Sustainability + Building Performance

As architects, our work has a significant impact on the well-being of both people and the planet. Therefore, at Kirksey, we make it our responsibility to strive for high performance in our design. Our goal is to meet the highest standards of our industry in terms of resource efficiency, limiting emissions, and enhancing human health. We create spaces that are inspiring, healthy, resilient, and profitable.

Kirksey is an adopter of the 2030 Challenge, which targets carbon-neutrality for all new buildings and major renovations by the year 2030. As part of our efforts to meet this goal, we developed our Basic Green imperative, a set of internal standards that prescribes a minimum standard of sustainability for all Kirksey projects, regardless of whether they are pursuing any green building certification.

Leaders in LEED

The only Houston-based firm to be recognized by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) as a LEED Proven Provider, Kirksey has the depth of experience to deliver timely LEED certifications that optimize value while keeping cost premiums low.  Our Proven Provider status allows for abbreviated review periods and an overall streamlined LEED certification process.  Our Sustainability & Building Performance team – an in-house group of sustainability specialists – are responsible for over 130+ LEED certified projects spanning five rating systems and totaling more than 38 million square feet.

Leading by example, the Kirksey office building was the first building in Texas to receive LEED for Existing Buildings certification. We were the first firm in Houston to achieve LEED certifications for projects across three rating systems: LEED for New Construction, LEED for Core & Shell, and LEED for Commercial Interiors. We were also the first firm in the Gulf Coast region to achieve a LEED for Existing Building Platinum rating and first in the state to achieve LEED for Existing Buildings.


Sustainable Design Services

Green Building Certification

A LEED Proven Provider, Kirksey’s Sustainability & Building Performance team is highly experienced in LEED and a variety of other green building certification standards. Our full-service approach means a simple and seamless process for the entire project team while pursuing the highest possible certification level.

Building Performance Simulation

We have multiple in-house specialists using advanced software to predict building performance and help you make smart building decisions about energy, daylight, air flow, and other green building strategies.

Education

Our Sustainability & Building Performance team has developed a rigorous preparatory class focused on the LEED Green Associate exam and has graduated over 2,200 industry partners.

Research

A deep understanding of integrated systems, ecosystem services, climate, the impacts of building materials, and emerging green technologies can give your projects a competitive edge. This is why our Sustainability team engages in comprehensive post-occupancy evaluations, thorough site assessments, and in-depth research related to sustainability topics.

 
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