Veteran structural engineer Don Davies has a dream. He wants to grow farm-to-building materials. Davies already owns the family farm in his native Idaho, but isn’t quite ready to plant the seeds to realize his dream. One reason is that the Seattleite is busy cultivating a broader movement: slashing embodied carbon in the built environment. And he is doing that by forgoing engineering and donning an owner’s hat.

Structural engineer Davies (left) and his wife Crooks are donning the hats of commercial developers to take action against climate change.
Photo by Clara Pathe/Dakos Photography