Corgan's Climate Action Plan
As a leading global architecture and design firm, we are aware of our impact on the environment and the communities in which we live and work. While meeting our clients' goals remains our priority, we are committed to doing so responsibly.
In 2023, we formalized our sustainability practice, Corgan—Echo, as we believe that sustainability is an echo of performance. In the same year we joined the World Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings (NZCB) Commitment, thereby reinforcing our commitment to sustainability by tracking the environmental impact of our operations. Through the AIA 2030 Commitment, we continue to measure and report on the performance of our projects, and by joining the AIA Materials Pledge, we aim to further advance our efforts to apply sustainable materials intentionally. Corgan—Echo is charged with both enhancing sustainable design practices in our projects, and monitoring and directing our operations to become more environmentally sensitive and responsive.
We acknowledge that climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time and that our work and operations leave an undeniable impact on the planet. In response, we are proud to issue this climate action plan — a framework to a decarbonized, healthier, and more sustainable future. This plan outlines specific actions we are taking now or are committed to in the future to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, minimize our environmental footprint, and create thriving, resilient communities where we live and work.
Recognizing that meaningful progress cannot be achieved alone, we are committed to sharing our knowledge and learning from our partners, peers, clients and communities. To achieve this, we will continue to engage with our industry partners, institutions and local and global communities to drive collective impact and inspire positive change.
With momentum building, we are confident that in partnership with a global community, we will achieve a better, more sustainable future for generations to come.
Scott Ruch, CEO
01— Corgan's Climate Action Plan
As an established international design firm, we recognize the global impact of both our operations and our work. While we continually seek to minimize our environmental impact, we also implement state-of-the-art strategies that promote adaptability and resilience, embracing innovation to navigate the rapidly evolving impacts of climate change. Corgan’s Climate Action Plan (CCAP) outlines our response; a set of comprehensive strategies geared towards both mitigating and adapting to climate change. It underscores Corgan’s commitment to fostering sustainability and resilience, creating a healthier planet for current and future generations.
TOYOTA NORTH AMERICA HEADQUARTERS LEED PLATINUM
Purpose & Intent
As we continue to address climate change in both our operations and our work, this document serves as a guide — informing employees, clients, and collaborators of our commitments while encouraging their participation and alignment with our goals.
The CCAP outlines broad strategies and specific actions the firm can take to advance decarbonization, sustainability, and climate resilience — reducing both our operational footprint and the environmental impact of our projects. These initiatives fall into two main focus areas:
1. Actions to make our firm's operations more sustainable.
2. Actions within our work that help clients move toward decarbonization.
Corgan understands that good design is sustainable design, and that built environments have a significant impact on local and global environments, economies, societies, and cultures. While Corgan works with all its partners to promote sustainable design as standard practice by creating solutions that harmonize the relationship between the built and natural environments, we also work with our clients to strategize their global approach to sustainability, before and beyond a project's completion. Corgan's commitment to delivering equitable, environmentally, and financially sustainable projects is built upon years of experience.
In 2023, we took a significant step in solidifying our sustainability initiatives by formalizing Corgan—Echo, our in-house sustainability practice. Corgan—Echo provides a host of expertise in topics including environmental analytics, energy and carbon assessments, sustainability frameworks, as well as sustainability and climate resilience strategic planning. Corgan—Echo is dedicated to promoting sustainability and climate resilience on multiple scales: in our operations, through our projects, and for our clients; for projects ranging in scale and typology, from buildings, to campuses, neighborhoods, and cities.
Corgan—Echo Services:
DESIGN INTEGRATION
Goals, Metrics, & Regulatory Requirements
Passive Design Optimization
Massing & Envelope Optioneering
CLIMATE &
SUSTAINABILITY
Bespoke Sustainability Frameworks
Third Party Certifications (LEED, WELL, Fitwel, ILFI, BREEAM)
ADVISORY
Organization Level Approach to Sustainability
Green Infrastructure
Building Loads Assessment
Operational & Embodied Carbon
Visual & Thermal Comfort
CONSULTING
Existing Asset Assessments (building, portfolio, & campuses)
Carbon Accounting (Scopes 1 & 2)
Whole Building Life-Cycle Assessments
Environmental & Social Impact
Indoor Air Quality
Healthy Materials
Biophilic Design
Climate Risk Assessment
Risk Mitigation Through Design & Operations
Organization Level Decarbonization Strategy
Corgan—Echo uses a comprehensive, yet simplified, framework to our approach on all topics associated with sustainability and climate change. The framework consists of four key focus areas: health and wellbeing, climate change and resiliency, natural resources and biodiversity, and energy and carbon. As we work through these focus areas, we also recognize that everything we do at the human scale is inextricably linked to its local and global social impact.
Framework for Sustainable Design Integration
Climate Change & Resiliency
Our buildings and cities are already facing the impact of climate change. Rapid change in ambient temperatures, frequency and severity of storms, and extreme precipitation are adversely impacting the built environment, especially our population centers. Measures to quickly adapt to these changes at building and urban scales are necessary to minimize loss of property and life. We assess such climate risks to ensure adaptive design solutions for a resilient future.
Health & Wellbeing
The built environment is designed primarily for its occupants, whose comfort and wellbeing must remain an utmost priority in our projects. With this people-centric approach to design, we focus on the environmental quality of space, both indoors and outdoors for air quality and thermal, visual and olfactory comfort. Design strategies using biophilic design and healthy materials will help create better physical environments and lead to qualitative enhancements.
Natural Resources & Biodiversity
Global natural resource depletion is exacerbated by climate change. Such depletion imbalances the natural habitats for native flora and fauna. Our projects must help reduce consumption of water, a primary natural resource, and help regenerate natural habitats in its context. Use of building materials that are less resource intensive and can be recaptured at its end of life for another use (cradle to cradle) must be prioritized in our projects.
Energy & Carbon
There is an urgency for our industry to drastically reduce GHG emissions associated with the built environment. While Corgan is already committed to AIA 2030 Challenge, we continue to monitor our project portfolio performance closely and devise strategies to reduce operational energy use in all of our projects across all sectors. We are also working to drive down embodied carbon in materials specified in our projects.
PIONEER NATURAL RESOURCES HEADQUARTERS
LEED GOLD
02—Our Operations
MITIGATING OUR GLOBAL OPERATIONAL IMPACT
With 19 offices globally, the operation of our practice has an environmental footprint that we continuously strive to improve upon. We have developed strategies that aim to improve our daily operations categorized under three focus areas: 1) decarbonizing our operations; 2) conserving resources; and, 3) maintaining climate resilient operations.
09 Decarbonize Operations
27 Conserve Resources
41 Maintain Climate Resilient Operations
CORGAN OFFICE — CHICAGO
LEED GOLD
Decarbonize Operations
In late 2023, Corgan signed on to the Net-Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment with the World Green Building Council (WGBC), with the goal to decarbonize our operations by 2025. We accelerated this effort and have completed carbon accounting and purchased carbon credits to offset all Scopes 1 and 2 emissions for 2023.
Keeping in the spirit of our commitment, this plan outlines key decarbonization strategies that aim to reduce both direct and indirect emissions. As defined in the Greenhouse Gas Protocol’s Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard, direct emissions are defined as "emissions that result from owned or controlled sources" whereas indirect emissions "result from an organization’s activity, when another organization owns or controls the sources the emissions occur from."1 Moving forward, we will account for Scopes 1, 2, and 3 emissions and offset them by purchasing renewable energy and/or verified carbon credits.
1. Putt del Pino, S., Bhatia, P., & World Resources Institute. (2002). Working 9 to 5 on climate change: An office guide. World Resources Institute.
TIMELINE
Decarbonize Operations
OFFSET EMISSIONS TO REACH CARBON NEUTRALITY
MONITOR
RE-EVALUATE
INCORPORATE GREEN LEASE CLAUSES WHERE FEASIBLE
ESTABLISH SUSTAINABLE DESIGN STANDARDS FOR ALL FUTURE CORGAN OFFICES
MONITOR & REPORT EMISSIONS ANNUALLY
RE-EVALUATE ENERGY REDUCTION STRATEGIES ANNUALLY
MAINTAIN OPERATIONAL CARBON NEUTRALITY
MONITOR & REDUCE ENERGY
PERIODIC REVISIONS OF OFFICE SUSTAINABLE DESIGN STANDARDS
GREEN LEASE STANDARDS FOR ALL NEW OFFICES
As of August 2024, Corgan has accounted for and offset Scopes 1 and 2, and is well on its way to becoming
Of the Corgan offices operational in 2023, our total emissions amounted to 690 metric tons of CO2e, calculated in accordance with the GHG Protocol’s standards. As this was the first year of our carbon accounting, our 2023 GHG emissions established our operational baseline for Scopes 1 and 2. Moving forward we will work to reduce our GHG emissions, and this action plan will provide guidance in achieving those targets.
Carbon Credit Portfolio
Corgan’s 2023 emissions for Scopes 1 and 2 were offset through a portfolio of carbon credit purchases across various national and international projects. These projects support initiatives that promote decarbonization in the built environment, preserve natural resources, mitigate climate change, and advance social equity — reinforcing our ethos and core values. Below are some of the initiatives that Corgan's carbon purchases supported in 2024.
Advanced Refrigeration Systems
Sparta, New Jersey, United States
A family-run supermarket in rural New Jersey adopts a near-zero emission CO2 refrigerant system, reducing cooling emissions by nearly 99%. The CO2 system displaces traditional refrigerants that cause 3,448 times more environmental damage and eliminates harmful chemicals, addressing groundwater contamination concerns. The project empowers a small, local store with budget constraints to embrace climate-friendly practices, contributing to global climate change initiatives.
Industrial Process Emissions Reduction
Ochelata, Oklahoma, United States
Orphaned oil and gas wells continue to emit methane into the atmosphere long after they have stopped producing hydrocarbons for sale. This poses significant health and environmental risks to landowners and nearby natural resources. As of May 2023, Oklahoma had over 17,000 documented orphaned wells, with the state's plugging program averaging about 140 wells per year over the past decade. To address the growing need for methane abatement, Rebellion Energy assumed responsibility for six orphaned oil and gas wells in Washington County, Oklahoma, and executed proper plugging and remediation measures. This has permanently abated methane emissions from the six orphaned wells.
Energy Efficient Cookstoves
Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala
TRL’s Improved Cookstove (ICS) project enables community access to sustainable energy technology by providing, installing, and maintaining energy efficient cookstoves at a subsidized rate. This social service directly addresses energy poverty in addition to several other socioeconomic challenges facing the indigenous communities in the Sololá Department as a consequence of years of systemic discrimination and neglect. Through the distribution of ONIL stoves, this grouped project reduces demand for wood fuel, slowing local deforestation and empowering the Tz’utujil Maya people of Lake Atitlán, a community disadvantaged daily by extreme economic, environmental, and public health struggles. By replacing open cooking fires with ICS technology and performing energy efficiency improvements in existing biomass fired cookstoves, the project reduces energy demand in the form of wood fuel, thus generating net GHG reductions.
Improved Forest Management
Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, United States
This project encompasses 8,000 hectares of old hemlock and spruce forests, managed by Haida and Tlingit Peoples. Since 2018, the project stored over 123,000 metric tons of CO2, sequestering 1.6 million metric tons over 40 years. Funds from carbon credits support community development, including a micro hydroelectricity project and local scholarships.
Wooden/Bio-based Building Elements
Les Achards, France
The project team creates carbon net-negative cellulose fiber insulation (CFI), which removes 1.04 tons of CO2eq from the atmosphere per ton of CFI. CFI offers CO2 storage within a durable building for at least 50 years. Due to its excellent thermal performance, cellulose fiber insulation allows for significant energy savings throughout the year, an undeniable advantage for individuals and the environment.
Reduce Energy Use
IN CORGAN'S GLOBAL OFFICES
Reducing energy use in our offices stands is one pathway toward achieving decarbonization. By curbing our consumption, we mitigate the demand for fossil fuels, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This concerted effort not only benefits the environment but also promotes economic savings and innovation, propelling us toward a greener, more resilient future.
BASELINE GOALS ACTIONS
Corgan offices average EUIs is 7.4% below national median EUI for office spaces
BASELINE
Monitor and reduce energy use
Re-evaluate energy use reduction strategy annually
▪ Monitor building performance
▪ Integrate smart building systems
▪ Upgrade to high efficiency appliances
▪ Report building performance
▪ Incentivize staff to reduce energy use
As part of our efforts to calculate carbon emissions, we have estimated the energy use in all our offices. With a total portfolio of nearly 200,000 square feet of leased office space globally (as of end of 2023), the average energy use in all of our offices is estimated to be 49 kBtu/SF/yr. This average energy use intensity (EUI) value is roughly 7.4% below national median EUI for office spaces, which is 52.9 kBtu/SF/yr.2
2. Energy Star Portfolio Manager. (2024). U.S. energy use intensity by property type: Technical reference. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. https://portfoliomanager.energystar.gov/pdf/reference/US%20National%20Median%20Table.pdf
GOALS
Our goal is to continuously monitor and reduce energy use in our offices, while engaging with Corgan team members in each office to find localized solutions for advancing energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. Standardizing energy monitoring strategies across the organization will enable us to streamline resource allocation, optimize operational efficiencies, and demonstrate our commitment to future-proofing our operations.
ACTIONS
Minimum Submetering To Monitor Energy Use
Monitoring performance specifically includes monitoring, tracking, and reporting energy, water, and other data in the spaces we occupy. As a firm, we will promote the installation of utility submeters and smart sensors across our offices. Our office design standards will include minimum energy submetering requirements to better understand our energy use breakdown.
Smart Controls & Building Systems
Where possible in our offices, we will install smart controls and building systems such as daylight and occupancy sensors, smart thermostats, automated lighting systems, and building management systems to enable remote monitoring and control as well as to allow for predictive maintenance. Once data is collected, actual performance can be compared against projected performance, allowing building systems to be better tuned over time. While optimizing energy usage, the implementation of such actions can simultaneously enhance occupant comfort and wellbeing.
High Efficiency Appliances
As we upgrade existing offices or open new ones, we will specify high performance appliances to help yield significant energy savings. In most of our offices, several kitchen appliances including refrigerators, dishwashers, and coffee machines are used and contribute significantly to overall energy use. Achieving efficiencies in the use of these appliances will help reduce our plug loads.
Occupant Education & Engagement
Occupant behavior is a factor that tends to be overlooked when it comes to establishing and enforcing strategies that have the potential to collectively improve the firm’s operational sustainability. Getting occupants on board with general strategies and specific actions is key to implementing Corgan’s Climate Action Plan. To that end, establishing internal policies that both educate and reward employees for their participation is important in aligning behaviors with the company's values and goals.
Transparency in Reporting
We intend to be transparent in our assessments and reporting on our commitments. With our commitment in place with the WGBC, we will disclose and submit our carbon emissions on an annual basis. The report will also highlight our initiatives and efforts to further reduce carbon emissions from our practice operations. Internally, we will share the energy use data and support initiatives with all our staff, office managers, and leadership.
New Office Selection Criteria
To start off on the right foot and align with partners with similar aspirations, we will create minimum requirements for all future landlords. Some of our key criteria from the facilities and landlords will include:
Energy performance and sustainability certifications
Energy management practices
Availability of submeters and data for energy, water, and other utility use
Proximity to mass-transit
Sustainability & Climate Resilience Office Design Standards
To strengthen sustainability and resilience design for our own offices, we will define and publish Corgan’s Sustainability and Climate Resilience Office Standards, a document outlining our firm’s internal minimum sustainability and climate resilience standards and recommendations.
Corgan’s Sustainability and Climate Resilience Office Standards will address topics such as:
Green lease standards
Minimum performance standards
Energy Use Targets (EUI)
Material selection criteria for environmental and health impacts
Health and wellbeing standards
Standards for conserving natural resources
Office renovation guidelines
Climate change risk assessments
Greenhouse gas accounting, reporting, and offsetting
Third-party certifications
Incorporating Green Lease Standards
Green lease standards are provisions within lease agreements designed to promote environmentally friendly practices and acknowledge the commitments both the landlord and the tenants make to mitigate the building’s environmental impact. As such, they create more energy and carbon efficient operations, healthier spaces for occupants, as well as compliance with local regulations and sustainability goals.3 Pursuing office spaces that provide green leases is a strategy that can help Corgan select properties that are better aligned with the firm’s commitment to sustainability and corporate responsibility.
BASELINE GOALS ACTIONS
New York Studio's lease incorporates the highest green lease standard language
BASELINE
Of all the offices Corgan currently occupies, our New York City office in the Empire State Building (ESB) has the highest green lease standards. In fact, the parent company, Empire State Realty Trust (ESRT) was recognized as a 2023 Platinum Green Lease Leader.
GOALS
We will prioritize new office spaces that adhere to green lease standards by incrementally enhancing the level of integration of green clauses until widespread adoption of green leases is achieved.
Beginning in 2030, every new Corgan office will incorporate green lease language
ACTIONS
Negotiate lease agreements to include green clauses
Prefer properties with green building certifications
Educate employees and stakeholders
Negotiate Lease Agreements that Include Green Clauses
(e.g., for efficient building systems, waste management protocols) Where possible, we will negotiate new leases to incorporate green lease standards. In the near term, we will incrementally enhance the level of integration of green clauses within a lease until widespread adoption of green leases is achieved across all offices.
New Leasing Criteria
A way to accelerate the transition to green leases is to choose to occupy properties with green building certifications. Such properties will, by default, either adhere to the majority of green lease standards or allow for a faster integration of green clauses.
Educate Employees and Stakeholders
To assist with integrating green leases, the firm’s sustainability team will provide information to educate employees and stakeholders on how to pursue green leases. During these sessions, the team will explain in detail the clauses outlined in our Office Standards.
3. Green Lease Leaders. (n.d.). Green Lease Leaders reference guide for tenants. https:// www.greenleaseleaders.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Tenant-Reference-Guide.pdf
Pursue Green Building Certifications
Pursuing green building certifications for Corgan’s offices will help us decarbonize our operations and create better spaces for our employees. It also conveys a clear and positive message to our partners and clients regarding our environmental commitments.
BASELINE
64% of Corgan offices are located in buildings that have a Green Building Certification
Three of our offices are Fitwel certified
One of our offices is WELL Gold certified
BASELINE
GOALS
Starting in 2030, every new Corgan office will adhere to minimum performance standards and align with a green building rating system
Currently, 64% of our offices are located in certified buildings. Our Dublin office is located in a LEED Platinum certified building. Five of our U.S. locations (Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta) are in LEED Gold certified buildings and our London office is certified BREEAM Excellent.
GOALS
While we are not driven by third-party certifications, the overarching goal is to certify our spaces where it makes most sense. To that end, we will maximize green building certified spaces for our offices by 2030.
ACTIONS
Pursue Green Building Certifications for All Offices, Existing and New
We will assess all of our offices (existing and new). When and where appropriate, we will pursue green building certifications. With a multitude of certification options available to us, including LEED, BREEAM, ILFI, Fitwel and WELL, we will align with certifications best suited for our offices.
ACTIONS
Pursue green building certifications for current and new offices
OFFICE
64% of Corgan offices have green building certification
CORGAN OFFICE — DALLAS
LEED GOLD
CORGAN
— LOS ANGELES
LEED GOLD
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Accounting, Offsetting, and Reporting
With the completion of Scopes 1 and 2 carbon accounting for all our offices, we have now established a baseline with 2023 data.
As stated, Corgan is a signatory of the USGBC’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings (NZCB) Commitment and is thus committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2030. More specifically, the NZCB Commitment requires that by 2030 existing buildings (a) reduce their energy consumption, (b) eliminate emissions from energy and refrigerants, (c) remove fossil fuel use, and (d) compensate for residual emissions where necessary. It also requires that new developments and major renovations are (a) built to be highly efficient, (b) powered by renewables, (c) decrease their embodied carbon footprint, and (d) compensate for all residual upfront emissions.4
BASELINE GOALS ACTIONS
Carbon accounting in alignment with GHG Protocol’s Corporate Standard
USGBC Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment
BASELINE
In 2023 we accounted and offset our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, in alignment with GHG Protocol’s Corporate Standard5 and the requirements of our NZCB Commitment.
4. U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. (n.d.). Support the net zero carbon buildings commitment. https://www.usgbc.org/ articles/support-net-zero-carbon-buildingscommitment
5. Corbier, R. J., et al. (2015). The Greenhouse Gas Protocol corporate standard. World Resources Institute and World Business Council for Sustainable Development. https:// ghgprotocol.org/sites/default/files/standards/ ghg-protocol-revised.pdf
Account and report the firm’s 2024 Scopes 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions in 2025
Offset Scopes 1, 2, and 3 emissions to reach carbon neutrality in 2025
Cycle-to-work scheme for employees of our London and Dublin offices by 2025
GOALS
Account for and report Scopes 1, 2, and 3 emissions
Offset Scopes 1, 2, and 3 emissions
Establish emissions reduction targets
Reduce GHG emissions
Report and certify
In 2025, we aim to reach Net Zero across all Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions from 2024. Our goal thereafter will be to maintain our carbon neutrality as well as to implement GHG emissions reduction strategies to significantly lower our carbon footprint.
In line with this goal, we aim to support city- and state-wide initiatives that align with our decarbonization efforts. For instance, in 2025, Corgan will support cycle-to-work initiatives for our employees in the London and Dublin offices. By promoting greener commuting alternatives, we aim to lower our upstream value chain emissions while promoting employee health and wellbeing.
ACTIONS
Account Scopes 1, 2, & 3 Emissions
As outlined in the GHG Protocol’s Corporate Standard, direct and indirect corporate emissions are classified under three scopes. Scope 1 takes into consideration direct emissions from sources that are owned by the company. Scope 2 accounts for indirect emissions resulting from the generation of purchased electricity, steam, or heat. Scope 3 entails the remaining upstream and downstream emissions; although not mandatory, accounting for Scope 3 emissions is encouraged.1 In this context, as previously mentioned, Corgan already accounted for Scopes 1 and 2 in 2023 and has committed to accounting for all three scopes thereafter.
Establish Emissions Reduction Target
To reduce our corporate emissions, either absolute or rate-based emission reduction targets will be set. The first will establish concrete reduction goals while the second will establish targets that vary in relation to the organizational fluctuations our business might undergo.1 Our goal is to identify custom targets, specific to Corgan’s needs, in general alignment with the goals of the Paris Agreement for limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Reduce Scope 3 GHG Emissions
We are in the process of accounting for our 2024 Scope 3 emissions, which will serve as our Scope 3 baseline moving forward.
Beyond 2024, key strategies to reduce Scope 3 emissions will include:
Tracking and disclosing business travel-related carbon emissions data to facilitate good decisions on virtual meetings and unnecessary inter-office travel.
Transitioning from conventional company vehicles to a fully electric fleet.
Encouraging alternate commuting options that are associated with less emissions. For example, this entails leasing offices that provide EV charging stations and incentivizing employees to choose mass transportation or bike-to-work programs.
Report and Certify
The results of Corgan’s aforementioned actions will be published annually. In accordance with our commitments, the respective report will include information on our emissions (per scope and total), illustrate our performance over time, include information on the employed methodologies and calculation tools, and disclose information on purchased carbon offsets. Corgan’s emissions and the conformity of the employed process to GHG accounting and reporting principles will be externally verified by a third-party for the first reporting year and every three years thereafter. In the interim, an annual self-certification process will be employed.
Conserve Resources
Consumption of resources, both natural and finished goods, contributes to carbon emissions throughout their life cycle — during extraction, refinement, production, transportation, and storage. Not to mention the impact of waste, post consumption. Understanding the impact of resource conservation, we will work to find ways to minimize consumption and waste and make business decisions that help reduce waste and support the principles of circular economy. Outlined in this section are strategies to reduce our impact on the environment through resource conservation.
Conserve Resources
ESTABLISH BASELINE WATER-USE ACROSS ALL OFFICES AND DEVELOP REDUCTION STRATEGIES
CONDUCT A PLASTIC AUDIT
ESTABLISH STRATEGIES USE PLASTICS
ESTABLISH STANDARD WASTE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR KEY STUDIOS
STRATEGIES TO REDUCE SINGLEPLASTICS FROM OUR OPERATIONS
MONITOR & REDUCE WATER USE
REVIEW OF WASTE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
ELIMINATE SINGLE-USE PLASTICS FROM OUR OPERATIONS BY 2030
UNIFIED WASTE MANAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTING ACROSS ALL OFFICES
Circularity
As part of our operations, our offices are constantly procuring consumable products through various vendors. These products include everything from fresh and packaged food to stationary goods to cleaning services. Moving forward, we will identify opportunities to encourage the use of products and services that promote circularity. By adopting this model in our operations, we aim to contribute to decoupling consumption from resource depletion and environmental degradation. Favoring sustainable products in our offices is expected to comparably reduce Corgan’s Scope 3 emissions, hence, the environmental footprint associated with our operations. To that end, the following focus area addresses strategies that aim to encourage the adoption of materials and products, within our offices, that are sustainably managed throughout their supply chain.
BASELINE
Corgan offices are minimizing the use of single-use plastics
BASELINE
GOALS
Corgan will strive to maximize recycling and composting rates across all offices, as well as to improve procurement processes.
Eliminate single-use plastics in our operations by 2025
Publish Corgan's Office Waste
In the past few years, our largest offices have consistently worked to remove single use plastics from our operations. As an example, single use plastic water bottles has been minimized across all our offices and we continue to work to eliminate them. In another initiative, at least two of our offices have removed all single-use plastic utensils and we encourage similar changes in other locations. While some of these efforts are ground up and organic, Corgan's action plan establishes specific goals and strategies to further adopt the principles of a circular economy.
GOALS
We will strive to identify and remove single use plastics from our operations to the greatest extent possible. We will work to maximize recycling the waste from our daily operations as well as from office expansion and renovation construction projects. We will engage with external partners to facilitate refurbishment and reuse of our office materials, furniture, and finishes at the end of useful life where feasible. We will improve our procurement processes to encourage our vendors and partners to align with our environmental commitments.
ACTIONS
Sustainable Procurement Policies
Partner & Supplier Alignment
Include Circular Economy Principles in Office Renovation Guidelines
THE ESPLANADE
QUANTITY OF PLASTIC SAVED PER YEAR IN CORGAN'S NYC OFFICE
ACTIONS
Sustainable Procurement Policies
= 1,000 bottles
24,000 bottles per year
One of the first goals we set on this related to single-use water bottles was to reduce the use from the operations of our New York office. The implementation of this initiative entailed replacing all single use plastic cutlery from our office operations with reusable silverware. It also involved discontinuing the provision of plastic water bottles to our employees, an action that resulted in the diversion of 500 plastic bottles per week (or 24,000 plastic bottles per year) from our operations. By opting not to purchase these water bottles, Corgan prevented the use of 345 kilograms of plastic per year from our New York office.
In practice, pursuing collaborations with likeminded suppliers that either sustainably manage supply chains or participate in sustainably managed supply chains is expected to accelerate the transition of Corgan’s operations to a more sustainable model. By 2030, we will establish policies that encourage procurement of products and services that help minimize the environmental impact resulting from their use and disposal. Such practices aim to facilitate the integration of environmentally, socially, and financially responsible practices throughout Corgan's supply chain, aligning with the firm’s objectives. While not all of these guidelines will be feasible in every procurement of goods and services, Corgan will make a good faith effort to incorporate these guidelines to the maximum extent possible in its procurement decisions.
Partner & Supplier Alignment
To align with Corgan’s endeavors and commitment to maintain carbon neutral operations by accounting, reporting, and offsetting emissions, starting in 2030, all new major partners, consultants and suppliers will be asked to account for their carbon emissions and offsets. The term ‘major’ signifies suppliers that are in a position to significantly impact our corporate responsibility goals. This action will extend the cascading effect of carbon accountability down the supply chain, compelling suppliers to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions.
Include Circularity in Office Renovation Guidelines
By 2030, our standardized office renovation guidelines will include requirements for circular economy strategies including repurpose and reuse of interior furniture and products where feasible. Refer to earlier section ‘Sustainability & Climate Resilience Office Design Standards.'
Reduce Water Consumption
Water use has been increasing worldwide by approximately 1% per year since the 1980s.6 Population growth, socioeconomic development and growing consumption patterns are the primary drivers behind this growth in demand.7 As a firm, we recognize the pressing need to conserve this valuable natural resource; thus, we remain committed to measuring and reducing our water consumption. To that end, we plan to educate and incentivize our employees to use less water, to monitor, track and report water usage across our offices, and to continue to upgrade to high-efficiency plumbing fixtures and appliances.
BASELINE GOAL ACTIONS
Monitoring water consumption data where available
BASELINE
Track and continue to reduce water use
Educate and incentivize employees to reduce water use
Monitor, track, and report
High efficiency fixtures and appliances
This year, we started tracking our water consumption across our offices. Our 2023 water consumption data will constitute the baseline for future consumption reductions.
GOAL
Our goal is to track and continue to reduce water use in our operations.
ACTIONS
Educate and Incentivize Employees to Reduce Water Consumption
Human behavior is one of the key reasons for inefficient water use. Educating employees about water scarcity and demonstrating the impact of mindful consumption is key for instigating behavioral change. Simple actions such as reporting leaks promptly and turning off taps when not in use can collectively make a significant difference. This approach aims to cultivate awareness and a sense of responsibility, encouraging employees to actively participate in conservation efforts.
6. UNESCO, WWAP (United Nations World Water Assessment Programme), & UN-Water. (2019). Leaving no one behind: The United Nations World Water Development Report 2019. UNESCO. https:// unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000367306
7. WWAP (United Nations World Water Assessment Programme). (2006). Water: A shared responsibility. The United Nations World Water Development Report 2. UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ images/0014/001454/145405E.pdf
Monitor—Track—Report
To monitor water use and track it over time to understand consumption patterns, we will encourage the use of submeters and sensors in our offices. Monitoring and tracking our water use is the first step to implementing conservation measures. We will also provide transparency in collected data, further incentivizing our staff to support the firm’s water conservation measures.
High Efficiency Fixtures and Appliances
Where feasible, we will install high-performance fixtures and efficient appliances that use less water and can significantly reduce our water consumption. We will also use fixtures with sensors and automated smart controls to minimize water waste.
Waste Management
Reducing office waste is an effective strategy for conserving and reusing resources that would otherwise end up in landfills. Establishing and implementing waste management and reduction initiatives such as sustainable procurement policies, recycling, composting, etc. will divert valuable resources from being buried in landfills, redirecting them instead back into the production cycle. This diversion is not only expected to conserve raw materials; it is also expected to 1) extend the lifespan of existing landfills, 2) reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with landfilling and incineration, 3) mitigate pollution risks to air, water, and soil, and 4) protect habitats from destruction.
BASELINE GOALS ACTIONS
Organic waste collection for composting in the Dallas office
Eliminate single-use plastics in our operations by 2025
Publish Corgan’s Office Waste Management Standards by 2030
BASELINE
While recycling and composting is being organically promoted in our offices, we are now taking strategic steps to ensure standard recycling and composting practices are implemented in most, if not all, of our offices. In Dallas, which is our largest office, a small team initiated a study to understand the amounts of waste generated after lunch-and-learn sessions.
Firmwide policies
Corgan’s Office Waste Management Standards
16.4k gal of water saved by composting
80% of Lunch and Learn waste from the Dallas office could be composted
In our Dallas office, we measured how much waste was produced by lunch-and-learn sessions and how much could be diverted away from landfills. The results demonstrated an average of 44 pounds of waste per lunch-and-learn session; up to 80% of which could be composted, while the remaining 20% was destined for landfill since the building in which the office is located does not provide recycling services. Typically, such sessions take place twice a week and serve 80 to 90 employees, which adds up to 4,576 pounds of lunch-and-learn waste per year. The results of this study spurred immediate action as Corgan started working with a composting company that collects organic waste from our headquarters in Dallas and transports it to local farmers and other partners who can responsibly repurpose it.
Composting Our Waste
GOALS
While we are seeing grassroots efforts from Corgan team members to better manage waste, we need a coordinated effort to enhance waste management across all our offices. To coordinate company-wide, we will develop Corgan's waste management policies in 2025. The policies will focus on minimizing waste from our operations, especially plastic pollution, which harms the environment as well as human health.
ACTIONS
Develop Firmwide Waste Management Policies
In coordination with our office management team, we will develop and apply firmwide policies to help coordinate actions and foster consistency in waste management practices across our offices globally. While each region and city have nuanced challenges, we expect the implementation of standardized procedures to enhance knowledge sharing and facilitate the exchange of best practices among our offices.
While the policy will outline specific requirements from our office operations teams, we will include requirements for:
Maximizing recycling and composting in all our offices.
Reducing and eventually eliminating use of single use plastics from all our offices.
Where feasible, reuse or repurpose existing materials and products such as our furniture, computers, and appliances.
In addition to creating firmwide policies, we will educate and familiarize our staff with recycling and composting practices to impact behavioral changes across our practice.
Integrating sustainability into design means creating spaces that empower occupants to reduce waste. By implementing effective waste management systems and encouraging mindful consumption, we can significantly cut down on occupant waste and foster a culture of environmental responsibility.
MAHDI AFKHAMI DESIGN RESEARCHER, ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN
CORGAN OFFICE — HOUSTON
Maintain Climate Resilient Operations
The increasing frequency and intensity of adverse weather events pose significant risks to infrastructure and supply chains and, as a result, to the continuity of our business operations. To proactively protect our firm from the consequences of climate change, we must integrate climate resilience into our strategic planning efforts and operational frameworks. This entails assessing the climate resiliency of our offices and establishing emergency protocols. By implementing these measures, we aim to enhance the capacity of our firm to withstand and quickly recover from weather-related disruptions.
Maintain Climate Resilient Operations
PERIODICALLY UPDATE CLIMATE RISK ASSESSMENTS
DEVELOP DESIGN & OPERATIONAL RESPONSE TO CLIMATE RISKS FOR ALL CORGAN OFFICES
Climate Risk & Adaptation
The impact of climate change is upon us and poses risks to urban infrastructure, supply chains and, as a result, to the continuity of our business operations. In 2025, we will begin climate risk assessments for all our office locations and prepare adaptive and resilient strategies to maintain business continuity firmwide. Resilient office operations and emergency protocols will ensure that our operations can withstand and swiftly recover from weather-related disruptions.
BASELINE GOALS ACTIONS
General firmwide resilience and business continuity strategy
BASELINE
Complete climate-induced risk assessments
Complete climate change design and operational response plans for all studios by 2030, to maintain business continuity
Conduct climate change-induced risk assessments
Develop design and operational adaptation strategies
While general risk assessments and business continuity are part of our operations, specific regional climate risk mitigation in our operations are needed. Addressing this matter will be an important milestone toward enhancing our preparedness against the impacts of climate change.
GOALS
By 2030, we will assess climate-induced risks and prepare mitigation strategies and adaptation plans for all Corgan office locations.
CORGAN OFFICE — DUBLIN LEED PLATINUM
ACTIONS
Conduct Climate Change Induced Risk Assessments
As part of our commitment to sustainability and proactive risk management, we will take the following initiatives across our offices:
Identify climate risks relevant to the office location, such as flooding, extreme heat, storms, or sea-level rise. Use historical data and climate projections to understand potential future scenarios.
Evaluate building vulnerability to identify risks. Assessing the building includes reviewing the building's construction, materials, location, elevation, drainage systems, and existing protective measures.
Assess operational impact by analyzing how potential disruptions to power, water supply, transportation, communication, and access to the building could affect office operations.
Engage stakeholders such as leadership, building management, and employees in the assessment process.
Conduct a site inspection to identify vulnerabilities and areas that need improvement. Look for signs of previous weather damage, potential entry points for water, and the condition of critical infrastructure.
Analyze data and prioritize risks based on their likelihood and potential impact. Use risk assessment tools and frameworks to quantify and rank the risks.
Develop Design & Operational Adaptation Strategies
After the completion of comprehensive risk assessments, we will initiate the deployment of adaptation strategies across all our offices. By proactively implementing these measures, we aim to fortify our operations, minimize potential disruptions, and create continued stability in the face of climate change. The strategies listed below will be customized to the needs of each location to address the vulnerabilities identified during the assessment process.
Develop adaptation strategies to mitigate the identified risks. This may include infrastructure upgrades, emergency preparedness plans, or changes in operational procedures.
Implement and monitor. Work with building management and other stakeholders to implement the chosen adaptation strategies. Establish a monitoring system to regularly review and update risks and adaptation measures.
Communicate findings and plans communicate the results of the risk assessment and the proposed adaptation strategies to all stakeholders. Confirm that everyone understands their roles and responsibilities in enhancing climate resilience.
Advancing Together
Corgan understands that only through collective action can we build a sustainable future at a global scale. Engagement with our peer network cultivates a culture of shared responsibility and highlights the need for collective action. Advocating for sustainability helps keep the firm's practices aligned with global standards and stakeholder expectations, bolstering our reputation and trust. By embracing these principles, our firm not only demonstrates its commitment to ethical practices but also provides leadership in driving positive change in the rapidly evolving global landscape.
BASELINE GOALS ACTIONS
Corgan is a signatory of the World Green Building Council’s ‘Net-Zero Carbon Building Commitment’ program
Corgan supports the U.S. Green Building Council, the International Living Futures Institute (ILFI), and other local chapters of the USGBC
Corgan is a member of Climate Group’s global EP100 program
Corgan is a member of and works with peers at AIA's Large Firm Round Table (LFRT) to advance sustainability in our practices
BASELINE
Continue to lead the industry to promote environmental and social sustainability in the built environment
Corgan is committed to achieving carbon neutrality as a signatory with the World Green Building Council’s ‘Net-Zero Carbon Building Commitment’ program. We have a similar commitment with the AIA Large Firm Round Table (LFRT), a cohort of architecture and design firms in the United States. In addition, we have joined the AIA Materials Pledge, reinforcing our dedication to applying sustainable materials intentionally in our projects. Corgan supports international organizations including the U.S. Green Building Council and International Living Futures Institute (ILFI) nationally as well local chapters of USGBC and other green building organizations. Globally, Corgan is a member of the EP100 program by the Climate Group, working together to reduce our carbon emissions.
GOALS
We will continue to engage and lead the conversation on environmental stewardship and social sustainability in the built environment and beyond.
ACTIONS
Increase engagement with local partners
Advance the built environment towards a sustainable future
Increase Engagement with Local Partners
We will continue to engage and provide leadership with local partners, organizations and associations for collective improvement of our urban centers to address social issues and move towards a decarbonized future.
Advance the Built Environment towards a Sustainable Future
Cultivate relationships and support research internally at Corgan and with academic partners around the country and the world. By continuously pushing the boundaries, we believe that we can collectively find innovative solutions applicable in our operations and in the projects we deliver.
Our Social Responsibility
Corgan Cares, our social responsibility and community service program, identifies service opportunities and encourages employees to engage year-round with the communities in which we live and work. We believe our commitment to community service involves volunteering both our time and talent and is an ongoing component of our organization’s culture. Corgan Cares concentrates on three specific focus areas — homelessness, humanities, and hunger. Each of these focus areas allows us to be targeted in efforts and has a direct connection to our sustainability philosophy and efforts that aid in building our communities and amplifying our impact globally.
PIONEER NATURAL RESOURCES HEADQUARTERS
LEED GOLD
03—Our Work
STRATEGIES THAT AIM TO IMPROVE OUR WORK
While we work to decarbonize our operations, we are cognizant of the much larger impact of our professional work. Corgan is constantly striving to support our designers in integrating environmental and social sustainability into our projects. A couple key focus areas to further improve the integration of sustainability in our work include: 1) empowering our designers; and 2) cultivating and enhancing a culture of responsible design.
51 Empowering Our Designers
59 Cultivating a Culture of Responsible Design
KUBOTA NORTH AMERICA HEADQUARTERS
LEED GOLD
Empowering Our Designers
Enabling and empowering our designers to pursue and deliver high-performance projects that are environmentally and socially sustainable is a high priority for Corgan. Our firm and its leadership are dedicated to providing necessary resources in the form of in-house expertise, access to tools and software, and education— to ensure that design principles are not devoid of an understanding of building performance and environmental sensitivity.
Empowering Our Designers
CONTINUE TO DAILY SUPPORT OUR EMPLOYEES IN PROJECTS
EXPAND THE RANGE OF SUSTAINABILITY SOFTWARE, LEARNING RESOURCES, AND INITIATIVES WE PROVIDE
ENCOURAGE RESEARCH & INNOVATION
CONTINUE TO ENGAGE & LEAD THE INDUSTRY IN SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
Empowering Our Designers
BASELINE GOALS ACTIONS
Corgan—Echo, in-house sustainability SME group formalized in 2023
Sustainability design integration in our workflows
BASELINE
Advance sustainable design integration in our work
Continually provide current sustainable design resources to our designers
Corgan—Echo team was established in 2023 and continues to grow and engage with design teams across the firm. Corgan—Echo team is comprised of subject matter experts (SMEs) in various sustainability topics on the built environment. The team also supports education, research and external collaborative initiatives to expand the knowledge-base of designers.
GOALS
Advance in-house sustainable design SMEs
Provide, assess and enhance training, education, and accreditation support
Encourage research and innovation
While difficult to quantify, our objective is to continue supporting our designers and to continue cultivating a dynamic workforce, which in turn can help create exceptional projects that are truly responsive to our natural ecosystem, helping us mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
ACTIONS
Corgan—Echo — Climate & Sustainability SMEs
Corgan—Echo is a team of in-house sustainability and climate-related subject matter experts who are a critical resource for designers across the firm. The Corgan—Echo team supports all design studios through integration of a sustainability framework, development of custom workflows and tools that streamline design integration, and other environmental analytics.
Training, Education, & Accreditation Support
Working with our internal groups, Corgan University and Corgan—Echo, the firm continues to provide educational support and resources to increase integration of sustainable design in all of our studios. We will continue to invest in comprehensive training programs while providing access to cutting-edge technology and tools. Corgan will continue supporting its staff in achieving accreditations such as LEED by covering partial costs of their exams.
Research & Innovation
Corgan—Echo and Corgan—Hugo, our research group, have coordinated to respond to specific sustainability topics pertaining to ongoing projects and market sectorspecific sustainability issues. Working in the format of a research sprint, where the researchers take on a topic and find solutions to a particular ask, is one way to quickly provide valuable research implementable in projects. We will continue to expand such practices in the firm.
Industry Resources
To further support our designers, we will continue to engage with various industry groups and provide direct access to available industry knowledge and guidelines for our designers. This comes in the form of local and national memberships to groups such as the USGBC and ILFI. Access to online resources, such as ‘Building Green,’ provides up-to-date information on sustainable architecture.
Healthy Materials Initiative
To support our designers in shaping a more sustainable future through their work, the material libraries across our offices are phasing out materials that contain chemicals that pose serious risks to human health and the greater ecosystem. In 2023, we identified three categories that contain larger quantities of red list chemicals: resilient flooring, wallcovering, and non-woven textiles. These categories share a common chemical – polychlorinated vinyl, or PVC. In response, we removed materials (vinyl flooring, wallcoverings, and upholsteries) that contain PVC from our libraries and started working toward confirming that all products containing non-compliant chemical compounds are phased out. To support the implementation of this initiative, each office has appointed a Material Library Advocate for its respective library.
CORGAN OFFICE — DALLAS
Material health should be one of our larger focuses as we design new spaces going forward. If we spend some time doing the research up front, our clients will benefit in the long run. There’s no reason for designing a space that ends up making its inhabitants sick, especially given the increasing availability of red list-free products. We remain hopeful for the future!
JULIA DAVILA RESOURCES MANAGER
Occupant access to daylight and views has been one of the most significant elements in one of our most recent projects, Autodesk’s Atlanta office, which features abundant natural daylight and views to the outdoors. This has proven to improve health and wellbeing, as evidenced by reduced absenteeism and consistent improvement in cognitive health. This is tied to our connection to circadian rhythms, resulting in improved sleep and subsequent cognitive benefits.
JOYCE FOWNES
INTERIORS STUDIO LEADER, PRINCIPAL
Autodesk Atlanta Office
For its new office in downtown Atlanta, Autodesk, a leader in 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software, desired a branded environment as interactive as its software and as captivating as Atlanta’s eclectic culture. Key sustainability features of the project are:
Over 84% of area occupied more than 2 hours a day on the project has access to daylight.
Four product categories are completely free from VOCs (volatile organic compounds).
Plumbing fixtures that reduce water usage by 41% were selected.
Green-e Climate certified, energy credits, or equivalent offsets were purchased.
Landfill waste was reduced by creatively reusing almost 25% of furniture and nonstructural elements
Over 50% of construction waste was reused or recycled, diverting it from landfill.
Cultivating a Culture of Responsible Design
While designing responsibly has been at the core of our practice, we are continuing to expand the umbrella definition of ‘responsible design’ to include sensitivity assessments for the environmental, health, and social impacts of our projects. Furthermore, we are incorporating and continue to add climate risk assessments and response plans as part of our design solutions.
TIMELINE
Cultivating a Culture of Responsible Design
DESIGN STUDIO SPACES THAT ENCOURAGE DIALOGUE
SET CONSISTENT INTERMEDIATE GOALS
CONTINUE TO MEASURE AND SHARE OUR PROGRESS
Cultivating a Culture of Responsible Design
Achieving firmwide cultural adoption requires a comprehensive systems-thinking perspective to address a diverse set of goals. It requires a collaborative effort across studios and market sectors. To achieve this, Corgan’s leadership engages in ongoing dialogue to adjust our studio operational strategies to encourage collaboration, conversation and integration of sustainability principles in our design. Creating a cycle of integrated processes, studio engagement and measurement of our project success helps us to continually build a culture of sustainable designers.
BASELINE
Since its formation, Corgan—Echo has supported approximately 54 projects, 41 proposals, 28 firmwide initiatives
Sustainability software integration in our workflows
Online sustainability resources
Support staff in obtaining green building certifications
BASELINE
TARGET ACTIONS
Continue providing daily support to our employees in projects (ongoing)
Expand the range of sustainability software, learning resources, and initiatives we provide (ongoing)
Broaden Corgan—Echo
Expand tools, software, and education resources
Increase design research
Offer additional sustainability resources
Increase green building certifications
Corgan’s design studios are spread across the United States and the world, in Europe and Asia, and each of these studios cater to varying market sectors. Embedding a consistent culture of sustainable design in such diverse studios and markets requires an intentional global strategy while addressing local and sector-based nuances to achieve wide-spread adoption. While we continue to deliver highly sustainable and high-performance projects, we know we have more work ahead of us and we must continually push the performance aspect of all projects.
TARGET
By 2030, every Corgan studio will have adopted sustainability design processes as part of their design development. Every studio will incorporate specific reviews, critiques and other mechanisms that encourage a dialogue on environmental and social impact of our projects.
ACTIONS
Studio Spaces that Encourage Dialogue
Develop strategies in a studio environment that facilitates collaboration and discussion on sustainable design principles such as sustainability critic sessions, invited guests, and more. Display performance data of projects in our studios for a healthy competition. Engage in conversation and encourage more presentations from junior staff.
Set Consistent Intermediate Goals
While setting long term goals is important, defining a clear path to achieving them with realistic intermediate goals is necessary. Much of these intermediate goals may feel intangible in nature, but collectively will lead us to our goal of decarbonizing projects. As a firm, we will define these goals clearly and consistently across all our studios. One example is integrating environmental tools and trainings in all studios including sustainability reviews for the majority of our projects.
Measure & Share Our Progress
Measuring our sustainability progress firmwide is essential for maintaining alignment with our strategic goals and confirming all departments are contributing effectively to the firm's overall mission. It enables data-driven decision-making, identifying areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. Regularly tracking progress fosters accountability and transparency, driving continuous growth and success across the firm.
Leading the Way
At the leadership level, we will maintain a high-level conversation to understand the ever-evolving landscape of sustainable design and climate change impact. Coupling that with in-depth knowledge of our market sectors allows us to stay ahead of the curve and identify specific needs of our industry. A good example of this evidenced in how our data center market sector is identifying and addressing Scope 3 or embodied carbon in materials. We will strategically identify such needs on a regular basis and lead the industry in design and implementation strategies.
Nature continually finds balance; humans must do the same to be sustained in nature. A sustainable building is in harmony with its environment, not only in its use of resources but in its ability to delight its users and connect them with nature. That is why design and sustainability cannot be considered separately. Buildings that are not valued will not be sustained.
RYAN CONNELL
STUDIO DESIGN DIRECTOR, VICE PRESIDENT, EDUCATION
TOYOTA NORTH AMERICA HEADQUARTERS LEED PLATINUM
AIA 2030 Commitment
As signatories of the AIA 2030 Commitment, we track and report the performance of qualifying projects, holding ourselves accountable to ambitious energy reduction targets.
Since joining the commitment in 2018 we have:
Appointed sector-specific DDx champions to educate design teams, collect data, and serve as sustainability liaisons across the firm
Implemented a centralized system for real-time updates, efficient tracking, and streamlined reporting
Developed dynamic dashboards for a comprehensive view of project progress, enabling teams to effectively manage sustainability metrics
In our 2023 submission we reported a total of 567 projects and over 68 million GSF:
381 interior projects and 21 million GSF
186 whole-building projects and 47 million GSF
In 2025, we plan to further integrate sustainability metrics at every stage of the design process. At the same time, we remain committed to submitting all qualifying projects annually and benchmarking their performance against the AIA 2030 targets.
Wells Fargo's New Net-Positive Campus
Wells Fargo’s net-positive campus includes two ten-story office buildings and one six-story parking garage. The site’s energy use intensity is 38.1 kBtu/sf, which is around 28% lower than the average EUI for financial services offices. The sustainability team carefully analyzed the materials used, optimized the building operations, and maximized on-campus renewable energy generation. To balance daylighting with heat gains, about 60% of both buildings' envelopes are transparent glazing that adjusts to let in more light when the sun is low and block more heat when the sun is high. Precast concrete is the primary opaque façade material. Using Type IL cement in both the office buildings' cast-in-place elements and the parking garage's precast components reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 14% compared to the baseline. Over 360,000 square feet of solar panels will be installed, with 62% on the parking structure and the remainder distributed across both office buildings (16.5%) and the dining pavilion (4%). The campus is projected to produce 9.5 million kWh of energy annually, bringing the project’s net positive energy to 4.9%
28%
less site energy use intensity than the average EIU for financial services offices
4.9% net positive energy
NASHVILLE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
LEED SILVER
Corgan is dedicated to promoting sustainability on multiple scales: in our operations, through our projects, and in our communities. We are also committed to advancing climate action by engaging with our global network of peers and through advocating for climate justice for global communities.
This document articulates our vision for the future, including our goals and aspirations, while detailing the actions we are taking to achieve them. The implementation of these actions will progressively reduce our carbon footprint, and thus, our impact on the planet. At the same time, it will confirm that we continue to make our operations and our projects more sustainable and climate resilient, helping us reach our overarching goals of championing for our planet and continuing to advance our role as sustainability leaders in our industry. Given that more work needs to be done to get there, moving forward, Corgan will continuously evaluate and share the firm’s progress to uphold transparency and contribute to a more sustainable future for all.
CLIMATE ACTION COMMITTEE
Varun Kohli, Director of Sustainability
Dan Drennan, Data Centers Sector Leader
Maurice O'Neill, Principal - Dublin Studio
Joyce Fownes, Interiors Studio Leader
Brittany Knoll, Marketing Director
Acknowledgments
This Climate Action Plan has been shaped through the collective efforts and collaborative spirit of sustainability advocates across the firm — Corganites united by a shared commitment to environmental stewardship and a low-carbon future. Thank you to all those involved for your contribution of time, expertise, resources, and ideas in making this document a reality.
Corgan
ECHO
Varun Kohli, FAIA, LEED AP, Director of Sustainability
Constantina Varsami, PhD, LEED Green Associate, Sustainability Analyst
MARKETING
Brittany Knoll, Marketing Director
Graziella Detecio, Graphic Designer