An engineer and educator working for the past 20 years in sustainability at a variety of scales, Russell works with clients and design teams to develop viable and effective sustainability strategies that address the climate crisis and its effects on our cities, people, economy, and environment.

In his role as Woods Bagot’s Global Sustainability Leader, Russell manages our internal commitments to climate action through our Global Impact strategy that implements Environment, Social, and Governance goals within our three key categories of Design, Operations, and Advocacy. He has worked to shepherd our studios toward a goal of zero carbon in operation by 2023 and a commitment of zero carbon for all new projects by 2030.

Prior to joining Woods Bagot, Russell led sustainable design for the Los Angeles office of the global engineering firm, Arup. His design work includes the LEED Platinum-certified Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center and the net-zero-energy design for the US Embassy in Beirut. In 2019, he was the curator of the US Pavilion, RECKONstruct, at the Milan Triennale, which focused on materials lifecycle assessments and the emerging circular economy. He also led the technical team for the Green New Deal for the City of Los Angeles released in 2019, which mapped a pathway to zero emissions by 2050. Russell has taught environmental systems at the Southern California Institute of Architecture since 2011. His research includes a 2014 book on façade design, Kinetic Architecture, and a 2016 Bellagio Fellowship from the Rockefeller Foundation to advance his study of air quality in urban public spaces.