Liz York
Principal
Healthy Design Collaborative
Liz York, FAIA, principal for Healthy Design Collaborative, is a thought-leader and connector for the fields of public health, sustainability, and real estate. A registered architect, she leads firms and project teams to grow their healthy design skills and build better buildings. She has over 30 years of experience working with public health professionals to implement healthy, resilient, equitable work environments. Liz was a developer of the FITWEL healthy design certification system as a part of her work as the first Chief Sustainability Officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Liz joined the Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings, as a Sustainable Design Expert for GSA in 2023 where she promoted sustainable laboratories, innovative work environments and healthy buildings across GSA's 363 Million SF portfolio.
Liz holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Architecture, both from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She has received two White House awards for Sustainability, been named to the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Sustainability Who’s Who and been recognized by the American Institute of Architects as a Fellow for her work on equitable, sustainable design. Liz is the chair of the Board of Directors of Southface Institute, immediate past chair for the GT College of Design Advisory Board, and has led various AIA groups including the Design & Health Leadership Group, the Sustainability Leadership Group, and the Committee for Climate Action and Design Excellence. She also served on the federal Climate Adaptation Plan review team for the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
Liz recently collaborated with Adele Houghton, FAIA, DrPH to edit her upcoming book, Architectural Epidemiology, a guide for the real estate industry on a new, transdisciplinary field that turns project-scale real estate decisions into community-scale action on climate change and chronic disease.
Liz holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Architecture, both from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She has received two White House awards for Sustainability, been named to the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Sustainability Who’s Who and been recognized by the American Institute of Architects as a Fellow for her work on equitable, sustainable design. Liz is the chair of the Board of Directors of Southface Institute, immediate past chair for the GT College of Design Advisory Board, and has led various AIA groups including the Design & Health Leadership Group, the Sustainability Leadership Group, and the Committee for Climate Action and Design Excellence. She also served on the federal Climate Adaptation Plan review team for the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
Liz recently collaborated with Adele Houghton, FAIA, DrPH to edit her upcoming book, Architectural Epidemiology, a guide for the real estate industry on a new, transdisciplinary field that turns project-scale real estate decisions into community-scale action on climate change and chronic disease.