Paphos, Cyprus
Brisbane, Australia
London, United Kingdom
Sydney, Australia
Shenzhen, China
Melbourne, Australia
New York, New York
Tokyo, Japan
Masdar City, Abu Dhabi
Beijing, China
Umbria, Italy
Krupa in the Bradbury building, Los Angeles Woods Bagot studio. Photo by Aaron Ryan.
Introducing Krupa Pai, a sustainability consultant at Woods Bagot, who plays a pivotal role in the global impact group. With a focus on sustainability workshops, daylighting, and embodied carbon analysis, Krupa’s work spans both local and global projects, ensuring alignment with client sustainability goals and regulatory standards. Krupa’s commitment to integrating performance analysis in the early design stages exemplifies Woods Bagot’s vision for sustainable materials and high-performance design. Collaborating closely with the design technology team, Krupa has developed advanced workflows to analyze microclimates and daylighting, including the prestigious Midfield Satellite Concourse (MSC) South project at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Krupa’s dedication to sustainable design sets a standard for excellence within the industry.
Can you tell us about your achievements/certifications or your passion behind sustainability in architecture?
I have an academic and professional background in architecture and building science. My passion for sustainability ignited during my undergraduate studies, where I delved into topics like climate-responsive and vernacular architecture. Grad school further deepened my interest, especially in building physics and various analysis tools for daylight, energy, and microclimate. I am particularly interested in the role of landscaping and shade in mitigating heat, which are relevant topics in Los Angeles where the lack of shade is prevalent, especially in redlined neighborhoods. A lack of shade makes for hot surroundings or microclimates which can negatively impact health and energy consumption in buildings. A real tree planting proposal by the USC Urban Trees Initiative inspired my thesis project, in which I researched about tools and workflows that help quantify the impact of increasing shade tree canopy on outdoor heat stress, and residential heating and cooling loads in Ramona Gardens, a redlined neighbourhood in LA. The research is helpful for groups to understand how effective their proposed solutions are and help them make informed decisions about the type, location and spacing of trees in relation to each other and buildings.
The basecase and proposed CFD models.
The proposed tree planting plan.
ENVI-met tree models based on real shade trees proposed for the site, Ramona Gardens.
Developing workflows to answer simulation driven research questions on real life issues like urban heat due to lack of shade affecting frontline communities.
Additionally, I am a LEED AP (accredited professional) for the BD+C (building design and construction) rating, and I have worked on documenting a few LEED credits for projects such as the LAX’s MSC South project. Additionally, I am a member of AIA LA COTE, where I actively participate in and volunteer for organizational activities and events.
Rendering of LAX’s Midfield Satellite Concourse (MSC) South. Courtesy Los Angeles World Airports.
Diagram of MSC South’s brise soleil system.
In Woods Bagot’s journey toward a sustainable future, as part of the Global Impact Group (GIG), what’s your recent practice on sustainable design? What have you learnt that you’d like to share with others?
In my recent projects, I’ve been focused on conducting building performance analysis using scripts from the environmental performance toolkit, as well as some scripts I developed independently. One crucial element I’m eager to emphasize is the transformative power of simulations, showcasing results that align with the project’s sustainability vision. These simulations, coupled with the metrics tracked in our global impact assessment, not only demonstrate our commitment but also drive meaningful change. We are also working on integrating more advanced workflows into the environmental performance toolkit. Overall, I’ve also gained valuable insights into embodied carbon and tools like OneClick LCA and EC3 which we’re using for projects globally.
Presenting carbon LCA results as a Sankey diagram to visualize and quantify the greatest contributors to the overall embodied carbon of the project, and target reductions for those materials first.
“I’m eager to emphasize the transformative power of simulations, showcasing results that align with the project’s sustainability vision. These simulations, coupled with the metrics tracked in our global impact assessment, not only demonstrate our commitment but also drive meaningful change.”
What are you looking forward to, for example, any upcoming projects nearing completion or certification?
I look forward to achieving the LEED Gold certification goal for the LAX’s MSC South project. The concourse’s targets for material and energy conservation take care and time, but we’re working closely with Buro Happold to ensure that we meet all the requirements. We are making great progress and are almost at the finish line!
Axonometric and segment diagrams of MSC South. Courtesy Los Angeles World Airports.
Woods Bagot, together with Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), celebrates the topping out of Midfield Satellite Concourse (MSC) South at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) alongside W.E. O’Neil, Buro Happold and other design and construction team members.
If you want to connect with Krupa or have any questions about GIG, send us a message.
Media enquiries Merena Nguyen Digital Content Manager