EXPERTISE

SUSTAINABLE APPROACH

The efforts of our design team are guided by three sustainable principles. These principles emerge from more than twenty years of sustainable practices that embrace the balance between time honored design and appropriate modern technology. This marriage between the old and new is the key to our sustainable design strategy.

Make Sustainability Part of the Building's DNA

Good design and sustainability should work together to result in superior green strategies, technology systems, and architectural design. A building should wear its sustainability not only as a demonstration serving to inspire those who interact with the facility, but also as a model of achievement for the community.

HMA's passion for the holistic nature of sustainability has altered the way in which we approach our process internally. The traditional architectural practice of cobbling together separate disciplines for a project, with little to no integration, is simply not effective in enabling the design of truly sustainable solutions that are in the best interest of the client. There was a pressing need to rethink this outdated approach; as a result, we created a new model.

Our integrated design process, in which in-house architects and engineers work collaboratively on a day-to-day basis in real-time, enables us to create projects that “do more with less.” The results yield buildings that solve more problems and work better for the people using the spaces, while requiring less energy, water, square footage and materials.

HMA Initiatives LEED® Accredited Professionals

HMA instituted an in-house educational program to train all of the firm's staff to become LEED® Accredited Professionals.

Sustainable Advocate Action Team ("SAAT")

HMA founded a Sustainable Advocate Action Team in 2006. These leaders determine educational goals and seek future opportunities for the firm as well as collate educational findings. This information is disseminated to the firm through market segment representatives.

Each project team has an Advocate who helps ensure that the project team meets HMA's and the client's sustainable building goals. The Advocate also assures that the Savings By Design program is introduced at the beginning of the project's planning and design process. In addition, the Advocate defines the documentation process, identifies grant opportunities, researches state and federal incentives applicable to the project, and establishes commissioning goals for the project.