To achieve a company-wide initiative that all professional staff become LEED Accredited Professionals by early 2008, Amenta/Emma Architects developed a five-part educational series.

As recently as August 2007, Amenta/Emma Architects employed only two LEED Accredited Professionals (AP). The 25-person firm was completing the construction documents for Hartford’s only LEED-registered school, designing a mixed-use LEED for Neighborhood Development pilot project, and performing a LEED feasibility study for Central Connecticut State University. Inquiries for LEED and green building design services streamed in from all of the firm’s market sectors. Meanwhile, the implementation date loomed ahead for the State of Connecticut’s recently approved legislation mandating that all state-funded new construction buildings over $5 million and state-funded renovation projects over $2 million achieve LEED Silver certification or equivalent.

Amenta/Emma’s firm leadership recognized that the green building movement was not only surging ahead, it was becoming a fixture in the design and construction industry. This was coupled with intense interest in sustainability from emerging professionals and project architects.  Karri LaCourciere became LEED Accredited while completing the Intern Development Program (IDP).  LaCourciere remarks that “As architects, we have an essential responsibility to create beautiful and efficient buildings that are also sensitive to our environment.  In my mind, becoming a LEED Accredited Professional was not an option but a necessary step in the process of becoming a conscientious professional.” 

With resounding interest, Amenta/Emma embarked on a sustainability transformation that focused on expanding expertise and distributing basic green building design knowledge to all employees. In August 2007, the firm announced a company-wide initiative that all professional staff would become LEED Accredited Professionals (APs).  The goal of initiative is to guarantee that clients receive the highest possible energy efficiency and sustainability benefits on their projects while minimizing cost and schedule impacts.

To achieve 100 percent LEED accreditation, Amenta/Emma developed a five-part educational series to inform and educate staff on the latest green building technologies. The program focuses on not only LEED exam preparation, but also addresses relevant Connecticut legislation, the Green Globes rating system, and other international systems. Amenta/Emma hosts recognized green building experts from other disciplines to augment the LEED and green building training. Several employees completed the USGBC’s LEED for New Construction technical review, and green building strategies are incorporated into the firm’s ongoing continuing education events. Seven months later, Amenta/Emma proudly announced that the firm achieved its goal and 100 percent of architectural staff members are LEED APs.

The commitment to educating its staff is just one element of Amenta/Emma’s sustainability initiative. Over the next several months, the firm will implement a green operations plan that includes sustainable purchases, enhanced office recycling, recycling and returning product samples, energy efficiency measures, and incentives for carpooling and public transportation use. Looking to the future, the firm has identified a goal to complete a paperless project.

Applying Knowledge to Our Own Office Renovation

The sustainable planning process is completely transforming the way the firm thinks about its business. Since its inception, staff has not only researched sustainable materials for client projects, but also utilized these materials during Amenta/Emma’s own office renovation. While the renovation did not qualify for LEED certification based on its limited scope and size, environmentally responsible materials were included throughout the space. Employees have come to view their workplace as an operational testing ground for new products. Clients and consultants can find cork flooring installed in the new kitchenette, energy-efficient task lighting and low-emitting carpet and paint throughout the office. The firm continues to work with product representatives to identify additional opportunities to integrate other sustainable products such as LED lighting and water-conserving fixtures into the office.

Green History, Green Projects

Amenta/Emma recognized the importance of energy efficiency, sustainable design and the LEED Rating System early on. Founding Principals Anthony J. Amenta and Robert A. Emma led new construction and renovation projects at Hartford Hospital and The Hartford Insurance Company focused on maintaining excellent indoor air quality. The firm’s noteworthy Academic and Ecclesiastic spaces feature dynamic daylit environments. In 1998, the firm began the design of the 36,000-square-foot Energy Center at Central Connecticut State University. Completed in 2004, the facility houses a combined heat and power system and supplements power demand through the ISO New England Demand Response Program. The central plant, which provides the University with chilled water, hot water, power, and emergency power, is more energy efficient than decentralized production.

The firm’s sustainability initiative coincides with the completion of design for the Annie Fisher Magnet School in Hartford, Conn. The 102,000,000-square-foot renovation and 17,000-square foot addition is LEED-NC v2.2 registered. The project features daylighting through vision glazing, skylights, and clerestories, a heat island reducing roof, a rain garden, low-flow plumbing fixtures and low-emitting materials. Energy modeling predicts that the design energy cost performance will exceed ASHRAE 90.1-2004 by 30 percent, a significant achievement for the existing building renovation. Other sustainable projects on the boards include a LEED for Neighborhood Development Pilot Project, and Central Connecticut State University’s Memorial Hall, a planning and programming project for the University’s main dining facility that will be designed to meet LEED-NC Silver Certification.

With the sustainability initiative, the firm is going beyond incorporating sustainable components in only select projects. All projects now integrate sustainability from inception, reflecting Amenta/Emma’s belief that good design is sustainable design.