Your World of Creativity

Kevin Kennon, Architect and CEO of Beyond Zero DDC Inc.,

Kevin Kennon · June 2, 2025

Entrepreneur · Wellness · Leadershipin

Interview with Kevin Kennon

Kevin Kennon, Architect and CEO of Beyond Zero DDC Inc.,

Podcast: Your World of Creativity

June 2, 2025

Key topicsGood Bones — Why the Best Return Is in the Building Already StandingKevin Kennon has spent 40 years putting buildings up and taking old ones apart, including the conversion of the American Express Building in Tribeca and the rebuild of Macy's Herald Square. Most developers price a site as if the structure on it were a cost to clear, when the frame, floors and shell are often the most valuable thing in the deal. He walks through how he reads an existing building for what it can carry, where reuse beats new construction on cost and timeline, and where it does not. Listeners leave able to look at an older property and tell whether the return sits in the land or in what is already standing.Own Worst Client — Why the Best Projects Start When You Stop Taking CommissionsAfter 40 years taking commissions from other people, Kevin Kennon founded Beyond Zero DDC and became the client he used to work for. He argues that the work practitioners are proudest of only happens when they carry the risk themselves, and that waiting to be hired quietly caps what a firm can ever build. He covers what changed once he was raising the money, picking the sites and answering to investors: slower decisions, harder trade-offs, and far fewer compromises written into someone else's brief. Listeners leave with a clear view of what a practice gives up by staying on the commission model, and what it takes to fund a first project of their own.How to Build Zero-Carbon Where There Is No Power GridKevin Kennon builds at zero carbon on sites with no power line, no water main and no road, as founder of Beyond Zero DDC and after 40 years on projects as large as the 1.5 million square foot Barclays North American headquarters. A remote site removes the usual escape route: there is no grid to buy clean power from, so the building has to make and store its own. He explains what that forces, from off-grid generation and local materials to the trade-offs between what gets shipped in and what gets built on site. Listeners leave knowing which of those choices transfer to ordinary projects on the grid, and which only work when there is nowhere to plug in.View all topics →

About Kevin Kennon

Award-Winning Architect and Sustainable Design Visionary

40+ Years of architectural practice40+ Design awards20+ Iconic buildings1.5M sq ft Barclays North American Headquarters

Kevin Kennon is an internationally renowned architect with more than 40 years of experience designing landmark cultural, commercial, and hospitality projects around the world. Known for combining design ambition with deep human insight, he brings a humanity-first philosophy to architecture — creating spaces that do more than impress visually; they shape how people feel, connect, recover, and remember an experience.

As Founder and CEO of Beyond Zero DDC Inc., Kevin is leading the development of a new model of luxury hospitality: zero-carbon wilderness resorts designed around intimacy, wellbeing, adventure, and safety. Rather than treating sustainability as a marketing layer, Kevin approaches it as a natural consequence of building responsibly in remote environments — while placing the guest experience at the center of every design decision.

His portfolio includes the 1.5 million square foot Barclays North American Headquarters, the Rodin Museum in Seoul, multiple award-winning Bloomingdale’s stores, and leadership of United Architects, a finalist in the World Trade Center design competition. His work has been featured in the permanent collection of MoMA, New York, and he has received more than 40 international design awards.

Kevin’s expertise spans architecture, adaptive reuse, urban development, hospitality design, and high-level real estate advisory.

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About this episode

Welcome back to Your World of Creativity, the show where we explore inspiration and innovation across the globe. Today we’re diving into a topic at the intersection of design, sustainability, and creativity with our guest,Kevin Kennon, an internationally recognized architect with over 40 years of experience. He’s the CEO of Beyond Zero DDC Inc., a visionary firm developing zero-carbon emission luxury wilderness resorts in remote locations around the world.

Kevin's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinkennonarchitect/

Kevin 's Website

Kevin 's Facebook page

@pkk2418 on Instagram

Here's an outline of our discussion:

1: ORIGINS OF DESIGN THINKING

 “Kevin, take us back to the beginning. What sparked your passion for architecture, and how did your early work shape your current focus on sustainability?”“When did you first begin to integrate sustainability into your design process?”

2: SUSTAINABLE DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

 “Your firm, Beyond Zero DDC Inc., focuses on zero-carbon emission resorts. What inspired this concept of sustainable luxury?”“What are the biggest challenges when building in remote wilderness areas—and how does your team overcome them creatively?”“How do you balance aesthetic excellence with environmental responsibility?”

3: IMPACT ON URBAN PLANNING

 “A 2019 UN report said cities contribute 70% of global carbon emissions. In your opinion, what role does creative urban planning play in reversing this trend?”“How can architects, developers, and city planners collaborate better to create truly sustainable cities?” “We recently spoke with architect Joana Sa Lima in Oslo, who told us that good design can make cities more livable. How do you approach livability in your urban work?”“Another previous guest, Dr. Esther Sternberg, author of WELL AT WORK, discussed how architecture affects our health. How do you see design impacting physical and mental well-being?”

4: ICONIC PROJECTS & LESSONS

 “Tell us about one of your most memorable projects—perhaps Barclays or the Rodin Museum—and what you learned from it.”“You were part of United Architects, a finalist in the World Trade Center design competition. What was that experience like, and how did it shape your thinking about architecture’s cultural impact?”

5: WHAT’S NEXT IN SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE?

 “What innovations are on the horizon in sustainable architecture?”“Are there any emerging materials, technologies, or design philosophies you’re excited about?”

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Kevin Kennon is an internationally renowned architect with over 40 years of experience, specializing in environmentally sustainable and innovative design. As the founder and CEO of Beyond Zero DDC Inc., Kevin leads the development of zero-carbon emission luxury eco-resorts in remote wilderness locations worldwide, merging design excellence with ecological responsibility. His extensive portfolio includes projects like the 1.5 million square foot Barclays North American Headquarters, the Rodin Museum in Seoul, and multiple award-winning Bloomingdale’s stores. Additionally, he led United Architects, a finalist in the prestigious World Trade Center design competition, further solidifying his impact on architectural innovation.

Guest: Kevin Kennon