLennnan

Elena Bondareva sat down for an interview with Jason F. McLennan, the founder of the Living Building Challenge and the Living Future Institute, the Chief Sustainability Officer with Perkins+Will, and a prolific author. They discussed the gap between building an industry and building a movement — and why being right has never been enough to change systems. Watch the full interview on Substack or listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

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MY LIFE IN CARSA FUN AUTO BIOGRAPHY https://isu.pub/hKKCAGu Jason F. McLennan loves his cars. Follow his auto biography ...
12/04/2025

MY LIFE IN CARS
A FUN AUTO BIOGRAPHY

https://isu.pub/hKKCAGu

Jason F. McLennan loves his cars. Follow his auto biography through this fun feature that highlights his journey from 1977 VW Dasher to his dream car, a 1973 Jaguar eSeries that he converted into an electric showstopper!

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LOVE+REGENERATION • Fall ‘25https://isu.pub/vTL43jgI often write these intro letters while traveling, as it seems to giv...
12/04/2025

LOVE+REGENERATION • Fall ‘25
https://isu.pub/vTL43jg
I often write these intro letters while traveling, as it seems to give me a different perspective on our work serving our clients in so many different places. This time I am writing while traveling to Merida, Mexico – where we are kicking off the design of a new campus. I’ll share more on that in a future issue! But for this issue, we turn back time a bit to a project that we worked on pre-pandemic – the wonderful little Maitland Chart House and Maitland Masterplan – a historic place in my home province of Ontario. It has been great seeing what was once a crumbling relic turn back into a community asset thanks to my friend – Philip Ling’s vision and efforts. A short essay summarizes the work.

Also in this issue are several other interesting things to share with you all. We provide an update on a groundbreaking summit we recently held on Bainbridge Island that we called – the Death&Life of the Green Building Movement. We hosted around 60 people from across the Country and Canada in discussing and analyzing what went right – and wrong over the last couple decades in our efforts to make change. My friend Elena Bondereva helped me host the event and she shares a summary.

There is a fun article I wrote over the summer called “My Life in Cars” where I talk about how the passage of time can often be marked by the vehicles we drove at the time – and then members of our team share their first cars – and there are some cool ones!
And like always, we try to focus on people and projects we care about – and this issue is dedicated to the memory of Paula McEvoy a colleague at Perkins&Will and a long-time green warrior who passed away too soon this year.

Enjoy and let us know how you like this issue!

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HENRICO COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL GROUNDBREAKINGCenter for Environmental Science & SustainabilityPerkins&Will | Bainbridge Is...
10/15/2025

HENRICO COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL GROUNDBREAKING
Center for Environmental Science & Sustainability

Perkins&Will | Bainbridge Island
Perkins&Will | North Carolina

HENRICO VIDEO: https://youtu.be/GgnOyWwILck?si=KFiaXnA6iHxOHwMI

STORY: https://www.henricocitizen.com/henrico-couschools-breaks-ground-on-new-16-3-million-environmental-l…

We’re excited to see the kickoff of our Living Building project for Henrico County Public Schools with the official Groundbreaking ceremony that took place this Monday, Sept 29th. Representatives from the School Board, City, Design Team, and Contractor Team were all present to place the first shovels in the ground and kickstart the realization of this ambitious regenerative project!

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THE MAGIC OF IMPERFECTIONThe 3/4 Baked Secret to Unlocking Innovation and Getting More Doneby Jason F. McLennanI am thri...
09/09/2025

THE MAGIC OF IMPERFECTION
The 3/4 Baked Secret to Unlocking Innovation and Getting More Done
by Jason F. McLennan

I am thrilled to share the release of my latest book, The Magic of Imperfection. This easily digestible guide contains the “3/4 Baked Secret” to breaking free from perfectionism, overcoming creative blocks, and embracing a more productive lifestyle. If you are looking to learn how to amp up your creative output, unlock innovation, and get more done, this book is the resource you’ve been searching for! Now available for order in multiple formats - including paperback, eBook, and audiobook - on Amazon.

PURCHASE: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DQGYDPQM/?bestFormat=true&k=the%20magic%20of%20imperfection&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-pd-bk-d_k0_1_16_de&crid=34ECX8A21TJXY&sprefix=the%20magic%20of%20imp

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Bainbridge Island, WA
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