Sustainable Design

For many years, HSMM architects and engineers have made energy conservation, environmental stewardship, and the conservation of natural resources an integral part of the firm’s approach to building design.  In keeping with the firm’s corporate philosophy equal attention is given in the design to preserving natural resources, the proper selection and efficient use of building materials, creating a safe and comfortable environment for building occupants, and energy conservation, while meeting client program needs with budget constraints.  In recent years, the terms “green architecture” and “sustainable design” have broadened and become more clearly defined.

As sustainable design has gained momentum in our society, clients have developed a greater understanding and appreciation of the benefits that can accrue from incorporating sustainable concepts in their projects.

HSMM is an active participant in sustainable design.  The firm is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and has access to and uses the latest information on green-building trends, policies, and products.  HSMM is familiar and experienced with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) project rating system. Members of the HSMM staff attend LEED Green Building Workshops and we have more than 65 architects and engineers in all disciplines who are LEED Accredited Professionals. Most importantly, HSMM's design for the WETL Facility for the Department of Energy was recently LEED-Certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The firm incorporates sustainable design principals into a wide range of building types and our designers are focused on addressing the many important sustainable design issues presented in the “Sustainable Building Technical Manual” and in similar sustainable design literature, including: 

• recycling and reuse of existing materials;
• sensitivity to products that impact landfills;
• specification of products that are natural and biodegradable, that do not contain hazardous or toxic materials, and that give back at the end of their life cycle;
• use of equipment that minimizes threats to the ecosystem and increases energy efficiency;
• improvement of indoor air quality;
• improvement of the quality of indoor light and incorporating day lighting techniques;
• performance of life cycle analyses of products and equipment to determine their characteristics of sustainability.

Selected examples of sustainable strategies employed by HSMM are illustrated by the following:

• When siting new structures, considering prevailing wind direction and building orientation to minimize heating/cooling costs.
• Designating existing topsoil on a construction site to be stockpiled and reused during final grading and seeding operations.
• Creating a landscape strategy to slow down, retain, and bioremediate stormwater run-off.  Indigenous plantings of grasses, low shrubs, and trees create more porous, diverse and shaded sites.
• Leaving buffer zones undisturbed to protect wetland areas.
• Creating earthen berms to enhance the effect of landscaping.  Berms placed along structure walls can provide additional insulation for heating/cooling requirements.
• Using trees that are to be removed from the site as brush barriers and check dams for erosion control; selling them for lumber or firewood; or grinding them in chippers to produce landscaping mulch.
• For building exteriors, using thermal and moisture-barrier systems that reduce heating and cooling loads.
• Installation of water-saving and automatic shutoff plumbing fixtures
  Incorporating tinted and glazed windows with “low E” coatings, U factors and shading coefficients.
• Selection of all building materials to minimize the presence of harmful chemicals and adhesives and to preserve the quality of indoor air.
• Designing windows and ceilings in open office spaces to maximize daylight penetration and to reduce glare.
• Incorporation of occupancy sensors and photocell lighting control.
  Using DOE 2.1e energy analysis simulation software to achieve fully integrated designs Incorporating task/ambient lighting of office space to significantly reduce energy use.  This approach provides a moderate level of background illumination (322 lux) at the desktop level.  Sunlight for general illumination is supplemented by ceiling-mounted up/down pendant lights.  Ambient light is supplemented by task lighting at workstations, giving users additional light for close work.
• Incorporating direct digital control (DDC) building management systems.
  Designing variable-air-volume air-handling systems with variable-speed drives, air-side economizers, and high-efficiency motors.  Variable volume air-handling systems provide savings in fan energy and reheat at times of less than peak cooling load.  Air-side economizers can provide up to 100 percent outdoor air for cooling, saving energy by reducing chiller load.  Indoor air quality is improved by periodically purging the building with 100 percent outdoor air.
• Installation of meters to monitor total building electrical energy usage, lighting performance, lighting quality, chilled water, steam, gas, and indoor air quality.  By capturing and trending the metering data with an Energy Management and Control System (EMCS), usage profiles can be established.
• Designing in-house recycling systems to maximize the capture of office waste.
• When renovating existing buildings, reusing or recycling such building materials as concrete, acoustic tiles, etc., where economically feasible.
• Specifying building materials with recycled content for new construction.