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Earlier this summer, Study Architecture Summer Intern Maya Fenyk interviewed ​​JR Jacobs, a high school senior with a passion for sustainable architecture. Their conversation covered everything from  JR’s interest in architecture and his involvement with the Stanford Building Decarbonization Learning Accelerator (BDLA) to his process for creating digestible content about sustainable design strategies for high school students. Scroll down to read JR’s insights and words of wisdom!

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself and what drew you to architecture as a field?

My name is JR Jacobs, and I’m a senior at Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco, where I’ve been studying architecture with my teacher and mentor Goranka Poljak-Hoy since freshman year. I really like architecture because it allows me to combine two things that I’ve loved since I was a kid: designing and building. I’m drawn to architecture because it combines creativity, problem-solving, and the possibility of making a real impact on people’s lives. When I design a space, I’m not just thinking about how it looks; I’m also thinking about how people will experience the space and how it connects with its surroundings. It’s the same mindset that I bring to other parts of my life, whether it’s digital music production, furniture and product design, or landscape and interiors. For me, design is always about finding ways to make people’s lives better.

2. How did you first get involved with the Building Decarbonization Learning Accelerator (BDLA)?

I’ve cared about climate change since I was a kid. In 6th grade, I spent an entire semester designing and building a scale model of a sustainable house. That project was when I first learned how much building construction and operations contribute to global carbon emissions. It was also the first time that I saw how architecture could be a huge part in helping to solve climate change. The Stanford BDLA is a non-profit that helps college students in architecture, engineering, and construction management learn about building decarbonization. I thought that the free teaching resources on the BDLA website could also help high school students learn about important aspects of architecture, such as decarbonization and equal access to clean tech. So, I started reaching out to high school architecture teachers across the country to share the BDLA’s resources. Later, I reached out to the BDLA and told them about the emails I’d been sending to architecture teachers, and I asked if I could adapt some of their presentations into videos geared toward high school architecture students. The idea was to make complex sustainability topics more accessible to younger students. They said yes, and since then, I’ve been lucky to work with mentors like Peter Rumsey, Dr. Anthony Kinslow II, and Lindsay Franta. 

3. Your video on Environmental Justice and Equitable Decarbonization touches on powerful themes. What inspired you to focus on that topic?

At first, I didn’t fully understand how much climate change and the built environment affect some communities more than others. Then, I found a Stanford BDLA presentation created by Dr. Anthony Kinslow II that connected the dots between systemic racism, environmental injustice, and building decarbonization. Around the same time, I was volunteering at Second Harvest of Silicon Valley food bank, which provides healthy food to community members in need. I knew that Second Harvest was in the process of constructing a large new food distribution facility, and I started thinking about the connections between that building project and Dr. Kinslow’s BDLA presentation. Making this video just felt like the perfect way to combine my passion for design with my commitment to helping others. 

4. Could you walk us through your process in creating that video—from research and scripting to design and delivery?

I started by studying Dr. Kinslow’s BDLA presentation on the topic. My goal was to adapt it for high school students by focusing on the essential ideas. I watched other videos about environmental racism, redlining, energy burden, and potential solutions, and then I organized everything into an 11-page script. Then I built a 77-slide Keynote presentation with visuals that supported the ideas in the script. I set up a tiny recording studio in my home closet and recorded the voiceover narration. Then I edited the whole thing using iMovie into a 23-minute video. Once the video was done, the BDLA posted it on their website and YouTube channel. I emailed the video to over 50 high school architecture teachers, organizations, and people featured in the video.

5. You also created “Architectural Elements of a Decarbonized Building” for high school students. What was your approach to making these concepts accessible to a younger audience?

My goal was to focus on the essential concepts. The original BDLA presentation that I adapted was pretty technical, which is great for college students but can be overwhelming for high schoolers seeing the ideas for the first time. I wanted high school architecture students to learn about sustainable design strategies earlier in their architectural journeys so that they can apply them to their own projects. So I broke the original BDLA content down into 38 slides covering core design concepts like building orientation, high-performance glazing, shading, and thermal mass. I used simple visuals so the concepts would be easier to understand. The final video is about 9 minutes long.

6. What role do you think education plays in promoting sustainable architecture?

I think education plays a huge role. The buildings we design in the future will have a major impact on Earth’s climate. If we can teach future architects, engineers, and builders about decarbonization today, then those concepts will be included in the buildings of tomorrow. I hope that one day, people will just expect every new building to be carbon neutral. That’s why I’m so excited about bringing the BDLA’s resources to high school architecture programs and students.

7. How do you plan to incorporate the intersection of architecture and climate justice in your future studies?

Before I started volunteering for the BDLA, I didn’t fully understand the social impact side of architecture and design. The way we design can help or hurt people and communities, especially communities that are dealing with historical inequities. Now, equity and sustainability are part of how I think about design, no matter what I’m working on, whether it’s a building, an interior, a product, or a piece of furniture. To me, they’re just part of good design.

8. Has your experience with BDLA or creating these videos changed the way you think about your future in architecture?

Definitely. Once you see how much buildings contribute to climate change, and how building design can create, reinforce, or help reduce social inequities, you can’t unsee it. I know that whatever path I take in architecture or design, I’ll be looking for ways that my projects can have a positive environmental and social impact.

9. What advice would you give to students who want to explore sustainability and social justice through architecture?

If you want to learn about sustainability, I’d start by watching “Architectural Elements of a Decarbonized Building.” For social justice, I’d watch “Environmental Justice and Equitable Decarbonization.” Both videos are on YouTube and the BDLA website. Explore the other BDLA videos and dig deeper into the topics that interest you the most. Also check out groups like NOMA Project Pipeline and the Architectural Foundation of San Francisco. If you’re really interested, look into the pre-college summer programs on Study Architecture. Then find a way to share what you’ve learned. Start a club, take on a project, make a video, or give a presentation at your school. Once you start exploring these topics, you’ll find a lot of people out there who really care about these issues and want to help you make a difference.

You can connect with JR on LinkedIn: JR Jacobs