In our opinion, sustainable design is nothing more than a mindset; a commitment each and every team member at JKA has made to be aware of the substantial impact buildings have on the environment. Our team is dedicated to the virtues of environmental sustainability and has witnessed first-hand the successes of green design. Indeed, we never forget that the buildings we design today will affect our planet for many years to come and to that end, try to use a variety of design techniques that conserve energy, reduce negative environmental impacts and allow for the conscious recycling of materials wherever possible. Our successful strategy has been proven through no reported cost premiums on capital during construction, for integrating a green agenda into the design as well as substantive documented decreases in energy consumption post-construction and during operation. Our successful strategy in integrating the green agenda into our designs has been proven through no reported cost premiums on capital during construction as well as substantively documented decreases in energy consumption whether post-construction or during operation.
As part of our ongoing efforts to build sustainable projects here at JKA, we blend in environmental and social sustainability at the core of our design work and in doing so,
- develop innovative practices, procedures, products, services and standards that will enable us to implement such sustainable design,
- educate our fellow professionals, clients and the general public about the value and critical importance of sustainable design,
- work to change policies, regulations and standard practices in government and business so that sustainable design will become the fully supported standard practice in the building industry, and
- work to bring the existing built environment up to sustainable design standards.
Furthermore, incorporating green building strategies promotes low energy consumption and minimizes a building’s environmental footprint while maximizing sustainable and renewable material use, and can provide significant direct financial returns.
JKA has made a genuine commitment to sustainable and innovative design solutions, systems, materials, details and construction practices. Our professional belief is that a well-coordinated design approach coupled with the latest building technologies will improve the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of all processes and materials.
We approach every building and interior project assignment as an opportunity to enhance building, organizational, human and environmental performance — the core goals of sustainable design. As sustainability consultants, we provide clients with an integrated set of services, including sustainable strategy, planning and design, LEED consulting, real estate portfolio analysis and sustainability guidelines.
Energy Management:
Strategic building orientation and massing, integrated energy system design and careful mechanical system analysis can result in a significant savings in operating costs. Commercial buildings routinely see at least a 50% reduction in energy costs over comparable buildings designed to meet the minimum code standards.
Performance Enhancement:
Employees are arguably the most valuable assets within an organization. Orientation, day lighting and indoor environmental quality are all variables that can be adjusted to make employees more comfortable within the workplace. Green building acknowledges that substantial improvements to the indoor environment can be made by understanding the effects of light, temperature, humidity and airflow on health and comfort. Careful analysis of site and solar orientation offers opportunities to fill indoor spaces with natural light and minimize dependence on artificial lighting. These strategies have all been proven to enhance human health and productivity at work.
Resource Conservation:
Green buildings and the careful selection of environmentally-sensitive materials used, helps reduce the depletion of finite resources on Earth. A commitment to sustainable forestry, agricultural by-product building materials and closed-loop manufacturing further minimizes the dependence on natural resources, while encouraging the growth of alternative material industries.
Our sustainable design services are available to clients and project partners who desire experience with systems thinking, integrated design processes, sustainable rating systems such as LEED and Living Building Challenge, material optimization, natural resource protection and daylight and energy design and analysis. BNIM’s sustainable consulting services transform triple bottom line performance from possibility to reality.
