Good design is about more than a finished physical product. It’s about the impact. It’s about forward thinking. It’s about the bigger picture.
At Mister Bladin, good design is one of our core values, and it’s a value that Jeremy McLeod shares too. He’s the founding Director of Breathe, one of Australia’s most awarded sustainable design firms, and every day, he uses design as a weapon for good to build a better future.
As a founding signatory of the Australian Architects Declare, Jeremy led the push for architectural practices to become certified carbon neutral, which saw over 200 firms from the architecture industry commit to going carbon neutral in 2020.
Jeremy is relentless in his advocacy for a net zero emissions future, and he believes that architects, through collaboration, can drive real positive change.
Using business and design as a force for good is something we advocate for ourselves, so when the opportunity came up to pick Jeremy’s brain on sustainable design, we jumped at it…
What makes 'good' design?
Good design is the elegant solution. It’s the thing, that when you find it, you just know that it’s right. It is the synthesis of everything that you’ve learnt, everything that you’ve seen, everything that you know, coming together in a singular design moment to solve a complex problem. The perfect design solution includes broader considerations such as sustainability. It’s about seeing the forest not the trees.
What are some of the challenges you face in your industry around sustainability?
The inertia of the status quo. We are where we are, 200 years after industrialisation, after relying on the infinite consumption of our finite resources. We now stand at a point in time where we understand that the future has to be different from the past if we’re to change the trajectory of catastrophic climate change.
Outside of design and architecture, what inspires you?
Being in nature.
What's a motto you live by?
Build less give more.
To learn more about good design and how sustainable architecture can make the world a better place, head to the Breathe website here.
Jeremy McLeod, Founding Director, Breathe.
Edgars Creek House, Coburg, Kulin Nation.
Breathe x Spacecube, Tasmania.
To learn more about Mister Bladin's values and how our ethical, sustainable and organic shirts make the world a better place, get to know us here.
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