In today’s world the fact that an integrated Architecture and Engineering firm can design a sustainable building is not a key differentiator.  In reality, the ability to integrate sustainability into any project should be a given. Smith Carter is focused on helping our clients establish and then action their sustainable goals through the practical application of principles that make sense for their business model, climatic region and budget. We also believe that it is becoming increasingly important to be able to clearly demonstrate an ongoing commitment to sustainability, beyond project work, to satisfy both staff and client expectations as well as to fulfill a broader corporate environmental responsibility.  Our sustainability platform is based on a balance of initiatives in three foundational areas: Practice, Environments, and Results.  Practice initiatives support our internal operations and reflect how we behave as a company. From the choice of filtered tap water over plastic bottles to the type of cleaning supplies we use, or our approach to transportation, these types of initiatives are focused on choices we make as corporate citizens.
This balance allows our firm to contribute, in a meaningful way, to an ongoing dialogue, one that goes beyond ‘green washing’ to seek an understanding of the interplay between systems and the trade-offs that occur when making sustainable building decisions.  This discussion benefits our practice, our clients, and the broader community.
For a sampling of our corporate practices, please download the PDF files in this section of our website.
For information on the projects we design, please go to the Environments section.  Navigate to the Results section if you are interested in reading about our ongoing research and lessons learned