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Sustainability Planning & Analysis

Start Early. Start Here.

Creating sustainability action plans (SAP) can feel daunting—where do you begin? SWA staff will help your team determine strategies that are field-tested and data-verified. We develop SAPs which are SMART—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound—to ensure the measures are implementable and feasible and tailored to your building, portfolio, or community goals.

As a result, you put your time and budget toward areas that help you comply with climate mandates, earn incentives, and meet big-picture goals, including:

  • Net Zero Energy
  • Carbon Assessment
  • Integrated Design Process (IDP)
  • Passive House
  • Health
  • Resiliency
Passive House Institute (PHI) logo
Zero Energy Ready Home, U.S. Department of Energy logo
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Site analysis

Where do you see your building in 100 years?

Our sustainability planning and analysis offerings will help you create buildings that maintain their resiliency and efficiency throughout their lifespan.

Energy
Modeling


Factors such as site situation, local climate, building systems, on-site power generation, facade materials, and more are simulated to understand how all the components of a building will affect the complexities of operational energy-use.

Energy modeling is also a path through code compliance and requirement of many green building standards and incentive programs.

Whole Building Life-Cycle Assessment


A whole building life cycle assessment (LCA) is conducted during design development or construction documents to compare a project’s structural and enclosure materials with the industry-wide baseline. This assessment provides documentation of the carbon reduction for policy or green program purposes.

Our team creates an LCA baseline and design, and update LCA models in each design phase based on any changes to building materials or construction methodologies.

Hot Spot Embodied Carbon Assessment


A hotspot embodied carbon assessment is typically conducted in the concept or schematic phase to inform stakeholders about the emissions associated with structure and enclosure materials. This analysis is used to compare design scenarios or account for carbon avoided by building reuse.