I tried to get this information from the treehugger survey on this thread architecture2030.org
but the survey is kind of impersonal and not that interesting. So I pose the question to you all out there:
In your opinion, is environmental sustainability a priority in your workplace? In your practice? I would also think beyond sustainability to environmental innovativeness.
I know a lot of you out there even have your own practices and I just want to know what is really going on in this arena.
i would like it to be a regular part of every project of mine. however, the issue is convincing clients to go few steps further and spend a little more in their initial invesment altough it is not always the money. it also suggests a different day to day habits for people and that is the hardest part for home owners to get use to and accept.
i find older people are much more frugal about energy use and waste.
good news is a lot of jurisdictions are slowly making environmental sustainability a mandatory practice such as city of santa monica among hundreds throughout the country.
I have been working in a practice that specialises in very large projects. Recently they have employed several new staff with specific skills in sustainability (natural lighting, heating etc.). Unfortunately with the very large projects the budgets for construction and running costs are separated. So the client (big project management company) has no interest in spending more on the construction to save on running costs!
On the local scale, the practice wasted skip-loads of paper each week, has disposable plastic cups in the kitchen and often leaves the lights on all night. They recently started recycling paper, thank goodness :-)
yeah. I guess my new title is green building consultant though I didn't really plan on being hired for that reason. Over the last year, I have come across so many people who say green design is the only design. It has influenced my thinking so much that it has carried over into every job I have interviewed for in the last few weeks that they are more interested in it or want to hire me in some capacity to help them get L.E.E.D. ap's or give a talk.
recycle paper / plastic / aluminum
lots of natural light (many of the flourescents are removed by employees who don't prefer the extra artificial light)
climate control by zone...
...but all of that seems rather trivial...
as far as the practice goes, as mentioned above, it seems that many clients aren't interested in the extra up front cost. I don't work in Healthcare, but I believe the Healthcare studio has better luck / better budgets for that sort of thing...
in our office of 40+/-, I know of only on LEED AP, an Interior Designer. Three or 4 others, including myself, plan on getting certified in the coming 6 months. I don't see the accredidation as an end (or frankly important in and of itself), but it seems useful as a means to becoming more informed (specifically for someone in my position, a young professional still developing a position, lacking much experience).
becoming LEED AP doesn't mean much, but since the new clients have been asking... " Can you design a L.E.E.D. building?" my bosses are trying to get in to it asap.
I would like to inject sustainability concerns into the future projects that my studio takes on. This is my primary motivation in becoming an AP...the credibility it will give me with clients and consultants.
I too am technically an environmental building consultant, LEED AP. Currently, I consultant on high-rise projects in Manhattan, as well as other small projects. Architecture firms I have worked for previously vary on their commitment to sustainable design. The first firm I worked for (and the one I consider most influential on my attitude towards design) incorporated ecological impact into their overall commitment to design excellence. It was just how things were done. I learned how to detail a straw-bale wall, using PISE as a wall finish before ever looking at traditional stick framing. I'm also more used to radiant floor heating tied into solar panels as the heating source, with incredible attention paid to natural light, and passive and active solar design.
They definitely emphasized initial design steps - as in response to existing site conditions - over mechanical dependence for "zero-energy" homes, and actively sought out ways to incorporate recycled and salvaged materials in new and interesting ways. Have won a few AIA COTE awards.
Had great hours, paid pretty poorly though.
Very different attitude towards sustainable/high-performance/green design in Manhattan.
I like Orhan's explanation: "it also suggests a different day to day habits for people and that is the hardest part for home owners to get use to and accept."
Feb 19, 06 10:35 pm ·
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In your opinion, is environmental sustainability a priority in your workplace? In your practice?
I tried to get this information from the treehugger survey on this thread architecture2030.org
but the survey is kind of impersonal and not that interesting. So I pose the question to you all out there:
In your opinion, is environmental sustainability a priority in your workplace? In your practice? I would also think beyond sustainability to environmental innovativeness.
I know a lot of you out there even have your own practices and I just want to know what is really going on in this arena.
i would like it to be a regular part of every project of mine. however, the issue is convincing clients to go few steps further and spend a little more in their initial invesment altough it is not always the money. it also suggests a different day to day habits for people and that is the hardest part for home owners to get use to and accept.
i find older people are much more frugal about energy use and waste.
good news is a lot of jurisdictions are slowly making environmental sustainability a mandatory practice such as city of santa monica among hundreds throughout the country.
I have been working in a practice that specialises in very large projects. Recently they have employed several new staff with specific skills in sustainability (natural lighting, heating etc.). Unfortunately with the very large projects the budgets for construction and running costs are separated. So the client (big project management company) has no interest in spending more on the construction to save on running costs!
On the local scale, the practice wasted skip-loads of paper each week, has disposable plastic cups in the kitchen and often leaves the lights on all night. They recently started recycling paper, thank goodness :-)
yeah. I guess my new title is green building consultant though I didn't really plan on being hired for that reason. Over the last year, I have come across so many people who say green design is the only design. It has influenced my thinking so much that it has carried over into every job I have interviewed for in the last few weeks that they are more interested in it or want to hire me in some capacity to help them get L.E.E.D. ap's or give a talk.
let's see...as for the office I work at -
recycle paper / plastic / aluminum
lots of natural light (many of the flourescents are removed by employees who don't prefer the extra artificial light)
climate control by zone...
...but all of that seems rather trivial...
as far as the practice goes, as mentioned above, it seems that many clients aren't interested in the extra up front cost. I don't work in Healthcare, but I believe the Healthcare studio has better luck / better budgets for that sort of thing...
in our office of 40+/-, I know of only on LEED AP, an Interior Designer. Three or 4 others, including myself, plan on getting certified in the coming 6 months. I don't see the accredidation as an end (or frankly important in and of itself), but it seems useful as a means to becoming more informed (specifically for someone in my position, a young professional still developing a position, lacking much experience).
becoming LEED AP doesn't mean much, but since the new clients have been asking... " Can you design a L.E.E.D. building?" my bosses are trying to get in to it asap.
what level are you at (experience, 0-3, 3-5...)?
I would like to inject sustainability concerns into the future projects that my studio takes on. This is my primary motivation in becoming an AP...the credibility it will give me with clients and consultants.
^that's why I ask where you're at...
Yea I love trees,I plot drawings on both sides of the paper.
AP-- I have two years of experience each for studying and building.
I too am technically an environmental building consultant, LEED AP. Currently, I consultant on high-rise projects in Manhattan, as well as other small projects. Architecture firms I have worked for previously vary on their commitment to sustainable design. The first firm I worked for (and the one I consider most influential on my attitude towards design) incorporated ecological impact into their overall commitment to design excellence. It was just how things were done. I learned how to detail a straw-bale wall, using PISE as a wall finish before ever looking at traditional stick framing. I'm also more used to radiant floor heating tied into solar panels as the heating source, with incredible attention paid to natural light, and passive and active solar design.
They definitely emphasized initial design steps - as in response to existing site conditions - over mechanical dependence for "zero-energy" homes, and actively sought out ways to incorporate recycled and salvaged materials in new and interesting ways. Have won a few AIA COTE awards.
Had great hours, paid pretty poorly though.
Very different attitude towards sustainable/high-performance/green design in Manhattan.
There is research out there saying that LEED/Green building doesnt really cost more.
http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/story.php?artid=978
http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/Resources/Cost_of_Green_Full.pdf#search='Costing%20Green:%20Davis%20Langdon
I like Orhan's explanation: "it also suggests a different day to day habits for people and that is the hardest part for home owners to get use to and accept."
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