It’s easy for sustainability to get lumped in with all other the buzzwords, trends and fads. But if you’re paying attention to rapidly changing building codes, to say nothing of the world around us, you quickly realize there’s a whole lot more to sustainability than fancy LEED plaques and beautiful data visualizations.
At BR+A we’ve made a true commitment to reducing carbon with every building we engineer. We are quietly leading the industry in academic, science, and healthcare when it comes to Zero-Net-Energy and Zero-Net-Energy-Ready buildings, Zero-Net-Carbon projects and just about every facet of sustainable design.
Whether it’s helping a hospital become one of the most sustainable buildings in Africa, installing the largest number of filter fume hoods in North America, or engineering one of the most energy efficient university clean rooms in the country—we’re helping clients see the long-term and short-term value of sustainability. And understand that a project’s success is measured, not just in reduced kilowatt hours or pounds of carbon, but in its financial feasibility, constructibility and maintainability over the entire lifecycle of the building.
Energy management is as much an art as it is a science because there’s no magic bullet that makes sustainability work. With every new project we tackle, we see how important it is to design integrated systems that work together to achieve a larger vision; balancing old techniques and new technologies, short-term paybacks and long-term value, financial incentives with strategic investments.
But, above all, we also know how critical it is to be team of partners—owners and architects, construction managers and building material suppliers—all working together toward a common vision to balance what’s possible with what’s practical. All to create buildings that are reliable, efficient, comfortable—and in greater harmony with their communities and the world.