Case Studies

After almost fifty years of operation, the American Institute of Architects decided to update their headquarters to meet the AIA 2030 Commitment goals of Net Zero Carbon by 2030. The project included a novel community carbon reduction approach, where the AIA donated PV panels to a local Habitat for Humanity project to offset any unavoidable embodied emissions associated with the renovation.

A 220,000 square foot commercial office building located in Alameda, CA. This all-electric building uses energy efficiency to target LEED Gold. With almost 50% of its energy consumption generated by onsite solar, and the remaining energy purchased from carbon-free sources, this building has fully decarbonized operations.

A 35,000 square foot medical clinic that achieved LEED Gold through the use of energy efficient design. The Sparta Clinic’s energy consumption is offset by 30% with onsite rooftop solar, and the remainder of its electrical demand is purchased from the nearby Xcel Energy community solar garden. These energy sources, combined with the all electric design, make all of its operations 100% carbon free.

A 130,000 square foot renovation of a commercial office for a public client in Louisiana. The design team reduced energy use by nearly 70% through the all-electric, energy efficient design. Particular attention was also paid to quantify and minimize embodied carbon by 85% in service of Architecture 2030 goals.

A 45,000 square foot, 50-unit multi-family affordable housing building located in New Orleans designed to primarily house veterans, specifically single mothers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. St. Peter’s is a low-cost Zero Net Energy Building that gets 100% of its very low energy demand from onsite solar PV and battery storage, allowing for fully decarbonized operations.