About Us

Architect Steven Winter launched a building systems consulting firm from his New York City apartment to help address how inefficient buildings were in their design and construction methods.

SWA was awarded its first research contract from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), beginning our decades-long partnership with HUD.

“The Passive Solar Construction Handbook: Featuring Hundreds of Construction Details and Notes, Materials Specifications, and Design Rules of Thumb,” was originally developed by SWA for the U.S. DOE. Though it focused on passive solar design for heating and cooling single-family homes, many of the techniques could be adapted for other building types.

SWA signed a lease for its first DC office after numerous projects involving government agencies and trade associations had already been bringing SWA staff to the District.

Following the passage of the Fair Housing Act (FHA), SWA led a study for HUD to understand the costs associated with building housing in compliance with the FHA – concluding that it did not come at an excessive cost when accessibility was considered from the start of the design process.

In 1992, the U.S. economy was in a recession. Although much of SWA’s work at the time was not dramatically impacted by the downturn, SWA relocated its main office to Norwalk, CT to mitigate costs. SWA expanded back into New York City a decade later in 2002, but the firm’s headquarters never left Connecticut.

Building America, the initiative to develop more energy efficient, affordable, and resilient housing throughout the U.S., was launched in the ‘90s by the U.S. DOE and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). SWA was selected to lead one of Building America’s original teams and continues to provide research services for the program three decades later.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) was established in 1993, and soon after, Steven Winter was appointed as chairman. He served from 1999 to 2003, during which time, he helped launch the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building program as well as the annual international Greenbuild conference and expo.

SWA served as the technical reviewer for New York City’s Inclusive Design Guidelines published by the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities and the International Code Council. The guidelines were updated in 2017 and are still in use today.

Starting in 2011, SWA transitioned from a sole-proprietorship to fully employee-owned, allowing staff to buy shares in the organization and become partial owners. In 2024, we launched a stock incentive plan that offers an equitable path for all employees to receive ownership in our company.

The firm joined the project team for The House at Cornell Tech, which would become the tallest Passive House-certified building in the world upon its completion. SWA served as the Passive House consultant, green building certifier, commissioning agent, accessibility consultant, and energy modeler.

SWA launched the Buildings + Beyond podcast to help our community stay informed about industry news, trends, and best practices. The podcast has featured interviews with a wide range of experts in our field, all exploring how we can create a more sustainable built environment by focusing on efficiency, accessibility, and health.

After many years of providing services to the region, SWA officially opened a new Boston office. The new location was necessitated by an increasing demand for high-performance construction and decarbonization born from new construction codes and mandates in Boston and throughout Massachusetts.