Every act of sustainable design, engineering, planning, and construction contributes to our common future. At HGA we embrace this as both a responsibility and an opportunity: great design—by definition—must be sustainable. As signatory to several carbon-reducing agreements, we have put into place the people, tools, and processes to help our clients and projects reach critical climate goals. To celebrate Earth Month, we are sharing five recent projects that illustrate our holistic approach—projects that set ambitious yet achievable goals for environmental impact, health and well-being, and resilience.
Marlboro Music Reich Hall
Renowned for its world-class summer concert series, Marlboro Music maintains a rural campus in southern Vermont. Reich Hall houses rehearsal rooms and a music library.
Sustainable by Design
- The building’s small footprint, sloped roofs, compact volumes, and local materials responsibly mitigate the project’s impact on its site.
- Integrated sustainability strategies including geothermal heat pumps, passive solar gains, LED lighting, and operable windows helped the project surpass its AIA 2030 Commitment target with a measured 81% EUI reduction.
- The landscape design harmonizes with the surrounding ecosystem via lighting to preserve dark skies, local materials that include the site’s own excavated ledge rock, onsite rain gardens, and native plantings that provide food and shelter for wildlife.
UC Davis Health Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute
Reducing environmental impact while increasing building efficiency and occupant wellness were key drivers for the Tschannen Eye Institute, resulting in a high-performance academic ophthalmology center designed for wellbeing and resilience.
Sustainable by Design
- The project integrates renovation and new construction, achieving LEED Silver and LEED Gold certifications for each component, respectively.
- Whole building energy modeling was used to set and achieve EUI stretch targets, resulting in a predicted 38 metric tons of operational carbon saved per year.A finely-tuned lighting strategy contributes to energy reduction and features biophilic design elements to improve wellbeing for the sight-impaired patient population.
- A finely-tuned lighting strategy contributes to energy reduction and features biophilic design elements to improve wellbeing for the sight-impaired patient population.
Sacramento City College Natural
Sciences Building
This state-of-the-art LEED Gold facility—designed with students at the forefront—seamlessly integrates laboratories, classrooms, and offices. Its innovative design exceeds the college’s ambitious net-zero energy objectives.
Sustainable by Design
- The proposed energy model for the facility is anticipated to exceed California’s Title 24 energy code standards by 28%.
- Energy-saving features include chilled water and hot water pumping systems with variable speed drive, an exhaust air heat recovery system, and efficient interior and exterior lighting systems.
- Siting that maximizes daylighting and allows for greenspaces adds to overall sustainability.
City of Edina Climate Action Plan
In 2021, this Minneapolis suburb pledged to cut carbon emissions by 45% by 2030, with a long-term goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
Sustainable by Design
- More than 200 actions were identified that could improve energy efficiency and reduce building emissions throughout the city.
- Among the measures were building electrification, on-site solar electricity generation, and alternative source carbon reduction strategies.
- HGA also helped implement several energy conservation measures at Edina’s city hall, including building envelope improvements, LED lighting and control upgrades, HVAC improvements, and a new 120 kW photovoltaic rooftop solar array.
Pennsylvania State Archives
This 146,000-square-foot facility holds more than 300 million items, from letters to maps to photographs, related to Pennsylvania history. In addition to preservation, resilience was a key consideration in the design.
Sustainable by Design
- Potential hazards prepared for include high winds and extreme precipitation related to climate change, fire system and power failure, and railroad accidents.
- HGA’s design funnels water away from the collections and manages internal temperatures and air quality.
- The structural design includes reinforcements intended to strengthen the building despite high winds.
Learn more about HGA’s commitment to sustainability.