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:
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:
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.