Much of a building’s carbon impact is determined before it opens. Embodied carbon comes from producing and assembling its concrete, steel, glass, finishes and other materials, releasing emissions that are committed by the time construction is complete. According to the World Green Building Council, it will account for half of all new construction carbon emissions between now and 2050 and cannot be reduced through future efficiency improvements. That makes early design decisions critical. Key opportunities include reusing existing buildings, planning efficiently, reducing material usage, and specifying low-carbon materials with high recycled content.

A building’s carbon impact continues after construction is complete. Operational carbon comes from the energy required to heat, cool, light, and power a building throughout its life. That makes reducing energy demand an important part of early design. We use passive strategies to respond to climate before relying on energy-consuming building systems to do the work. As the design develops, high-performance enclosures and careful detailing reduce air leakage, thermal bridging, and HVAC loads. Working with our engineering partners, we minimize daily operational impact and ensure long-term performance through efficient lighting, mechanical, and water systems.

The quality of the indoor environments we create is directly affected by the materials we select. They become the surfaces we touch and what we breathe. Material selection is more than an aesthetic, cost, or durability decision. Healthy materials matter because we spend about 90 percent of our time indoors. We prioritize products that clearly disclose their ingredients and environmental impacts, avoid chemicals of concern, and use low VOC materials whenever possible.

A building works as a system, with materials, enclosure, climate, and environmental systems continually interacting. Building science helps us balance aesthetic vision with technical rigor, giving us an understanding of how design decisions affect performance, durability, and the indoor environment. We use energy and daylight modeling to test how buildings will perform before they are built and refine decisions related to solar exposure and natural light. We also use WUFI to simulate how heat and moisture move through wall and roof assemblies, helping us anticipate problems and develop assemblies that perform reliably.