HKP Launches Internal Sustainability Policies & Initiatives Program

Sus­tain­able de­sign prin­ci­ples have al­ways been at the heart of HKP Ar­chi­tects’ de­sign de­ci­sions, par­tic­u­larly when it comes to Passive House technology, nat­ural ven­ti­la­tion, pas­sive so­lar strate­gies, light, views and ma­te­r­ial ex­pres­sion in the Pa­cific North­west. 

We also at­tempt to help clients un­der­stand the long-term ben­e­fits of sustainable design both to our en­vi­ron­ment and to their op­er­a­tion and main­te­nance costs. In addition to our design work, sustainable solutions are also at the heart of the internal decisions we make as a company.

To achieve our company sustainability goals, HKP has launched an internal Sustainability Policies & Initiatives program in 2020 and HKP Partner Julie Blazek received certification as a Passive House Consultant. The vision of our new program is to review our business operations and building maintenance through the following Triple Bottom Line lens:

• Environmental Impact
• Social Impact
• Financial Impact

Our program outlines a range of efforts towards reduction, recycling, and reuse of materials, buying from local sources, sourcing from sustainable and ethical companies, reducing our carbon footprint and improving our building’s efficiency. It relies on leadership at all levels and depends on our staff to be as dedicated to these principles as the firm partners. 

Our Sustainability Policies & Initiatives program will hold us all accountable for the impacts of our decisions, both positive and negative, towards the environment and society. We, as individuals and as a whole, will lead by example with our clients, peers, and community. To that end, HKP greatly encourages our staff to use public transportation to get to work, to events, and carpooling in other long-distance work occasions. 

We also encourage the use of non-emitting modes of transportation like bicycles or low-emitting or low-impact vehicles like electric cars and motorcycles. HKP currently provides secure bike storage and future plug-in stations for electric vehicles are under consideration.

Other initiatives that have been adopted to date:

• New Solar Array provides approximately 35% of our building’s power needs
• LED lighting retrofit throughout the building
• Changing our cleaning products and procedures to eliminate toxins and plastics
• New interior bike racks
• New Biodegradable Composting Bins

As part of our new policies, is the continued encouragement of our staff volunteering their time serving on local boards, assisting local fundraising, Habitat for Humanity “Build Days”, and trail and beach cleanup efforts. Our aim is to become a recognized zero waste business by the end of 2020.