Perkins&Will has released an update to its Green Operations Plan in the wake of the United Nation’s latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, which was critical of the strides global efforts have been able to make in avoiding a catastrophic 1.5° Celsius rise in temperature by 2040. 

According to the firm, the update touches eight different project categories with three key “enhancements” that work to phase out plastic use while encouraging further decarbonization and acknowledging Indigenous cultures as sources of guidance and rightful stewards of the land. 

“As a large firm with 28 studios around the world, we have an enormous opportunity to reduce our environmental impact even further — and to lead by example,” Jason F. McLennan, the chief sustainability officer of Perkins&Will, said in a statement. “Our enhanced Green Operations Plan offers specific guidance in just about every scenario that might unfold in our day-to-day business operations, from how we travel to or from the office, to where we get our electricity, to how we keep our kitchens and respect the local cultural contexts in which we work.”

The four core components to decarbonization include:

• Fossil Fuel Elimination: By 2025, any newly leased studios or those renewing leases will no longer directly use natural gas, and beginning this year, all newly designed studios must be 100% electric.
• Energy Efficiency Leadership: Starting in 2025, all studios will install sub-meters that measure all energy use. This will complement the firm’s nearly 20-year practice of installing low-flow toilets, waterless urinals, and energy star efficient fixtures.
• Green Power Purchase: To support the decarbonization of utility grids and the uptake of renewable energy, over the next few years studios will purchase green power renewable energy certificates (RECs) for their electricity use and have on-site renewable energy accounting for at least 50% of their annual energy use.
• Carbon Offset: Starting this year, all new studios and studio renovations will undergo a whole life carbon assessment to measure their operational and embodied carbon profile, while also offsetting operational carbon wherever possible.

“Decarbonization plays a key role in lessening our firm’s footprint across the globe,” Kathy Wardle, the firm's Regional Director of Regenerative Design for Canada stated finally. “And by making these efforts, we aim to inspire and encourage clients to let us design their spaces with similar practices in mind.”