MEP 2040 Company Plan
Introduction
HOK is a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm. Our 1,700 people collaborate across a network of 26 offices on three continents, blending the power of creative expression with a clear sense of purpose.
As one of the world’s most influential design firms, we embrace sustainability as a core value and work with our clients to develop innovative solutions in the design, construction and operation of the built environment.
HOK is excited to include the MEP 2040 Challenge as part of its sustainable action plan. As a signatory to the MEP 2040 Challenge, HOK will strive for zero operational carbon emissions by 2030 and zero embodied carbon in MEP systems by 2040. This aligns with other project portfolio sustainability commitments including AIA 2030, SE 2050, ASLA 2040, and the AIA Materials Pledge.
Incorporating the MEP 2040 Challenge allows HOK to pursue a whole building approach to carbon neutral design. This document describes HOK's company plan as it relates specifically to MEP 2040.
Sustainability by the numbers
470+
Sustainability-Certified Projects
150 million+ sq. ft.
Total Area of Sustainability-Certified Projects
700+
Sustainability Accredited Professionals
10 AIA Top 10 COTE Awards
Types of carbon in buildings
Embodied carbon
The emissions from manufacturing, transportation, and installation of building materials
Operational carbon
The emissions associated with a building's energy consumption
Embodied carbon + Operational carbon
Total carbon
Program Goals
ESTABLISH A PLAN
HOK is establishing a plan outlining its approach to tackle the MEP 2040 commitment. The plan will have targets and action items to reduce both operational and embodied carbon. HOK will adjust future plans to account for data and lessons learned on an annual basis.
REQUEST LOW-GWP REFRIGERANTS
Refrigerants have a significant impact on embodied carbon, so understanding the implications of installation, maintenance and end of life decisions is critical. HOK plans to specify and review low-GWP or natural refrigerants on all projects.
REQUEST ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATIONS
Environmental product declarations (EPDs) report the environmental impacts of a product through its life cycle including greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) or global warming potential (GWP). Without EPDs, it is difficult to accurately measure and mitigate the embodied carbon of a product. Since there are currently limited MEP-specific EPDs available from manufacturers, we have updated our specifications to request them on all projects and encourage their creation.
PARTICIPATE IN QUARTERLY FORUMS
MEP 2040 hosts quarterly forums to share progress including reports from working group and lessons learned. As a signatory firm, HOK participates in all quarterly forums, serves on the Design, Analysis, and Report working group, and is a co-author of The Beginner's Guide to MEP Embodied Carbon (2025).
Refrigerants
Refrigerants are chemicals used in HVAC systems and refrigerators to help absorb and release heat. Since many commonly used refrigerants have detrimental environmental impacts, there has been a shift towards using more eco-friendly refrigerants. This change is important to cut down on harmful emissions and mitigate climate change.
Environmental product declarations (EPDs)
An EPD is a type III environmental declaration that is compliant with the ISO 14025 standard. It provides information about a product's environmental performance through its lifecycle. It is similar to a nutrition label for packaged foods.
Approach
HOK's approach to MEP 2040 commitment modeled after our portfolio of energy and carbon commitments, which are geared towards reducing both operational and embodied carbon emissions in our projects. HOK is uniquely positioned to positively impact the built environment as a multidisciplinary firm that takes an integrated approach to design.
HOK plans to implement our decarbonization approach through actionable and measurable tasks focusing on education, reporting, reduction strategies, and advocacy.
EDUCATION
We recognize that education is fundamental to driving change and fostering a culture of sustainability across all design disciplines, both internal to HOK and throughout the A/E/C community. HOK will increase internal awareness of the MEP 2040 plan through targeted regional training sessions and firmwide publications that promote the importance of carbon reductions in our building systems through quantification and optimization. HOK has already begun and will continue training sessions on decarbonization, embodied carbon, and the transition to low GWP and natural refrigerants.
In the first year, HOK will:
» Develop and deliver training programs to educate staff about MEP 2040 goals and decarbonization strategies.
» Educate staff across all disciplines about the importance of reducing carbon emissions in both operational and embodied forms.
» Promote interdisciplinary alignment with the program's objectives and incorporate carbon reduction principles into daily practices.
As part of our external-facing efforts, HOK will seek opportunities to educate our colleagues and partners on the importance of MEP 2040 to increase awareness of the challenge and promote industry participation.
In the first year, HOK will:
» Actively participate in MEP 2040’s quarterly forums and working groups to learn from industry peers, share insights, refine decarbonization strategies, and advance commitment goals.
» Identify two projects for voluntary participation in MEP 2040 pilot studies.
» Promote MEP 2040 participation in the A/E/C community.
Potter County District Court Building
BP America High Performance Computing Center Design and Engineering
Approach, continued
REPORTING
In partnership with our portfolio of energy and carbon commitments, HOK will continue to report on the energy use and carbon emissions of multiple facets in the built environment. Using our knowledge from other carbon commitments, HOK will incorporate quantity takeoff and reporting systems into our design workflow to increase implementation of MEP life cycle assessments (LCAs).
Establishing industry-wide baselines is a critical first step in understanding MEP embodied carbon and HOK will contribute data to MEP 2040 wherever possible. Third-party product-specific EPDs are essential for providing precise data, while industry-wide EPDs can fill in any gaps.
In the first year, HOK will:
» Participate in MEP 2040 working groups and ASHRAE Standard development to standardize the MEP LCA process.
» Based on The Beginner's Guide to MEP Embodied Carbon and ASHRAE/ICC Standard 240P, conduct MEP LCAs on targeted projects and contribute anonymized results to MEP 2040 benchmarking data.
» Develop internal LCA processes and build out documentation templates.
» Track and promote refrigerant management in our design work and at our studios.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
A life cycle assessment is a method of environmental accounting in accordance with ISO 14040 and 14044 that tracks the inputs from nature and outputs to nature considering all the processes that take place during the manufacture, use and disposal, life cycle, of a product or a system.
Graphic source: Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU) (2022)
Rice University Space Science & Technology Building (SST)
Approach,
REDUCTION STRATEGIES
HOK will continue to be committed to sustainable and regenerative design strategies. HOK's six step process for high performance design offers a framework for energy and carbon reduction through project discovery and definition, climate and place analysis, load reduction, integrated solutions, renewable systems, and post occupancy performance. The six step process has a proven track record of creating low energy buildings with high owner and occupant satisfaction.
HOK will continue to evaluate carbon reduction strategies on every project through low-GWP refrigerants, low-carbon design options, and building electrification. Reduced fugitive emissions can be achieved through low-GWP or natural refrigerant adoption. Load reduction and HVAC system analysis allows for reductions to building systems. The embodied carbon and refrigerant charge of equipment can be reduced through the right-sizing of building systems through performance-based design.
Reduced operational carbon alternatives will be evaluated using current emissions factors as well as future predicted emissions factors to better understand potential emissions over the building lifespan.
In the first year, HOK will:
» Evaluate and promote low-GWP or natural refrigerants on all projects.
» Continue the use of energy modeling and performance-based design strategies.
» Work with clients to evaluate design strategies in line with MEP 2040 goals.
» Continue to incorporate our six step process for high-performance design into all projects.
Energy Modeling
An energy model is a computerized simulation of the built environment used to estimate energy consumption, peak demands, energy costs, emissions, water consumption, and/or renewable energy production. At HOK, energy modeling is more than a mere compliance check: it serves as a tool for helping clients make informed, data-driven design decisions to improve sustainable project outcomes.
ADVOCACY
HOK has been a strong proponent of AIA 2030 and SE 2050 since joining those commitments, volunteering time and talent to support knowledge sharing across the industry. HOK will continue this tradition in its support of MEP 2040 by committing people and project data to advance the shared knowledge around embodied and operational carbon of MEP systems.
In the first year, HOK will:
» Actively participate in working groups, collaborating to share best practices and drive collective action toward emissions reductions.
» Present decarbonization strategies, progress, and challenges to foster dialogue within the broader industry community.
» Advocate for stronger decarbonization policies, regulations, and industry standards at local, state, and national levels.
» Collaborate with other industry leaders to push for systemic changes that accelerate the transition to net-zero emissions.
Ongoing monitoring & adaption
HOK will continually monitor its progress toward the MEP 2040 targets and adapt its strategies as necessary to meet evolving industry standards and new scientific findings as the field advances.
In the first year, HOK will:
» Annually assess HOK’s progress toward MEP 2040’s carbon reduction targets, adjusting tactics as necessary.
» Share progress reports with internal teams, stakeholders, and MEP 2040 leadership to ensure transparency and accountability.
» Foster a culture of continuous improvement where HOK staff are encouraged to identify new opportunities for carbon reduction and sustainability.
Conclusion
Contact us to learn more about how we're working towards our MEP 2040 goals.
Greg Sherman Director of Engineering greg.sherman@hok.com
Brian Johnson Senior Project Engineer brian.johnson@hok.com
Daniel Diehl Project Engineer daniel.diehl@hok.com
HOK’s approach to MEP 2040 is rooted in a structured, collaborative, and knowledge-driven strategy. By focusing on education, rigorous reporting, innovative reduction strategies, and industry advocacy, HOK will contribute to the decarbonization of the built environment, support the goals of MEP 2040, and lead by example in driving sustainable change across the global architecture and engineering sectors.
AstraZeneca
