Madison
This office is home to a specialized team of engineers committed to advancing sustainability and energy efficiency for building owners and communities. Sustainability is fully integrated into our culture — from our net zero energy office to supporting our team members’ environmentally conscious lifestyles, we create a working environment that fosters a sustainable mindset and inspires transformational change. Our deep technical expertise drives meaningful, long-term impact for clients across sectors, delivering solutions that are as responsible as they are resilient.
What's New
Market Spotlight
Project in Focus
People & Office Culture
Community Impact
What's New
HGA at 2026 ASHRAE Annual Conference
How can schools pursue net-zero energy goals without increasing project costs? At the 2026 ASHRAE Annual Conference, HGA's Drew Dillman will share insights from Maplewood Middle School in Menasha, Wisconsin, a 222,000-square-foot facility designed to be net-zero-energy ready. The presentation explores how geothermal heating and cooling, rooftop solar, battery energy storage, and strategic funding opportunities were integrated to support long-term energy performance while maintaining budget goals. Attendees will also learn about the operational and organizational challenges that influence successful net-zero-ready school projects.
Market Spotlight
Embracing Economic Circularity
We have a waste management problem. In the U.S., existing landfills are, on average, 50 percent full—and filling fast. The building industry’s role in waste generation cannot be ignored.
The built environment produces roughly one-third of the world’s landfill waste, with 90 percent generated during demolition. In the U.S. alone, demolition accounts for approximately 600 million tons of waste each year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. This issue was recently featured on an HGA Insights Article, Embracing Economic Circularity, which dives into the details and story on this issue.
Project in Focus
New Standard for Heat Recovery Equipment
HGA was engaged by the University of Virginia to modernize the aging North Grounds Mechanical Plant, which serves the university's Business, Law, and JAG Schools, with a goal of achieving LEED® certification. Following a comprehensive energy analysis, HGA designed a heat recovery chiller system that captures energy rejected from the cooling loop to heat the hot water system, setting a new standard for heat recovery control strategies.
The project also included a modest building expansion to accommodate a 75% increase in plant capacity while keeping the facility operational throughout construction. After the first year of operations, the results were dramatic — overall plant energy use dropped by 51%, greenhouse gas emissions fell by 46%, and water and energy costs were cut to less than half of previous annual totals. This project is featured on this recent project page, UVA North Grounds Mechanical Plant, which dives into the details and story on the project.
People & Office Culture
Celebrating Our Team
Earlier this year we celebrated our team in the Madison office. We kicked things off decorating cookies with the incredibly talented folks at Miggy's Bakes (safe to say some of us were more artist than others), before heading to Craftsman Table and Tap for dinner and good conversation. Somewhere between the sprinkles and the second round of appetizers, the real magic happened — teammates caught up, new faces became familiar ones, and having great conversations with our team.
These moments matter to us. We work hard, and we genuinely enjoy the people we work with — and evenings like this are a reminder of why. Big thanks to Miggy's Bakes and Craftsman Table and Tap for helping make it such a memorable night.
Community Impact
Annual Engineering Day for Kids
HGA's Amanda Wendling and Ellen Skorpinski recently volunteered at the 5th Annual Engineering Day for Kids, hosted by the ASHRAE Madison Chapter and the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County. HGA led a "Building in Virtual Reality" activity, guiding kids through building blueprints before letting them explore architectural models in VR headsets. Watching students engage with hands-on engineering — curious, creative, and excited — was a powerful reminder of why early exposure to the field matters. HGA is proud to support events that open doors for the next generation of engineers.
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