Sustainability
Sustainable design respects nature and community in the built environment and allows development activities to have a reduced impact on the environment. This leads to a reduced footprint related to resource use and demand including energy efficiency, reduced life-cycle costs and building with the landscape instead of modifying it.
Sustainable design is also intrinsic to our project development process. The design, construction, and operation of buildings are complex processes that require the technical expertise, dedication, and experience of a diverse team of professionals.
BHI has LEED® Accredited Professionals with experience in applying sustainable solutions to a number of building types. Sustainable design increases the complexity of that process by requiring an integrated approach which considers the whole building and the interdependence of many parts and systems.
Water Harvesting and Biomimicry
BHI understands the importance of using nature as a model, and incorporating those natural solutions into our designs (biomimicry). We also appreciate the importance, particularly in the arid southwest, of capturing runoff and using it for irrigation. Many of BHI’s designs incorporate water harvesting and biomimicry.
Symbiotic Cultural Systems and Integrative Design
BHI’s design goal is to develop integrative or “whole system designs,” that address all aspects of a problem, rather than just address a symptom. This requires us to look at large projects from a cultural, and environmental standpoint as well as an engineering viewpoint. Taking a larger viewpoint saves on future costs, such as maintenance, and repairs.
BHI embraces sustainability and encourages our staff to make environmental sustainability our standard way of doing business. As a company, we evaluated and reduced office energy consumption by delamping light fixtures, using high-efficiency HVAC systems, installing low flow toilets, and recycling paper, plastic, and cans, and encouraging alternative commute options. We are staffed by personnel with formal training in sustainable engineering practices, and numerous projects have incorporated sustainability requirements, including water harvesting, biomimicry, symbiotic cultural systems, and integrative design.
