Alessandro Premier

For Alessandro Premier, sustainability was never a separate pursuit — it grew naturally from a deeper love of architecture. "Passion is the key," he says. When you care deeply about how buildings shape human lives and the wider environment, sustainability becomes an inevitable part of the conversation.

Originally from Italy, Alessandro joined the University of Auckland in 2018 as a Senior Lecturer in Architectural Technology. The move was more than a career shift — it was a change in perspective. New Zealand, he discovered, carries a distinct set of values and needs that don't map neatly onto a European context. Learning to listen carefully, and fine-tune his capabilities to place, became one of the most important lessons of his career.

His research spans advanced façade design, climate-responsive architecture, building energy retrofit, and circularity in the built environment. He is also part of the Future Cities Research Centre, coordinating work on low-carbon solutions and zero-emissions economies. Across more than 100 publications, the thread is consistent: buildings should do more than reduce harm - they should actively support people and regenerate the systems around them.

The challenge Alessandro faces in Aotearoa's building and construction sector is scale. It's a relatively small industry, with fewer opportunities for investment in innovation. But rather than frustrating him, he finds challenges energising. The work, he believes, is to demonstrate the potential of new ideas — and to build the collaborations that make them possible. "Two minds aligned toward the same goal," he says, "can achieve an objective more easily and often to a higher standard."

Central to his worldview is whakapapa - the interconnected relationships between humans, land, water, plants, and animals. Embracing that understanding, he believes, reveals what sustainability and regeneration truly mean in practice.

As an educator, Alessandro sees his greatest opportunity in the people sitting in front of him. His advice to rising change-makers is to remember that even a small, focused contribution can make a significant difference to the community that matters most. Show your passion, and others will find their own pathway.

If his work could plant one seed, it would be exactly what he does every day: supporting, inspiring, and equipping students to become the industry leaders who will reshape Aotearoa into a better place for people and nature alike.

Read Alessandro's answers to Blooming Sustainability to explore how climate-responsive design, Indigenous knowledge, and the next generation of architects can work together to build a more regenerative future.

BLOOMING  Sustainability Questionnaire

Name: Alessandro Premier

Company & Title: The University of Auckland, Faculty of Engineering and Design, Te Pare School of Architecture and Planning, Senior Lecturer

Website & LinkedIn Profile: https://profiles.auckland.ac.nz/alessandro-premier/about

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessandro-premier-39511421/

* Guiding Values | Kaupapa

If sustainability were a flower blooming in your life, what would it look like? What nurtures it?

Passion is the key. For me, architecture and the people in the architectural field are my primary passion. Sustainability then becomes a natural consequence of deeper study and growth, as both architecture and sustainability aim to improve our lives and the wider environment.

A quote, personal motto or whakataukī that reflects your vision:
“I am a passenger on the spaceship Earth” (Richard Buckminster Fuller) “Ko au te whenua, ko te whenua ko au”

If you could mentor a rising change-maker in Aotearoa, what advice would you share?  
To be honest, in my role as an educator in the area of sustainability and environmental design in Aotearoa, I feel privileged to be able to share my knowledge and mentor the next generation of leaders and change-makers in the future building and construction industry. My advice is always to remember that your contribution, even if small and focused on a specific aspect, can make a significant difference to your community: the people who matter most. If you show your passion, you will be able to inspire others and encourage them to follow their own pathway in sustainability.

* Leading Change | Arataki

A key moment in your journey that shaped your path:

Joining Aotearoa in 2018 was a significant change for me, a shift in perspective, as New Zealand has a distinct set of values and needs that do not necessarily align with those of a European individual or the European context. You need to listen carefully in order to fine-tune your capabilities to the context and discover where opportunities lie.

What’s the main challenge you face in driving sustainability within your sector?

I like challenges. Challenges are what make me more enthusiastic and give me more energy to work on sustainability and change. The building and construction sector in Aotearoa is relatively small, and there are fewer opportunities for investment in innovation, so more work is needed to demonstrate the potential success of innovative ideas.

An area you need more support with:
Funds, resources, and collaboration are essential. Without access to funding and resources, it is more difficult to achieve your goals. Collaboration can significantly accelerate progress; two minds aligned toward the same goal can achieve an objective more easily and often to a higher standard of quality.

An Indigenous perspective you admire and want people to be mindful of:

‘Whakapapa’ refers to the interconnected relationships between all things: humans, land, water, plants, and animals. If you embrace this understanding, you come to recognise what sustainability and the regeneration of natural systems truly mean.

Your best approach for engaging stakeholders in meaningful dialogue about ESG:

Tell them that you will be listening to them first, and make sure you explain what the benefit is for them in engaging with you.

What do you think is Aotearoa’s superpower in creating a sustainable future?
Its unique set of values is grounded in Indigenous knowledge and wisdom, and in the particular connection between people, nature, and land.

 * Surfing the Green Wave | Kakariki

Books, podcasts, courses or other resources that profoundly shaped your approach to sustainability:
Books: Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth by Richard Buckminster Fuller, an unconventional work written before sustainability became mainstream. Designing for Hope: Pathways to Regenerative Sustainability by Dominique Hes and Chrisna du Plessis (2014), which frames sustainability as a regenerative practice, encouraging designers to move beyond harm reduction and actively create positive social and ecological futures.

Websites: https://www.futurecities.ac.nz/  https://www.ngaarawhetu.org/ https://www.energycentre.auckland.ac.nz/ https://mapihi.auckland.ac.nz/home/mapihi-in-the-news/

Events in Aotearoa or globally that you think are must-attend:  
In Aotearoa: Green Property Summit, Sustainable Business Network events, NZIA webinars, New Zealand Green Building Council Future Thinkers Network, The Fast Forward lecture series organized by Te Pare School of Architecture and Planning and the Future Cities Research Centre’s webinar series and events: https://www.futurecities.ac.nz/

Locally and internationally: Eventbrite now lists a wide range of cost-effective and highly informative events. You just need to use the right keywords when searching or setting up notifications.

https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/d/online/free--seminars/%22climate%22

A sustainable initiative or project in Aotearoa that deserves more attention:

I strongly recommend following the One Dollar House project at One Tree Hill College in Auckland. It is a hands-on trade and sustainability learning initiative in which a 1970s or 1980s timber-framed house is purchased for $1, relocated to the school, and fully renovated by students. In the project, senior trade students transform the house into a high-performance, energy-efficient home (Homestar 7-rated), gaining real construction experience while working alongside industry professionals and using donated materials.

If your work could plant one seed of change for the future, what would it be?

I think I’m privileged, because I think I have this opportunity, and it is part of our everyday work as educators and professionals. We really want to support, inspire, and empower our students, and we like to transmit the enthusiasm necessary for them to become the new industry leaders who will reshape our country into a better place for everyone and for nature.

The leader(s) you endorse for a future edition of Blooming Sustainability:

Francisco Carbajal, Capana Group, industry leader and expert on life cycle assessment of buildings in Aotearoa

 * One actionable takeaway for our readers to make a change today for a brighter tomorrow:
There are a number of simple, everyday actions that we can all take to support a better environment. In our homes, for instance, we have a range of devices that help buildings perform better. Please read instruction manuals or seek help from experts to understand the best use of appliances, lighting, heating, cooling, shading, and ventilation systems. When looking at the built environment, it is very much about how we inhabit and operate spaces every day.

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