Here’s another chapter in our ongoing 5 questions series with the women of HOK.  Meet Barb Ciesla, Sustainable Design Leader and Vice President in Toronto.  Barb has been with HOK almost six years now and we are glad to have her.   She is a Scorpio and true to her zodiacal sign, she is “one intense little creature.”  Barb is as smart as they come and won’t back down, especially when it comes to sustainability.  Read more and you’ll see why.

Barb Ciesla

Q:  Why is sustainable design so important to you? – I got to a point in my design career where, although I was loving what I was doing, I didn’t feel like I was making as much of a difference as I thought I could.  One day, I attended a conference session where Richard Williams was speaking about HOK.  It was my Aha moment (as captured in HOK’s Aha moments at Greenbuild) and knew this was the path forward, and that I too had to be at HOK.  Initially, sustainable design was a way for me to continue doing what I loved and in a way that made a bigger difference in the world.  The more I learned and understood the more I felt it would be wrong to leave behind a world for others that I had not cared for.  It is a continuous process and every day I learn and try to adapt to do things better.  

Barb with Fellow HOK Sustainable Leaders (walking the walk) Taking a Pedicab at Greenbuild 2009

Q: Who or what inspires you? – Figuring out a perplexing problem or having a meeting where I’ve been able to connect with a client really inspires me.  On the people front children inspire me for their honesty and sense of fun; Colin Powell for his strength of character; and Hazel MacCallion (Mayor of Mississauga) who has been governing for 31 years, and at 88 years of age shows no signs of slowing down.  I hope to have her strong work ethic, spunk and drive when I get to be her age.  Most importantly, the dedication and commitment of the people I work with inspire me, both here in Canada and my virtual global group of Sustainable Design Leaders, as well as all others in the greater HOK.

Q: What is your dream project? – When I was first out of school, I always thought a dream project would be designing a beautiful resort in some warm and exotic place.  Over the years, I’ve found that my dream projects are not necessarily the final product but they are more about the people (the teams and clients) I spend time with in getting there.  At the end of the day I want to be having fun. 

Q:  If you weren’t practicing sustainable consulting, what would you be doing? – I love what I do because I feel like I’m contributing in a meaningful way.  If we get to a point (which I hope we do) that sustainability becomes the only way of being and all of us are out of a job I would find other avenues to continue contributing.  And, if all else failed, I’d be perfectly happy spending the rest of my time somewhere on a beach. 

On the shores of Coronado Island, San Diego

Q: What advice would you give to sustainable specialists like yourself? – There is so much to do and so many obstacles on the way so be tenacious, stay true to who you are and “believe as if miracles are possible”.