6 jun 12 | Corporate Sustainability Report 2011
A letter from the partners
by Robert Forest
Welcome to our 2011 Corporate Sustainability Report (CSR). 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. This is our RESPONSIBILITY.
This is our second edition of our CSR and I am proud to say that as a firm we are showing our commitment to drive sustainability to the forefront of all that we do. As a firm we are pleased with our results of 2011 having met all but a couple of our 2011 goals. I am proud to say this indicates the commitment to sustainability by all of our staff and we shall increase our efforts where needed to meet our 2012 goals.
We are committed to annually pushing ourselves further and improving our results each year. We are looking for continual improvement as a sign of progress. We are increasing our EFFICIENCY.
We are committed to performative design as a firm-wide philosophy and we are adhering to this philosophy and even expanding the meaning of performative design. Our goal is that each and every person who works either for us, or with us as consultants or as our clients, is committed to these ideals.
From our results we are slowly creating a database that allows us to categorize our data and begin to compare performance and hopefully begin to predict results. We are also striving to capture data from completed projects by interfacing closely with our clients as projects are completed.
In 2011 we also committed to the “AIA 2030 Challenge,” which pushes us to achieve the “2030 Commitment” sustainability goals. The AIA 2030 Challenge mandates that we track how our project design efforts compare to the architectural industry as a whole. This has been enlightening in that even though we have increased our awareness of required design strategies to reduce carbon emissions and have incorporated these into our projects - we still have a significant way to go to meet the 2030 Commitment. We are tailoring our efforts accordingly.
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 that improves their practice in a sustainable manner and we are pursuing the goal of broadcasting this to all that will listen to show how we can effect change.
We have seen the value of our CSR reporting over the past year to ensure that we are consciously trying to achieve greater results and that we are ACCOUNTABLE for our actions. RESPONSIBILITY … EFFICIENCY … ACCOUNTABILITY …
We shall continue to use these words as a guiding principle in our work and daily lives.
On behalf of Adrian, Gordon and myself, we welcome any thoughts or comments that readers may have.
Regards,
Robert Forest
AIA, OAA, RIBA, LEED AP
Partner