Designing in rhythm with Callista Permana

As a Sustainability Analyst at EQ Building Performance, Callista Permana brings expertise in life cycle assessments, carbon analysis, and energy strategy to some of Canada’s most complex building projects. Before stepping into that role, Permana demonstrated how architecture can serve as a tool for equity and inclusion as part of her bachelor’s in architectural science at the Toronto Metropolitan University. That’s where she conceptualized the “Forever Home” — a purpose-built facility that reimagines what community infrastructure can be. Designed for Events for Life (EFL), a day program for individuals with special needs in Ontario’s Blue Mountains region, the project was part of an expansion program offering additional accessibility services in an inclusive, low-carbon, climate-conscious facility.

Focused on three key areas – low-carbon materials, maximizing passive thermal leakage and efficient mechanical systems – the project delivered an efficient design that prioritizes carbon reduction at all stages of the building’s lifecycle. In this interview, she discusses the inspiration behind this project, the case for a low-carbon approach, and her career prospects after winning the 2025 Andy Kesteloo Memorial Project Award.

What inspired the idea of designing the “Forever Home” for Events for Life, and how did the community’s needs shape the project?

Thinking back, I may have been inspired by the elevation of the mountains surrounding the landscape, which led me to develop “continuous rhythm” as the central design idea of Forever Home. Music was also a constant presence during my trips to the site, reminding me that rhythm can always be found in buildings. From the way people dance through their morning routines to the footsteps on stairs or the soft roll of a wheelchair, movement carries sound and feeling. Rhythm, then, became the thread connecting how people live, move, and experience a building.

Movement is central to how a building is carved inside-out, and observing how individuals at Events for Life (EFL) navigate their daily lives revealed the importance of designing for varied forms of spatial navigation. Designing a floor plan is always almost similar to designing a map, everything has to make sense for the primary user.  The Forever Home project was designed with occupant and room function in mind, to optimize space and orientation. Just as we get easily lost in a maze, having a spatial signifier such as distinct colors for rooms or clear wayfinding cues help individuals memorize and confidently navigate the facility.

How did you make the case that a low-carbon approach could also be cost-effective for the community?

Through the direct link between building performance and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions such as embodied and operational carbon, I made the case that a low-carbon approach can also be cost-effective. A high-performing building is not only about achieving low operational targets such as TEDI, TEUI, and GHGI, but also about accounting for the embodied carbon embedded into materials. For example, wall assemblies demonstrate how thermal and carbon performance are closely related. Strong insulation may come with higher embodied carbon, yet if chosen thoughtfully, these assemblies can create an overall excellent thermal performance which is efficient in the long-term.

This perspective emphasizes the value of considering a building’s entire life cycle. While embodied carbon is invested upfront, operational carbon unfolds over decades. Poorly performing envelopes or systems often result in energy leakage, premature replacements, and higher utility dependence, all of which compound costs for the client. By contrast, designing for longevity reduces energy demand, lowers utility bills, and ensures that the building continues to perform without costly interventions.

For these reasons, I argued that a low-carbon approach represents not just an environmental responsibility as designers but also a sound financial strategy for clients. Though it may involve higher upfront capital, the return is realized in long-term affordability and efficiency. By reducing emissions and operational costs, a high-performing building ensures that sustainability and cost-effectiveness go hand in hand, delivering meaningful value to the community.

Can you walk us through a key design challenge where you had to find an innovative solution to balance aesthetics, sustainability, and accessibility?

Yes! A key design challenge I faced was learning how to sacrifice form in order to balance everything. Optimizing one element often meant compromising another, and in this case the building’s overall shape was intentionally kept compact rather than sculptural. While the form itself is not dramatically unique, the design instead relies on rhythm to sculpt the circulation and structural forms to be dynamic. For example, the varying roof heights in different spaces reflects the comfort level required in each program. Whereas the overall downward shape was created to allow water to be collected into a cistern maximally, demonstrating how aesthetics and sustainability can be integrated.

Every design choice was rooted in either accessibility or sustainability, from the material selection to surrounding landscaping. For me, the intent of design should never be selfish or purely sculptural, it must first serve the people who use it and the land it occupies. By establishing a clear hierarchy of priorities, where accessibility and sustainability come first, I was able to treat the community’s needs not as limitations but as opportunities. In the end, the quiet shaping element emerged by allowing the community itself to shape the design, creating a space where movement becomes the defining aesthetic.

What does winning the Andy Kesteloo Memorial Project Award represent for you in terms of career prospects?

Overall, my aspiration in the green building space is to champion the use of low-embodied carbon materials and redefine how we measure value in construction. Fiscal considerations inevitably drive development, and I am eager to deepen my understanding of how financial decision-making shapes the choices we make around sustainability. I would also love to tap on more heritage building projects because we can utilize them as a material bank that can reduce costs and environmental impacts simultaneously.

Winning the Andy Kesteloo Memorial Project Award gives me the momentum to enhance my career toward overall GHG reduction and tying financial literacy with sustainability practice. Although my main primary focus is still on accounting for material emissions in building development, I’m currently learning more about operational carbon through energy modelling and envelope thermal calculations. I hope to be able to decarbonizea large-scale portfolio or new developments as it means more impact and influence towards our overall goal!

Also, I believe it’s essential to collaborate with organizations that are also dedicated to creating impact, such as with EFL. A big shout-out to EFL for giving me this opportunity, inspiring me, and affirming that the path to high-performance always begins with learning and understanding one another.