At DO we believe sustainable design is a critical element of responsible architecture and it is integrated into our design process. Our goal is to design developments and buildings to work with the ecosystems in the natural environment, reduce energy consumption, minimize the use of limited natural resources, and create healthy productive environments contributing to the well being of the occupants.

USGBC LEED principles of sustainable sites, water efficiency, materials and resources, energy and atmosphere, and indoor environmental quality are integral to our design process. The LEED system provides an effective tool and uniform evaluation criteria for determining project sustainability. We use the LEED system to review each project’s sustainability, whether an owner has a goal of certification, of being certifiable, or wants to include sustainable criteria.

We have always designed our buildings to integrate and work with the natural environmental systems (solar, wind, etc) and natural site characteristics (topography, vegetation, and storm water). This is simply good design, improves energy efficiency and environmental quality without adding cost.

As a value added benefit, our standard design solutions and specifications include LEED strategies and materials that don’t add a cost premium, but contribute to a healthier and more sustainable site and building. We specify products with recycled materials, (drywall, acoustical ceilings, metal studs, carpet, etc) and low VOC paints, caulks, and adhesives, we select regional products to minimize transportation carbon impact.

If the owner has a certification goal, we continue to evaluate sustainable strategies and credits, as well as associated first and life cycle costs and benefits, to achieve a sustainable solution within the project resources. We also understand in this rapidly growing market we need to continuously evaluate performance, dependability, and maintainability of new strategies, products, and systems before they are specified.