Kathryn Duff

Founder & Director
studio2sustain inc
Kathryn Duff's picture

studio2sustain inc is an architecture practice committed to sustainable solutions – integrating ecology, economy and equity. Located in the historic port city of New Bedford, MA, studio2sustain evolved during the BP oil-spill and Cape Wind off-shore wind farm project of 2010 with a focused mission to reduce GHG, advance climate literacy, and build healthy, resilient and profoundly energy efficient projects. studio2sustain inc is a WBE in Massachusetts.

Kathryn Duff is a registered architect (RA) in Massachusetts, a Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC), a Passive House Institute – United States (PHIUS) certified consultant and an Ambassador with the International Living Future Institute. Prior to s2s, Kathryn was founder of STUDIO of Architecture & Art. Kathryn is a member of the City of New Bedford Planning Board (Chair, 2018-2022), a past board member of WHALE (Waterfront Historic Area LeaguE), a past board member of the Lloyd Center for the Environment, and a founding board member of the REACH Foundation and the New Bedford Education Foundation. Kathryn lives and works in the port city of New Bedford. Kathryn earned a Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University, a Masters of Architecture from Harvard University and attended the Cleveland Institute of Art.

Significant Projects
 YMCA, New Bedford, MA: 2022-2025 - 90,000 SF Net-Zero Passive House (PHIUS) retrofit project. Feasibility Study
 Lloyd Center for the Environment – Campus, South Dartmouth, MA: 2015-2024 – Three significant projects, with the Welcome Center being first building in the world pursuing LBC (Living Building Challenge) being built by vocational students.
 Co Creative Center: 2018 - Adaptive reuse and high-performance historic urban “block” of a co-work, co-exhibit and co-make center.
 Harvard Business School (HBS): 2011 - Developed a rapid leadership exercise used to develop sustainability leadership for 1000 first-year students. HBS note: N9-412-068

Significant Presentations:
 NESEA Conference, Boston: 2022 - “Buildings as Workforce Training; Integrating Students into High Performance Projects”
 TEDx Fenway: 2013 - “Anatomy of Creativity”
 New Bedford Whaling Museum: 2016 - Keynote on Sustainability
 Lloyd Center for the Environment Annual Meeting: 2015, 2019 Keynote, “Building a Sustainable & Regenerative Campus”

Significant Research:
 Antarctica: Spring 2020 - with WHOI assisting whale & climate science
 Living Building Challenge, LBC: Commencing, Fall 2023 - year-long regenerative design assessment of net-positive LCE Welcome Center.