design

Buildings are the fabric of our built environment. In addition to serving an organization’s specific needs, buildings are used and seen by many; they impact our streets and skylines; they outlast the owners and architects who built them, becoming part of the human-made legacy inherited by future generations. Building codes across the world are a tacit acknowledgement of the public importance of the built environment: poorly designed structures can harm us, so buildings are subject to oversight. Our codes and regulations show we take a collective interest in the design of each and every building that is added to our common world.

Due to the measurable effects that buildings have on our societies, the process of their design – and who has access to design services – is of public concern.

Architecture has an outsized impact on the natural environment too: more than forty percent of annual global greenhouse gas emissions are linked to the construction and operation of buildings. Each new energy inefficient and carbon intensive building – no matter its ownership or use – degrades the environment, meaning the impact of a single building, regardless of its scale or occupancy, is planetary and ecological.

In our day-to-day design process as architects, we employ passive design strategies like solar orientation, daylighting, and natural ventilation to reduce operational carbon and reliance on artificial mechanical and electrical equipment. And we use local, low-carbon materials to reduce carbon footprint while providing opportunities for local labor on the job site. We work with local engineers and contractors on each project. See our Partners page for more information. ■