Design for a changing world

Designed in New Zealand and with a critical focus on carbon emissions, Fisher & Paykel appliances have attracted a global community of architects and designers that not only seek the design freedom of integrated, design-led appliance solutions but also have a shared low-carbon emissions focus.

The company’s inaugural global speaker series, Design for a Changing World (in partnership with The Local Project), took place in six locations in 2025: Sydney and Melbourne in Australia, plus Toronto, New York, London, and Costa Mesa, Ca. During each event, a panel of leading architects and designers from around the world shared their experiences of the forces shaping the built environment. Speakers explored how environmental pressures are influencing decisions around materials, longevity, community engagement, and the broader role of design. The series is available to watch on YouTube.

Modernism evolving for a changing climate

In California, where climate pressures such as wildfire risk are directly influencing design decisions, architects and designers are redefining permanence, materiality, and the relationship between buildings and landscape.

For many, sustainability begins with longevity. Noah Walker, AIA, founding principal of Walker Workshop, spoke to the importance of long-term thinking during Fisher & Paykel’s Costa Mesa event: “The closest we can get to sustainability is building for permanence and not building to recycle. To build something that’ll last 100 years.”

Erika Montes of Woods + Dangaran emphasized the scale of resources involved in building, noting the importance of rebuilding in a thoughtful and considered way: “We should be as sure as we can that we’re doing something that’s meaningful and enduring because construction requires a tremendous allocation of resources, and there’s really no way around that right now.”

The Costa Mesa conversation explored how perceptions of luxury are shifting in response to environmental concerns. As Simone Stephens of Fisher & Paykel reflected during the discussion: “Luxury and what we care for will be about experiences and things that are crafted, or that we can see, and about meaning.”

Walker echoed this sentiment while acknowledging that customization, or creating “a very special thing,” is a long process that is founded on shared values: “There will always be people who value bespoke things that take time, and take effort, and take originality.”

When asked about Californian Modernism’s impact on today’s design trends, designer Jamie Bush (Jamie Bush + Co) remarked, “Meaning and history, and things that we place a high value on, are about standing still. As cliche as it is, it’s about simple homes that are very indoor/outdoor and that really embrace the garden.”

In the context of building for longevity, operational carbon becomes an important consideration when specifying materials and systems within residential projects.

Fisher & Paykel provides in-use energy carbon emissions estimates, helping designers reach carbon goals while utilizing low global warming potential refrigerants and quality fabrication.

Sustainable design through storytelling

In New York, the conversation shifted to the challenge of communicating sustainability in ways that resonate with communities. Architects reflected on how environmental priorities intersect with human experience and cultural context.

Sean A. Gallagher of Diller Scofidio + Renfro recounted a project for U.S. Customs & Border Protection shortly after 9/11. Initial efforts to discuss ecological restoration of wetlands met with little engagement. Gallagher realized that framing environmental goals in terms of community priorities — safety, placemaking, and immediate human impact — helped the message land.

“If carbon is in the background, that’s okay. You’re connecting with them, and they understand something brilliant about what you’re wanting to do.”

Pascale Sablan, FAIA, of Adjaye Associates shared a similar approach from a Washington, D.C., project. Her team responded to concerns about displacement by creating an interim retail village using mass timber, which empowered the community to engage with the project by utilizing the space in meaningful designs, fostering a spirit of co-creation.

“Sustainability can be tangible, something people experience and say, ‘Ah, this is what sustainability means.’ But it’s also about walking into a space and feeling the difference between building in a way that heals versus a way that harms.”

Kai-Uwe Bergmann, FAIA, of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) reflected on the everyday decisions that shape sustainable practice, noting that culture and context influence what sustainability looks like in each project. “[Being Danish], you make decisions every single day that either are using resources or using less resources.”

Interior designer Sandra Nunnerley emphasized her team’s focus on timeless design, connecting the aesthetics of interiors with environmental responsibility: “One of the mantras in our [interior design] studio is timeless interiors … lasting work, lasting interiors are very much our mindset working with architects.”

Together, these perspectives highlight that sustainable architecture is as much about storytelling, empathy, and cultural awareness as it is about materials and systems.

Fisher & Paykel’s Minimal and Contemporary appliance lines exemplify this approach in practice, supporting both thoughtful design and low-carbon strategies without compromising aesthetics.

Forecasting architecture’s sustainability evolution

Architects’ roles continue to evolve as environmental performance, digital tools, and societal expectations reshape practice, with RIBA projecting that by 2035, sustainability literacy will be embedded across the profession. Guided by the AIA Framework for Design Excellence, the capacity to be “carbon better” and receive wider industry support can be achieved by collaborating with design partners that can offer specific expertise to guide choices.

At the New York event, Fisher & Paykel CEO Daniel Witten-Hannah offered a perspective that speaks directly to this evolution. Reflecting on the pressures architecture studios face, he noted, “Often, we jump to the trade-offs too early. Accepting the trade-offs or opposing constraints that force creativity and innovation is a critical part. But once you put those goals out there and you force the constraints to change the way you think, all of a sudden new opportunities come up, and people come up with creative ideas.”

In this view, constraints are not limitations—they are the conditions that spark innovation, guiding architects toward solutions that are both sustainable and meaningful for the communities and clients they serve.

Learn more about Fisher & Paykel’s Carbon Impact Report and connect with a Design Development Manager (DDM) for planning and specification support for low-carbon building projects. Visit Fisher & Paykel at www.fisherpaykel.com.

Fisher & Paykel will be at EuroCucina, Salone del Mobile, Milano with Nature — Ritual from April 21–26, 2026.

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