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1 feb 11 |  Corporate Sustainability Report 2010

A letter from the partners

by Robert Forest

We would like to start by welcoming you to our Corporate Sustainability Report (CSR) for 2010. This is the first time that we have published such a report and we are committed to continuing it annually and to improving its content, look and feel each year.

“Corporate” is not how we would describe ourselves but we fully support the intent of a “CSR,” which encourages any business to become aware of, and most importantly accountable for, their actions, and disseminates the lessons learned across various industries.  We want every year to build upon the lessons learned from the previous year, thereby creating a knowledge base relevant to all.

Responsibility, efficiency and accountability: these are strong words that we use repeatedly with our staff and clients to guide our work. We take our role as thought leaders and innovators seriously, and offer this report as an indicator of our commitment to sustainability – not just in the way we approach building and community design but also in the way that we go about our day-to-day business.

We formed the firm in 2006 based on a commitment to sustainable design. We believe that purposeful performative design has to be a firm-wide philosophy and require that every person who comes to work for us, or with us as consultants, is committed to these ideals.

This first report is not perfect. It is not an exact science, but allows us to create a benchmark that we can improve against in the future. This is the goal: to improve, and to make a conscious effort that permeates the ethos of the firm and becomes second nature.

Submitting the CSR to the Global Reporting Initiative also associates us with global organizations committed to the same aims. This allows us to compare our performance with that of others and together build a global body of knowledge around best practices and the business community’s impact on the environment that we all share.

We believe in the power of design to effect change and the responsibility to do so in a sustainable manner. We design millions of square feet of space for clients around the world, improving their practice in a sustainable manner, and we need to make sure that our firm operates in a similar way. Publishing this report is a step toward ensuring that we meet this objective.

On behalf of Adrian, Gordon and myself, we welcome any thought or comments that readers may have.