The fourth edition of the Living Future Europe Masterclass has officially concluded.
Over the course of nine sessions, participants engaged with regenerative design not only as a theory but as a practical and actionable approach. They explored carbon and energy strategies, material transparency, health and well-being, equity, beauty, and the financial case for transformation.
Through peer presentations and thought-provoking conversations with experts from across the Living Future Europe network, this year’s Masterclass equipped a diverse cohort of professionals with both the tools and the mindset needed to lead projects that go beyond reducing harm. Participants are now positioned to design buildings and communities that actively contribute to ecological and social regeneration.
The program concluded with an inspiring final gathering featuring climate action designer Katie Patrick, reinforcing the idea that regenerative change is powered not by limitations but by bold vision and creative potential.
Justice and Equity in the Built Environment
What does it truly mean to create places where everyone can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential? How can we transform developments into tools for just, inclusive, and dignified communities?
In this session, Jacquie Pierri introduced a compliance mapping exercise, encouraging participants to compare conventional practices with the principles of the Living Building Challenge’s Equity Petal. Helen Stewart Scandellari then guided participants through an exploration of socially responsible procurement. Together, they considered what information is needed to assess collaborators and suppliers, and where more just, transparent practices could be implemented throughout a project’s lifecycle.
Beauty and Biophilia
The Beauty and Biophilia Petal invites us to design spaces that uplift the human spirit and deepen our connection to the natural world. Rather than aesthetic afterthoughts, beauty, meaning, and biophilic design can be essential elements of regenerative practice.
In this session, Martin Brown shared insights from The Biophilic Playbook and, together with Ludo Pittie, guided participants through an interactive exploration of the deeper meanings behind the Beauty and Biophilia Petal. Far beyond aesthetics, the session invited reflection on our role as good ancestors, our connection to place, and how nature might judge the impact of our designs. Participants were encouraged to see nature not just as inspiration, but as a collaborator in fostering creativity, clarity, and care in the built environment.
The Financial Case for Regenerative Design
One of the most common questions in regenerative design is: How do we pay for it? This session challenged conventional ROI thinking by comparing it with the broader value and OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) of nature-based solutions — from long-term operational savings to reduced risk exposure.
Sander Griffioen presented Prologis Park Eindhoven DC4, the world’s first industrial building to receive the Zero Carbon Certification from ILFI, illustrating how regenerative strategies can align with real-world logistics and performance. Anne-Claire Barberi of PERIAL shared the asset manager’s approach to valuing green investments, highlighting how regenerative design contributes not only to “green premiums” but also to lower risk and more resilient portfolios.
Final Session Reflection: Katie Patrick on Transforming Commitment into Action
“Changing a world is no longer a fight, or a sacrifice, or to-go-without; instead, it becomes your greatest outform.”
These words from Katie Patrick captured the spirit of our closing session. Her talk challenged us to treat environmental storytelling as design, specifically to create experiences, visuals, and messages that activate change and what levers to pull to create that change. As a TEDx speaker, environmental engineer, and founder of the School of Climate Action Design, Katie inspired participants to move beyond incrementalism and to embrace creativity, beauty, and bold vision as core components of regenerative practice.
The session also featured the presentation of this year’s Project Works, where Masterclass participants demonstrated how regenerative principles can come to life through real-world application.
The presentations covered a wide variety of topics:
Angela Loder | Building hope: using regenerative design, community co-creation, and workforce development as a model for place-based resilience and empowerment in North Philadelphia
Basak Pekdiker | Regenerative hospitality design: Case study of an existing farmhouse
Carolina López Blanco | Regenerative design approach for the “in-between spaces” in Dubai
Christopher K. James | Research question: Is timber sustaining? A systemic approach
Julia Bennett | Straw Cottage: A Passivhaus straw-insulated cottage
Julie Winrow | Regenerative design work plan for RIBA
Marianne Häußler | New building project: community and sports centre in Berlin and LBC
A powerful close to this year’s journey is available to watch here, reminding us that regeneration begins not with limitations, but with boldness and creativity.
Meet Our Guest Speakers
Helen Stewart Scandellari
Manni Group, Business Sustainability Officer
Helen leads sustainability initiatives, overseeing compliance, double materiality assessments, carbon footprint evaluations, and stakeholder engagement. Helen plays a vital role in aligning Manni Group with GRI Standards and ESRS requirements. Previously, she served as a Qualified Group Auditor for HOERBIGER KT Europa Services, implementing integrated management systems across the EMEA region. She holds a BA in Business Studies from University College London and is a certified Enterprise Risk Manager (FERMA Rimap).
Jacquie Pierri
Living Future Europe, Regenerative Operations Manager
Sustainable Energy Engineer deeply committed to facing the climate crisis with innovative and cross-disciplinary thinking. She completed a double Master of Science degree in Environomical Pathways for Sustainable Energy Systems from KTH Royal Institute of Technology, in Stockholm, and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, in Barcelona. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Brown University. Professional hockey player. LFA professional.
Martin Brown
Fairsnape, Living Future Europe VP
Drawing on a life of outdoor exploration, a career in the built environment and a passion for a regenerative future, as a sustainability provocateur, Martin supports, counsels, nurtures and prompts clients, designers, contractors, academic & industry groups on regenerative journeys and discoveries. From a blend of imperatives, Martin presents a core argument that sustainability as we approach it today, in simply lessening our impacts, will fall far short in arresting the climate, ecological and health emergencies we currently find ourselves in.
Ludo (Ludovic) Pittie
WSP, Director, Landscape Advisory
Director in Urban Design and Landscape Architecture, with project management, strategy and design experience. Design technically demanding urban design, transportation and architectural design projects, including town centre regeneration, public realm strategies, streets & public spaces, mixed use development, architectural features and pedestrian studies. Broad strategy thinking spanning cities and nature and the intersection thereof.
Sander Griffioen
Construction Innovation Manager – Europe at Prologis
Sander Griffioen is a driving force behind innovation in industrial real estate, leading Prologis’ efforts to build future-proof, sustainable logistics facilities across Europe. As Construction Innovation Manager, he supports the company’s Net Zero goals by piloting and scaling construction innovations that improve quality, reduce emissions, and accelerate delivery. With a background in civil engineering and over five years of experience as a Development Manager in the Benelux, Sander combines technical expertise with strategic thinking. He is a key member of Prologis’ Planning, Performance & Innovation team and works globally to align innovation with business performance. Passionate about sustainability and digital transformation, he acts as a connector between markets, guiding teams to embrace change and adopt smarter ways of building.
Prologis developed ‘Prologis Park Eindhoven DC4’ is a pioneering logistics facility in the Netherlands, recognised as the world’s first industrial building to receive the Zero Carbon Certification from the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). This certification underscores the building’s achievement of net-zero carbon emissions through the use of sustainable construction materials and the generation of renewable energy on-site.
Anne-Claire Barnberi
CSR & Innovation Director, PERIAL
Anne-Claire Barberi is a recognised leader in sustainable real estate and finance, recently named among the Top 20 in the “Ville durable & innovante” category by Choiseul Ville de Demain. Her career reflects a deep commitment to transforming business models to address climate change, biodiversity, and social challenges. As CSR & Innovation Director at Groupe PERIAL, Anne-Claire has led the company’s transition to a mission-driven enterprise, embedding sustainability and innovation at every level. She draws on her engineering background and international experience to develop impactful strategies, train future leaders, and create tools for responsible investment. Anne-Claire is also a passionate educator and mentor, sharing her expertise in sustainable development with the next generation of professionals.
Katie Patrick
Environmental engineer, Author and Climate Change Action-Designer
Katie authored the highly acclaimed books How to Save the World: How to Make Changing the World the Greatest Game We’ve Ever Played and Zerowastify: Your Complete Tutorial to the Art of Zero Waste Living, and the upcoming School of Climate Action Design. She designs apps, dashboards, and campaigns that sharply tap into people’s motivational core, applying techniques used in game design and behavioural science to environmental action. She studies The Journal of Environmental Psychology and interviews authors of academic journals for her podcast to help put the evidence-based social science to work. She gave a TEDx talk in 2020 and spoke at the UN General Assembly in 2021 on the role of creativity, optimism, and imagination in environmental change. She advised organisations including UNEP, NASA JPL, Google, The U.S. State Department, University of California, The European Commission, Dassault Systemes, Institute for the Future, Magic Leap, Stanford University, and many impact startups on environmental behaviour design. She is the co-founder of Energy Lollipop and Urban Canopy in San Francisco — startups that are devoted to bringing down the peak CO2 released by the electricity grid. As a big fan of biophilic architecture and ecotopia futures, she hosts a group called The Imagine Project to encourage the practice of imagining a greener world.
If you are interested in the Masterclass, sign up for our newsletter to get updates on the upcoming course, follow our courses page or get in touch to let us know!
(Cover Image: Carolina López Blanco, Founder of CLB Studio)
