Decarbonization Action Plan
January 2025
© John Muggenborg
The Obama Presidential Center is pursuing ILFI (International Living Future Institute) Zero Carbon, SITES Silver, and LEED Platinum certifications for all buildings and facilities that are part of the Center. A key component of meeting these goals is the use of an all-electric geothermal heat pump system with energy sourced entirely from renewable energy.
Courtesy of Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects | Partners
SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT
Altieri has provided MEPF engineering design services to architects and building owners for 65 years. A Small Business Enterprise (SBE) certified by the State of Connecticut, our reputation as an industry leader is based on the seamless integration of environmentally responsible systems within architecturally challenging environments. Our work is valued by distinguished award-winning architects and building owners who have sought our imagination and expertise over many decades, and is recognized industry-wide with significant honors for innovation.
Our commitment to designing for a healthier planet is not just a practice, it’s a principle that has guided our work since the 1960s, long before sustainability was popular, yet the relatively high energy consumption of HVAC systems was impossible to ignore. Our pioneering energy-efficient designs are continually evolving to meet accelerated demands to decarbonize the built environment. We are taking bold steps to help eliminate embodied carbon from buildings and infrastructure, supporting our clients with systems that lower demand, boost efficiency, and balance first cost economy with energy costs and lifecycle considerations.
From the beginning our dedication to environmental stewardship has driven positive change in our projects. By meeting California’s stringent Title 24 building code introduced in 1978 and advancing cutting edge museum performance, The Getty Center became the first existing building in the United States to achieve LEED certification – awarded 8 years after opening and based on Altieri’s designs from a period preceding the introduction and implementation of the LEED process (piloted in 1998). Fast forward through decades of environmentally responsible design, over 40 of our projects have achieved LEED certification.
Today the bar is higher than ever before. While significant projects have earned LEED Platinum including Barnes, the first major art and education institution in the country to achieve the highest LEED certification (2012) and Glenstone, earning not only Platinum certification for the Arrival Hall, but 2 Gold certifications for the Pavilions and the Café (2021), project owners who care about the future are seeking to meet or exceed ever more demanding criteria to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
We are moving forward with decades of lessons learned, meeting today’s challenging imperatives driven by climate change with more advanced energy strategies. We were an early signatory of the MEP 2040 Commitment and have strategies for Altieri projects to achieve decarbonization and net zero. Issued in 2021 by the Carbon Leadership Forum, the MEP 2040 challenges the industry to significantly reduce embodied carbon emissions associated with MEP systems.
We advocate for our clients and the environment by engineering innovative strategies to minimize the impact of building systems and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, designing the best solutions for each project, and helping clients evaluate building, campus, and off-site strategies including geothermal heat pump systems, electrification, off-site photovoltaic fields and/or solar farms, and more.
© John Muggenborg
MEP 2040 is a movement to radically reduce total carbon emissions associated with building systems through collective action.
ALTIERI is committed to the MEP 2040 Mission and responds to the Challenge by advocating for and designing MEP systems that facilitate buildings achieving net zero operational carbon by 2030 and net zero embodied carbon by 2040. ALTIERI has joined the Commitment to:
1. Establish a company plan
This document reflects Altieri’s commitment to decarbonization. Altieri’s task force has been meeting bi-weekly to develop and implement an action plan that is already in motion. 2025 begins the firmwide effort to decarbonize the industry. This plan will be continuously reviewed and updated to ensure we meet and exceed industry best practices.
2. Request Low GWP Refrigerants
Altieri’s standards have changed to include using low GWP refrigerants across all relevant operations. Our task force has created new specification sections that request these refrigerants, which are included in every project. These refrigerants align with global sustainability targets and support the transition to greener technologies.
3. Request EPD’s (Environmental Product Declarations)
Altieri has procured a specification section to make sure EPD’s are requested from suppliers and manufacturers as part of the product selection process. This ensures that informed decisions are being made based on the environmental impacts of the products that we select, and we maintain transparency in the materials used throughout the supply chain.
4. Participate in Quarterly Forums
Altieri is actively involved in the collaborative initiatives aimed at advancing sustainability in the industry. We regularly attend the MEP 2040 forums, helping shape the conversation and staying at the forefront of emerging trends and advancements.
An ambitious adaptive reuse project, the David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center provides a flexible facility for performance events, exhibitions, and education housed in the historic Orangerie at The Pocantico Center. The sustainable design features have the Center on track to achieve net zero. The project achieved LEED Platinum with 88 points making it the highest scoring LEED v4 BD+C New Construction in NY State and tied for the third highest scoring LEED v4 BD+C New Construction in the country.
Glenstone is a consummate example of the choreographed integration of architecture, landscape, and art. Instrumental to the energy efficient design was employing central plant, local AHUs, and district DOAS – in consolidated and “ensemble” approach to dehumidification that ultimately resulted in substantial outperformance of the expected energy use. The Arrival Hall achieved LEED Platinum and the Pavilions and Café both achieved LEED Gold.
© Iwan Baan | Courtesy of Glenstone
COMPANY PLAN
We are committed to designing building systems that consume significantly less energy by utilizing energy recovery and thermal storage strategies, electrifying heating systems to eliminate fossil fuel use, integrating on-site renewable energy sources, and specifying the most efficient systems wherever possible. Our plan - a roadmap with clear targets and actionable steps - guides our designs toward net zero carbon, holds us accountable, and provides a framework for continuous improvement.
Continuing Education
• Educate staff on the importance of sustainability and carbon reduction within our MEPF designs.
• Share sustainable friendly equipment with the firm through quarterly updates, company newsletter, lunch and learns, emails, etc.
• Make Altieri’s commitment to sustainability and MEP 2040 public via company website, social media, business proposals, etc.
• Altieri’s sustainability task force meets regularly to discuss continuing the implementation of the company’s Decarbonization Action Plan, share new learnings and resources and project updates.
• Altieri participates in quarterly MEP 2040 forum discussions to learn from others and share lessons learned.
Sustainability Leaders
• Established an employee-led sustainability task force taking the lead in meeting Altieri’s commitment to sustainable design and our commitment to MEP 2040.
• Researching sustainable and energy efficient solutions and staying on top of industry trends to implement into our projects.
• Updating our design standards and specifications to implement sustainable strategies.
• Perform design reviews on all our projects to check for the implementation of sustainable strategies and to see if there are ways we can further improve the efficiency of the building.
Benchmarking
• Altieri plans to keep a record of past, present, and future projects in AIA’s DDX database.
• Past and present projects will be kept up to date with the latest information from the building owners.
• Future project designs will be estimated based upon hypothesized parameters, and when real time information comes in, the database will be updated.
• Benchmarking will allow Altieri to compare and contrast projects’ energy efficiency. Similar projects should have similar efficiencies. If not, Altieri can analyze and correct these discrepancies.
• Altieri plans to use Building Transparency’s EC3 Tool to compare our projects to similar projects in the industry. With this information, project specific reduction targets can be set.
Advocacy
• Include sustainable designs and strategies in our business proposals.
• Emphasis will be put on the significance of sustainability and Altieri’s MEP 2040 commitment when preliminary project information is discussed.
• Social media and marketing will be used as a tool to increase public awareness of sustainable designs and strategies.
• Altieri’s website includes relevant information on sustainability and Altieri’s involvement in MEP 2040.
• Present and participate in national conferences to leverage influence in decarbonization strategies.
Making bold visions work
