GNFZ Advisor Kenneth J. Filarski is the founder and principal of FILARSKI/ARCHITECTURE+PLANNING+RESEARCH, an integrated architecture, planning, ecology, and research studio recognized nationally for its leadership in sustainable design, urban planning, and ecological systems innovation.

A LEED Fellow and American Institute of Architects Fellow (FAIA), Ken is also an AICP Certified Planner, SITES Accredited Professional, a Certified Floodplain Manager, a nationally certified disaster responder, and a national leader in resilience and sustainability. His work has been honored with numerous national, regional, and local awards from professional societies, government agencies, and citizen organizations.

Ken’s leadership in sustainable design and green building spans decades and he has played a pivotal role in shaping green building public policy in Rhode Island and beyond. He co-authored the original Rhode Island Green Buildings Act (2009), making Rhode Island the first U.S. state to embed LEED standards into law for public construction. He drafted and advocated for historic amendments (2017, 2022) that expanded the law to incorporate LEED for Neighborhood Development and the Sustainable SITES Initiative (SITES). In 2022, Rhode Island passed that legislation updating its Green Buildings Act to extend coverage to both state and municipal public structures and public real property.

Ken currently chairs the Rhode Island Green Buildings Advisory Committee and serves on the Advisory Board of Rhode Island’s Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council, where he is responsible for linking building policy directly to the state’s net zero climate goals.

Ken is a widely recognized volunteer leader within the U.S. Green Building Council. He served as Chair of USGBC Rhode Island and the Upper Northeast Regional Committee. He also served on the USGBC Chapter Steering Committee and Chaired the Upper Northeast LEED ND Regionalization Task Force.

Ken holds a master’s degree in architecture and environmental design from Goddard College, where he was a Graduate Teaching Fellow in its groundbreaking Design/Build program — internationally recognized for advancing sustainable, place-based architecture.

A founding faculty member of the School of Architecture, Art, and Historic Preservation at Roger Williams University, Ken has also taught at the Rhode Island School of Design and architecture in K–12 programs.

Ken will be advising GNFZ on net zero policy development drawing on his legislative successes in Rhode Island as well as GNFZ’s work on resilience planning.