Sustainable building practices that were once considered “cutting edge” are now rightly deemed to be an essential part of any responsible building project. Bernier, Carr & Associates has been committed to following “Green Building” and sustainable design principles for years, and commonly incorporate into our designs:

·         • Energy saving building envelope systems (exterior walls and roofs)

·         • Low embodied energy and high recycled content materials.

·         • Materials with low volatile organic content

·         • Space planning that takes advantage of solar orientation

·         • Energy efficient heating, ventilating, air conditioning, lighting and control systems

·         • Natural lighting

·         • Opportunities for natural ventilation

·         • Alternative energy systems to include:

§  Geothermal

§  Biomass

§  Wind powered generators

§  Photovoltaics

§  Rain Water Reclamation

§  Green Roofs

§  Daylight Harvesting

§  Storm water management.

§  Pervious pavement.

§  Carbon off-setting with green space and plantings
 

We take the opportunity to actively involve ourselves at the policy making level to encourage sustainable planning and design principles in local community development. We perform environmental site assessments and client centered design workshops to incorporate sustainable design elements at the beginning of the design development phase of a project.

At Bernier, Carr & Associates, we practice what we preach. In 2006, we recognized that we had outgrown our existing office facilities. Instead of building a new office facility using all new materials, we purchased the abandoned 1887 historic Watertown Mullin Street Elementary School. With a considerable amount of help from our own staff and by being thoughtful and careful to minimize demolition and maintain as many existing features as possible we were able to renovate the building and take occupancy within six months. We incorporated low energy consumption systems where possible and currently maintain a minimum waste/maximum recycling policy along with an environmental purchasing policy for building operations and maintenance.