So the way we minimize negative building impacts during the design process, which ultimately also impacts the building process is in our office. We actually put a lot of emphasis on trying to do remodels and additions whenever possible.
We have many clients who come to us wanting new construction often because they don’t know that they can reuse stuff. That’s when they understand from us that not only can they, but it’s a really great thing to do and it can save money. A lot of clients get really excited about the efficiency of that and will do that. That’s the cornerstone of all sustainability: trying to reuse materials that you already have on site.
From there, not only do we focus on reusing the materials, but we will actually do a pretty detailed investigation of exactly what the construction is, so that when we design the new parts, we can incorporate the existing contract construction with as little modification to it as we can get away with so we can make the most use of what’s there as possible.
Those are a couple of examples, and there are many more than that, but that’s a starting point to the discussion.