Certified Case Studies

Some schools build environmentally responsible buildings; some schools teach environmental responsibility. At Choate Rosemary Hall, the Kohler Environmental Center, a laboratory for living, brings these two objectives together. The new LEED Platinum 29,325-square-foot academic and residential facility, designed to achieve net-zero energy usage, accommodates cohorts of up to 20 students for a total-immersion environmental living…

The Mission Zero House, a 1901 historic preservation in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is a 1,500 square foot single family home in a climate with four distinct seasons (temperatures ranging from 95°F to -20°F [35°C to -28°C]). Occupied by the Grocoff family (Matt, Kelly and their two young daughters), the intent of Mission Zero House is…

With the Davie & Andrews Branch in Ft. Lauderdale, PNC sets a new industry benchmark for high-performance retail bank branch design by achieving net zero energy. This project represented an evolution of PNC’s Green Branch® prototype which was the first design to receive LEED Volume Certification and which led PNC to build more newly-constructed LEED certified…

Owner David Kendall spent his career as a marine biologist, acutely aware of the impacts of climate change upon ecosystems and human life. Upon retirement, he and his wife decided to take environmental responsibility into their own hands and lower their carbon footprint as much as possible. In 2012, they downsized to a house in…

The Sacred Heart School (SHS) Lower and Middle School campus includes four new buildings that have been arranged around a large, landscaped space to preserve existing heritage oak trees. The new buildings include two classroom spaces, a performing arts and assembly hall, and the Stevens Library. The Stevens Library is the academic and social heart…

In 2009, The City of Berkeley adopted their climate action plan with an aggressive goal: reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 33% (below 2000 levels) by 2020 and by 80% by 2050. To reach their target, the city realized they would need every new building to operate at net zero energy. In 2008, a measure was…

Sunshine Mathon designed and remodeled the Willowbrook house with the primary goal of providing his family with an inspiring and comfortable place to live. A critical aspect of the inspiration was to reduce the impact of his family’s lifestyle on the land, and the community in which they live. Though Mathon had a tacit goal…

Zero Cottage is an investigation of compact, sustainable urban development. Composed of a 66-square-meter loft townhouse set over a 40-square-meter workshop, Zero Cottage pairs with an existing renovated Edwardian to complete an active mixed-use complex combining cultural, commercial and residential uses on a typical neighborhood lot. The project continues the evolution of an urban site…