Sustainabilty
What is sustainability? At Burt Hill, we see it as infinite vitality - improving lives in the present and for future generations.
As designers, we believe that all humans are impacted substantially by their surroundings. Undertaking a responsibility for design of the human-made environment inherently extends a responsibility for protecting the natural environment for future generations and the species that cohabitate this planet with us. We understand that we must design in ways that reduce the amount of resources consumed by the building industry and the amount of potable water, a precious necessity, used in the operation of buildings and consumed by building occupants. Climate change is a reality, and the building industry has the greatest potential of all global market sectors for slowing and reversing the consequences of global warming.
We commit to creating a built environment that uses less energy, uses less potable water, and minimizes resource consumption. This philosophy for design crosses disciplines and markets, and it effects every design decision that we make. We also commit to reducing our own carbon footprint, to protect our planet as we create healthy, inspiring human-made environments.
The goal of providing a high-degree of sustainability in the human environment is a primary metric of success for Burt Hill. It does not usurp other metrics of good design, such as timelessness, beauty, innovation, and delight; it is part of them.
We design to enhance our future. We have only one planet.
Practice Highlights
Green Roots: Burt Hill's Role in Shaping Environmentally Conscious Design
Harry Gordon, FAIA, Chairman and COO, joined Burt Hill in 1974, just as the firm was laying the groundwork that would establish Burt Hill as the A/E expert in the design of solar building systems. Some of Burt Hill’s research in the 1970s and 1980s included work for the AIA Research Corporation in developing regional guidelines for passive solar design that would help shape building energy codes. Like Dick Rittelmann, FAIA, Director Emeritus, before him, Harry was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to serve as the representative for collaborative research conducted by the International Energy Agency (IEA). In addition to providing team leadership on IEA task projects, Harry testified before Congress in support of energy-conscious legislation.
Our Practice Experts
Harry Gordon
Harry is a nationally recognized expert in green building design. Several of his projects have been named as "Top Ten Green Buildings" by the AIA. He was a founding member and past chair of both the National AIA Committee on the Environment and the Potomac Region Solar Energy Association, and is a director of the U.S. Green Building Council and the American Solar Energy Society. A graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Harry won the prestigious Harriet R. Peck Award for his thesis, Energy Conscious Architecture.
