Perspectives May 1, 2024

Leading by example: three mission-driven organizations present a roadmap for sustainable design

By David Cordell

U.S. Green Building Council Headquarters

Washington, D.C.

The way we think about sustainability is evolving—the impacts of climate change now influence the way the world looks at the economy, politics, social justice, health, and the future of our environment. In 2015, the Paris Agreement established critical net-zero emissions goals to be achieved by the year 2050, and McKinsey estimated that corporations would need to spend $275 trillion decarbonizing new and existing assets over the next three decades to hit the established targets. Fortunately, moving towards net-zero does not always require spending more money, as demonstrated by three recent interiors projects led by our Washington D.C. studio: workplaces for Greenpeace, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Each project realized significant reductions in global warming potential and improvements to occupant health without adding to construction costs.

The USGBC promotes sustainability in building design, construction, and operations, creating benchmarks for the industry.

As a non-profit advocacy group, Greenpeace seeks to transform the country’s social, environmental, and economic systems.

The EDF is best known for its work on issues including global warming, ecosystem restoration, oceans, and human health.

These organizations are at the forefront of sustainability, but many others will soon seek similar outcomes, whether adhering to internal ESG requirements or standards imposed by local legislature. To help clients reduce their environmental impact, our work focuses on three key drivers:

1. Designing with responsible materials.
2. Designing for circularity
3. Designing to reduce consumption.

Effective design strategies can address these drivers while meeting an organization’s functional needs and align budgets with environmental stewardship.

1. Designing with Responsible Materials

The USGBC seeks to transform how buildings and communities are designed, built, and operated to create thriving places that advance human and environmental wellbeing. Their new headquarters serves as a dynamic showcase for that mission and the organization’s achievements. By selecting healthy materials with low carbon footprints and re-using existing ones, the project achieves substantial emissions reductions without additional cost.

Throughout the interior renovation, Perkins&Will used predictive modeling technology to assess and reduce embodied carbon as well as the emissions generated from extraction of raw materials, manufacturing, shipping, and installation. Decisions informed by these models led to a 44% reduction in embodied carbon from baseline, the equivalent of 22,678 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles not being driven for one year. Cost savings were also reflected in these choices: more resilient materials last longer and are often produced using more efficient manufacturing processes, and sourcing local materials reduces shipping costs and emissions produced during transportation.

The design left many existing partitions in place, allowing for the reuse of drywall, studs, ceilings, and doors, and 80% of the furniture and fixtures were salvaged from the USGBC’s previous space for reuse in the staff area of the plan. Products with third party transparency documentation were prioritized where new materials were required.

Low embodied carbon or carbon neutral materials are featured throughout the USGBC headquarters.

Wood is a carbon sequestering material that provides biophilic and cost-saving product lifestyle benefits.

All of the wood ceiling slats in the reception area were salvaged from a local office renovation and used in an installation designed specifically for future disassembly.

2. Designing for Circularity

Conventional design and construction practices often fail to address the end-of-life cycle of building products. With Greenpeace’s mission to protect the Earth’s ability to nurture future life, waste reduction and end-of-life circularity for their tenant lease term was a priority.

The most cost-effective and environmentally friendly space is one that has already been built. Perkins&Will worked closely with Greenpeace during site selection, advocating for a recently vacated space that was in like-new condition. Through effective lease negotiations, the workplace was turned over intact rather than being demolished, creating a material bank for the sourcing of salvaged materials.

As a result, Greenpeace was able to reuse 90% of existing divisible conference rooms, including glass partitions, doors, hardware, wood paneling, millwork credenzas, ceiling systems, lighting, operable partitions, mechanical, and AV systems. Elsewhere on the project, 45% of ceiling tiles and 60% of metal studs were salvaged and reused.

Design charrettes with construction partners focused on disassembly-friendly detailing, favoring mechanical fasteners over glues and adhesives for drywall, ceilings, and millwork, promoting future reuse. Through circularity, the project reduced landfill waste and achieved an impressive 54% reduction in embodied carbon compared to the baseline of a new interior fit-out, the equivalent of eliminating emissions from 64,409 pounds of coal.

3. Designing to Reduce Consumption

The EDF’s expertise in science and economics enables them to provide bold strategies for curbing climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and their new office embodies this focus by reducing operational consumption through optimized building performance. The project is currently tracking LEED ID+C (Interior Design and Construction) Gold Certification.

Perkins&Will was asked to create an engaging and memorable experience through design that supported the organization’s mission. Lighting became an important part of achieving these goals. The design focused on reducing Lighting Power Density (LPD) to lower overall energy consumption, while innovating by prioritizing fixture specifications with third-party ingredient declarations such as DECLARE labels, Health Product Declarations or Cradle to Cradle certification. The final design reduced Lighting Power Density by 25%.

A holistic design and construction strategy resulted in the diversion of 14 tons of construction waste from landfills, equal to the carbon reduction capacity of 48 acres of US Forest in one year. The project also substantially cut back water usage: potable water use was reduced by 41.43%, and which anticipates saving 231,512 gallons per year. Reductions in operational carbon directly correspond to savings in annual utilities costs, creating a positive incentive for companies to invest in design that reduces consumption

Given the assumption that sustainable design comes with a premium price tag, it would be easy to think that these organizations could only achieve results through additional investment. In fact, all three projects were delivered within a standard tenant improvement budget and were completed as the country was coming out of the COVID pandemic, contending with material and labor prices up as much as 30% from pre-pandemic costs.

As our inspiring clients seek new ways to protect and heal the environment, our design strategies can keep pace to help support their vitally important missions and create a healthier future.

"We found strong alignment in Greenpeace’s mission and Perkins&Will’s commitment to addressing the urgent issue of climate change through sustainable design. The collaboration resulted in a space that not only reflects Greenpeace’s values, but also serves as an example of how sustainable design can be accessible to all."

Haiba Bakar
National Facilities Director, Greenpeace USA

Leading by example: three mission-driven organizations present a roadmap for sustainable design

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