The best approach is to push these environmental problems upstream and to resolve them before we reach the point of crisis.

As designers, we can imagine new ways of doing things. We can use innovative planning, design, and construction techniques to abate -- and, ultimately, reverse -- problems of consumption and waste.

HOK is incorporating sustainable design into every part of our practice. We recognize the urgency of moving quickly toward sustainability.

In late October, 55 HOK practice leaders, designers, and project managers from all over the world gathered in St. Louis for a three-day Sustainable Design Workshop. Participants talked about how to lead the firm and clients toward sustainability.

We believe that it's important to the industry, to our communities, and to the planet to share HOK's sustainable efforts. With that in mind, we've published some of the key dialogue that occurred over these three days.

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Sooner or Later, Sustainability Pays Off for Emory

When Emory University asked HOK Atlanta's Whitehead Research Building team to aim for LEED cerftification -- after construction had already begun -- the team discovered that its standard design processes had positioned them well within striking distance.

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Ten Simple Things You Can Do

How do you eat an elephant? One bit at a time, of course. Until sustainable decisions become intuitive, it helps to break down the effort into bite-sized chunks. We've created a list of Ten Simple Things that designers can do to attack environmental problems -- all without getting off schedule, increasing project costs, or making program sacrifices.

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