Audree Grubesic published this interview on Sep 23, 2022. It was updated on Oct 11, 2022.
Ilka Cassidy is a Certified Passive House Consultant. Her company, Holzraum System, focuses on high performance, low carbon buildings. The work addresses operational carbon and embodied carbon by using natural building materials.
She wanted to start a business that could have an impact on sustainable building practices. She describes the work as forward thinking and innovative. Holzraum has three partners, and each partner brings a different background and skill set.
Holzraum wants sustainable building practices to scale and become more accessible. The company believes new building technologies and stronger coordination between design, build, and offsite manufacturing can help. Cassidy says successful low carbon building projects require collaboration across disciplines, not siloed work.
She recommends that women support each other and work as a team rather than as competitors. She says diversity brings fresh perspectives and better problem solving. She also says safe, equal, and inclusive environments in the AEC industry should start in elementary school.
She says, “I like what I do, I feel like an inventor every day.” She is motivated by representing women in a male dominated industry and by showing her three teenage daughters that lack of diversity must be challenged. She also sometimes joins meetings simply to ensure there is at least one female participant on screen.
“A bad attitude is like a flat tire.” — Coach Katie, audio running program
She says she is cool enough to be her 26-year-old niece’s role model.