BCBusiness

QUALITY TIME Michael Green's TED Talks on climate change and sustain- able architecture mark pivotal points in his career. His first one broke the ceiling on what wood buildings can do for people and the planet, while later appearances uncovered truths related to construction and ways of building. What most people wouldn't guess from watching Green on stage is that, for a large part of his life, he shied away from public speaking. And despite being one of the most innovative architects in B.C., he also dreaded meeting clients. Some people take classes to confront those fears. Green de- cided to take up one of human- ity's most dangerous hobbies. Green has broken 26 bones in his body, most of them from ice climbing. He picked up the sport when he was 16 years old, and he's been climbing with his friend Peter Levine— general partner at American venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz—ever since. Climbing expeditions have seen Green scale peaks in Alaska, Patagonia, Asia, Africa, Ecuador, Peru, Europe, the U.S. and Canada (to list a few). For quick trips, he prefers Banff, as well as Ouray in Colorado. "It's ice-climbing mecca," he says of Ouray, "and Banff is one of the best spots in the world. It's really hardcore." As he prepares to face his biggest challenge so far—8,400- metre Makalu in the Himala- yas, the fifth tallest mountain in the world (and the name- sake of his son)—he maintains that it's hobbies like these that have made him the risktaker he is today. "A lot of my work, which was really innovative, was frowned upon by my peers," says Green. Since he launched Michael Green Architecture in 2012, his firm has positioned itself as a leader in the global mass timber movement, which promotes the use of sustain- able wood products over steel or concrete. "Most architects thought what I was doing with wood and big buildings would never happen. And now it's arguably the most talked- about way of building in the world today." In 2024, Green was named a finalist in EY's Entrepreneur of the Year – Pacific Region program. That same year, MGA was chosen to design the Marcus Performing Arts Center, which is expected to be the tallest building in Wiscon- sin and the tallest wooden skyscraper in the world. "This will be the longest I've ever taken off work since I started working," he says of his upcoming trip to climb Makalu. Mastering a sport like ice climbing requires deep knowledge—slight changes in the sound or colour of ice can ICE MAN Risky ice-climbing adventures help architect Michael Green build courage by Rushmila Rahman W E E K E N D W A R R I O R Vancouver-based Michael Green Architec- ture is known for its innovative design solutions. The company, which is supported by a team of 40, advo- cates for sustainable practices. "The best buildings in the world are deeply simple," says Michael Green. "They last for centuries... the Vancouver House building has two times the amount of concrete than any other building in the city. Two times means double the carbon footprint. That is recklessly irresponsible behaviour, and we have to transform the indus- try to explain, 'Don't do that anymore. Don't be gregarious. Don't be shape-making. Be intel- ligent, responsible and quiet.'" WARRIOR SPOTLIGHT 57 B C B U S I N E S S . C A M A R C H 2 0 2 5 M i c h a e l G r e e n

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