OUR FIRM OUR PEOPLE OUR WORK OUR STORIES JOIN OUR TEAM SUSTAINABILITY LEADER Elaine G. Adams Elaine drives LS3P’s integrative approach to high performance sustainable design in urban projects, architecture, interiors, and operations. Leading our Integrate Knowledge Team, she facilitates innovation charrette planning and execution, tool development, energy and daylight modeling, green ratings systems education, reporting transparency, and internal and external outreach on LS3P’s commitment to climate and environment. An alumni of Rocky Mountain Institute, focused on the profitable transition to clean energy and efficiency in buildings, cities, and campuses, she is also an educator and national voice for sustainability. Email Elaine In April 2009, LS3P joined the AIA 2030 Commitment program, pledging to take all necessary steps in our practice to advance the AIA’s goal of carbon neutral buildings by the year 2030. The places where we live, work, and play represent the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in America, as well as around the world. The design and construction industry has made significant strides toward creating high performance buildings of all types and uses. As a result, the industry is positioned to have a profound impact by continuing to foster high building performance and reducing building-related greenhouse gas emissions. As architects, we understand the need to exercise leadership in creating the built environment. We believe we must alter our profession’s practices and encourage our clients and the entire design and construction industry to join with us to change the course of the planet’s future. A multi-year effort will be required to alter current design and construction practices and realize significant reductions in the use of natural resources, non-renewable energy sources, and waste production and promote regeneration of natural resources. Through our processes and continued work with AIA, USGBC, and Well Buildings, LS3P is committed to helping AIA achieve their 2030 goal! EXAMPLES OF HIGH PERFORMANCE DESIGNS Westrock Office Building (MeadWestvaco) LEED Gold Bachelor Quarters Homeport Ashore LEED Silver Renewable Water Resources (ReWa) Environmental Laboratory LEED Certified Trident Technical College SC Aeronautical Training Center Two Green Globes Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (ICAR) Center for Emerging Technologies LEED Gold Legacy Union I LEED Gold Albemarle Corporate Headquarters LEED Gold 300 South Tryon LEED Gold Center City Green LEED Gold Trident Technical College Nursing and Science Building LEED Silver Jackson Creek Elementary School One Green Globe Richland Two Institute of Innovation Two Green Globes Clemson University Tennis Center Two Green Globes Appalachian State University Health Sciences Complex LEED Silver Clemson University Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business Three Green Globes Wilmington Convention Center LEED Silver SAS Building Q & A LEED Gold HIGH PERFORMANCE FORESIGHTS Why high performance design is important and the impact it has on our clients. Architects can save the planet. Seriously, buildings account for 40% of annual global carbon emissions, and recent studies indicate that sprawl has expanded at a rate four times worse than previously predicted for this century. Architects and urban designers have an enormous impact on the planet, and every project we touch matters. In the not-too-distant past, it was common to view materials through a “cradle to grave” lens. Raw materials would be harvested and turned into products, which would then serve a purpose. These products would eventually break, wear out, or go out of style, at which point they would be discarded and never thought of again. The flow of materials was linear, with a starting point and an ending point. The higher education market has seen substantial shifts in teaching pedagogy in recent years. When design began for Clemson University’s College of Business in 2015, Clemson wanted to create academic and faculty space with a greater emphasis on collaboration and critical thinking. Those of us who live in coastal areas like my hometown of Wilmington, NC are accustomed to weathering hurricanes. We stock up on batteries, board up windows, and make sure we have enough nonperishable food to last a couple of days if the power goes out. We’ll swap family stories with those who remember Hurricanes Hazel or Fran or Floyd, and maybe make coffee on the grill to share with our neighbors. The first rule of high performance design is to create spaces that are beautiful and beloved by all stakeholders including the client, users, and community. This will ensure the building is preserved, relevant and maintained for 25, 50, 100, 200 years. In recent years, biofuels have become feasible and economically competitive. This has resulted in manufacturing plants that grow microalgae in large open fields or work in tandem with coal plants sequestering carbon dioxide by feeding it directly to an attached algae plant. The US alone has over 50 research institutions and 100 companies working on algae technologies. The existing market uses microalgae facilities as add-ons to existing power plants; however, this is predicted to be a temporary transitional phase before biofuel plants begins to overtake conventional stored fuel sources and large-scale algae fields become more common. In my first design job out of college at a capital ‘A’ architecture firm, I was beyond excited to have the opportunity to attend a major national conference on green building. And by ‘attend,’ I mean that an architect named Todd let me borrow his nametag and attend all the sessions that he could not. I was an imposter at the conference, but I had the best of intentions to master the world of ‘green’ in those select lectures. I wondered what the sustainability hype was all about and what my role as an emerging designer was to embrace green-ness. Biologist E. O. Wilson defined biophilia as “the urge to affiliate with other forms of life.” In architecture, the concept of biophilia is rooted in the idea that humans are innately drawn to the natural world and seek out natural elements within the built environment as well as outdoors. Biophilic design is more than just adding plants to a workspace; it creates a meaningful connection between the people who use a space and the environment through patterns, textures, and natural materials. Enhancing connections to nature within a design is a timeless practice which has found a renewed popularity in recent years as sustainable design and wellness have become high priorities for building owners. I became a LEED Accredited Professional on September 29, 2006 during a firmwide push to have everyone in the firm become LEED accredited. Becoming a LEED AP was a big deal at the time; however, in the past twelve years, I have only had the opportunity to certify a single project. Does that mean that my project designs are not sustainable? On the contrary; USGBC and LEED have brought sustainable design to the forefront my thinking. Whether or not any particular project pursues LEED certification, LEED provides an invaluable knowledge base and a checklist for monitoring the sustainable ideas and elements within a specific project that can easily be confirmed and validated. As a measure of a building’s sustainable design, LEED has set the standard for the industry and continues to raise the bar for building performance. Product transparency between manufacturers and designers is critical not only to the success of a project, but also to the health of the people who will occupy a building. For a building to be Net Zero Ready, the estimated overall energy use must be reduced as far as possible before adding renewable energy sources. Explore More Foresights ABOUT US We are a multi-disciplinary firm offering architecture, interiors, and planning services to a wide variety of clients nationwide. Contact Us LOCATIONS South Carolina: Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, and Myrtle Beach North Carolina: Charlotte, Raleigh, and Wilmington Georgia: Savannah and Atlanta © LS3P ASSOCIATES LTD. | CLIENT ACCESS | EMPLOYEE EMAIL | CONSULTANTS | LEGAL Click here for emergency information