In architecture, sustainable design is about developing built forms - buildings and urban spaces - that are tuned to their context; to culture and climate, and to the natural resources of the place, designs that are efficient in terms of their economy, and not the least, buildings that are aesthetically pleasing.
The degree of success of great architecture in the context of sustainability can be measured by three major indicators: energy-efficiency, responsible use of natural resources, and user comfort. Energy-efficiency can be boiled down to a number, not unlike the mileage rating on a car or the Energy Star rating on a refrigerator. If the energy used is produced from renewable sources and if the materials used to construct the building have a low level of embedded energy, then the environmental impact might be benign. But if comfort is not provided for the users of a building, then the environmental objectives are compromised. Ultimately, the success of our work is measured in user satisfaction.
Our current projects represent a long line of work dating back to examples of sustainability in architectural design created long before the terms “sustainable” and “sustainability” entered the mainstream.