Sustainable Design

Our mission at SmithGroup is to create a legacy of inspiring places that enhance the environment and enrich the human spirit. We deliver sustainable solutions to create a healthy and prosperous future for our clients and communities, balancing the needs of a thriving society, economy and environment. In fact, we view this as more than a mission: Designing for the overall health of people is a fundamental responsibility of our profession.

SmithGroup is dedicated to designing a carbon-free future that embraces conservation, maximizes renewable energy, decarbonizes systems, adapts existing buildings and sites, incorporates low-carbon construction materials and goes beyond offsets as much as possible. We are signatories of multiple climate action commitments—including AIA 2030 Commitment, MEP 2040 Challenge, SE 2050 Challenge and the LAF New Landscape Declaration. We are noted for our many award-winning green designs that showcase integrated, cutting-edge systems. Numerous projects have achieved the highest levels of sustainable design, achieving LEED Platinum, net-zero, living building, regenerative design, and resilient futures.

With our multidisciplinary expertise and integrative design process, SmithGroup teams collaborate with clients to identify innovative solutions, seeking synergies that can accomplish multiple goals. Using an iterative approach, we test and refine ideas to optimize performance, considering both initial costs and the subsequent operational cost savings. We also practice what we preach, reducing the overall footprint within our own organization by continually re-evaluating and improving our internal operations, education, work environment and processes.