The first edition of the Norman Foster Foundation Sustainability Public Debates, supported by the Rolex Institute, took place on 19 October 2021.

This event brought together a group of experts from a range of fields to discuss overarching topics such as climate change, the use of energy and resources, and their global effects. Held in Madrid, the Sustainability Public Debates respond to the spirit of urgency and collective inquiry evoked by Workshop Mentor Vishaan Chakrabarti in his introduction to the programme: ‘With much of the world focused on aspirational 2030 climate targets, it is increasingly clear that far more aggressive measures will be required to keep the planet’s average temperature from rising less than two degrees centigrade […] the question remains as to how the planet’s finite resources can harmoniously support equitable, ecological and enjoyable lives for over eleven billion souls’.

The Sustainability Public Debates took place in two blocks. Each block consisted of keynote addresses, a debate between three speakers and a question and answer session.

With the participation of:

Frédérick Bordry, Former Director for Accelerators and Technology, European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Meyrin, Switzerland

Vishaan Chakrabarti, Founder and Creative Director, Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU), New York, NY, United States

Jacqueline Glass, Vice Dean Research, The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, University College London (UCL), London, United Kingdom

Guillaume Habert, Chair of Sustainable Construction, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH Zürich), Zürich, Switzerland

Mina Hasman, Associate Director, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM), London, United Kingdom

Christoph Lindner, Dean, The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, University College London (UCL), London, United Kingdom

Gil Penalosa, Founder and Chair, 8 80 Cities, Toronto, Canada

Tim Stonor, Managing Director, Space Syntax, London, United Kingdom; Chair of the 2021 Sustainability Public Debates

Available to watch on Youtube.