Sustainability

When designing public buildings with sustainability in mind, we use the following top five sustainable architecture strategies:

1. Passive Sustainable Design. Passive strategies, such as considering sun orientation and climate when siting and being thoughtful about window placement and operation, are used to best manage daylighting and natural ventilation and go a long way in reducing energy requirements for the building. In certain climates, thermal mass techniques can be used to harness solar energy. In such cases, thick walls absorb heat from the sun during the day and release it into the building at night.

2. Active Sustainable Design. Architects consult with mechanical and electrical engineers to implement high-efficiency electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and other systems, which are designed to have small environmental footprints.

3. Renewable Energy Systems. Renewable energy systems, including those that harness solar and wind energy, are also great options for some buildings. These systems are often used in conjunction with passive design strategies.

4. Green Building Materials and Finishes. By making it a priority to purchase steel, lumber, concrete, and finishing materials, such as carpet and furnishings, from companies that use environmentally responsible manufacturing techniques or recycled materials, architects up the ante on sustainability.

5. Native Landscaping. Landscaping choices can make a big impact in civic building water consumption. By using trees, plants, and grasses that are native to the area, architects can greatly reduce irrigation needs. Landscaping can also be used as part of a passive energy strategy. By planting trees that shade the roof and windows during the hottest time of the day, solar heat gain inside the building can be reduced.

6. Stormwater Management. When rain falls on an untouched site, the water that doesn’t evaporate absorbs back into the ground, replenishing the natural water table. However, when a building is placed on the site, along with parking lots, sidewalks, access roads, and other hardscaping, rainfall behaves differently. The water runs off these surfaces and into storm drains. By implementing stormwater management strategies, such as pervious pavement that helps to reduce runoff and retention ponds that capture runoff and slowly release water back into the ground, the negative environmental impact of buildings can be reduced.