The first group of HI Coaches is now certified

Santhi Felldin believes that working as an interior architect goes hand in hand with being a HI coach, and she sees both advantages and challenges in her new coaching role.

– Beyond a desire to contribute to more sustainable interior architecture and enhance my expertise, I see this as an important step in broadening and adapting my professional role to a circular economy. Interiors, with all the layers of adaptations made over the years, account for a significant portion of a building’s total environmental impact over its lifetime, making the HI certification highly relevant.

Over her decade-long career as an interior architect, Santhi Felldin has focused extensively on designing workplaces, always aiming to maximize the use of existing resources and qualities, whether in furniture, interior materials, or structural elements.

– Architectural expertise and furniture knowledge are just as crucial as understanding environmental criteria and the verification process when designing and managing interiors. Following the certification’s criteria provides both me and organizations seeking certification with a clear structure to help achieve sustainability goals. As an HI coach, being involved early in the process and incorporating environmental criteria during the initial planning and design phases is a significant advantage. It simplifies the requirements placed on property owners ahead of contract negotiations and ensures that the effort to meet the criteria remains an ongoing, dynamic process. Keeping documentation updated after the initial certification is equally critical.

HI coaches play an important role in establishing routines for monitoring certified organizations and encouraging recertification. We also inspire organizations to align their operational programs and design concepts more closely with the building’s unique characteristics. This approach not only minimizes resource use and structural changes but also preserves and enhances the property’s existing and original qualities, explains Santhi Felldin.

What’s your biggest takeaway from the course?

– Beyond gaining a practical tool for leading verifiably sustainable interior projects, I’ve built a strong network of other HI coaches for future support and knowledge sharing. It’s both reassuring and inspiring.

Tandi Agrell, an interior architect with extensive experience integrating reuse into interior design projects, responds to the same question and also reflects on the challenges of environmental certification.

– One of the most important takeaways from the course is that even if a space does not yet meet the certification, a mapping based on the criteria can help kickstart a process within the tenant or organization towards a more circular approach to interiors. HI certification is just as much a tool for changing mindset and behavior as it is a goal in itself. This is a completely new service, and initially, I think it’s important to establish good collaboration forms, workflows, and routines in cooperation with clients. For instance, I find it will take some time to assess our work as HI coaches. It is time-consuming to gather the necessary documentation for certification since many different people within the organizations hold this information. It will be exciting to work with other HI coaches and clients to develop work methods that are smooth for all parties.

Tandi Agrell, who is deeply committed to climate issues and a member of ACAN Sweden since 2022, believes we must work on all fronts to mitigate the planetary crisis we face. – I saw the coaching course as an opportunity to gain additional tools to work more actively with these issues in my profession. The course has provided us with thought-provoking studies showing that interiors account for about half of a building’s climate impact over its lifecycle. It feels meaningful and urgent for me to be well-versed in these issues. This way, I can help tenants understand how they can think and act more circularly to reduce emissions in interior design.

Another HI coach, interior architect Sarah Suneson Meiling, who has been active in Stockholm since 1998 and has extensive experience in creating interiors, chose to take the course because, as a professional interior architect, she has contributed significantly to clear climate footprints through her work. She believes the course provided her with new knowledge and tools that have effectively developed and strengthened her in her professional practice regarding climate impact. When I ask Sarah Suneson Meiling about the challenges for HI coaches in the future, she responds as follows.

– I would rather flip the question, as I don’t see specific challenges for HI coaches but rather challenges for organizations and companies as a whole regarding climate impact and interior design. The EU taxonomy and international sustainability standards will require increased reporting, and there will be a need for more meticulous management of interiors and furniture, which is not currently done today. This will take resources and require knowledge.

– It is clear, reduced costs in terms of inventory, efficiency in management, and staying ahead of upcoming reporting requirements can be achieved through HI certification. The challenge for us HI coaches lies in convincing organizations of the long-term benefits and the value of investing in this. And the most important takeaway from the course is how much can actually be done to reduce the climate footprint of interiors – if we put our minds to it…

/ Matilda Stannow

About the course:

The HI coaching course consists of 10 blocks and provides in-depth knowledge in Hållbar Interiör. It takes place on-site to facilitate dialogue and networking opportunities with other participants, requiring a full workday and two half-days. Participants also need to allocate time for independent work on projects, follow-up, and networking meetings. Through lectures and discussions, participants receive a thorough overview of HI certification’s environmental criteria, the certification process, their own work on case studies, as well as follow-up summary and evaluation. The course is aimed at those who will guide an organization through the implementation of HI certification.