A unique and holistic process for ecological design.
Climate change is humanity’s most urgent challenge. Harmful climate impacts are driven disproportionately by building construction and operation, including up to 40% of total CO2 emissions globally. Architects occupy a position of influence within the construction industry, driving material flows and modeling innovative best practices for building at all scales. With this comes responsibility, and an opportunity to collaborate with builders, material manufacturers, and others to seek uncompromising and impactful climate solutions. This responsibility to innovate is OPAL’s founding idea, guiding our decisions on all of our projects.
The Dimensions of Building Ecology
Rooted in our history as one of the first Passive House design firms in the United States, we have developed a unique and holistic process for ecological design that maximizes positive impact across scales on every project. Our framework envisions a future built upon a habitable planet for humans, circular resources and a low- waste economy, clean and responsible use of water, healthy local habitats, and communities that are healthy, safe, inclusive, and equitable by design. We believe that moving beyond “sustainability” towards a design-integrated building ecology is necessary and recognizes the role our buildings play in a zero-emissions future.
Our human condition is designed, not preconceived. We choose to make positive impact. We seek clients as allies to be part of this future. These are the Dimensions of Building Ecology.
Actionable steps by Dimension:
Habitable Planet
– Minimize energy use
– Select low embodied carbon and high recycled content materials
– Generate on-site renewable energy
Circular Resources
– Trace impacts through product declaration
– Source products and materials responsibly
– Design for adaptability, disassembly and reuse
Protected Water-Cycle
– Minimize water use
– Utilize stormwater and greywater on-site
– Eliminate nutrient rich runoff and contaminants
Resilient Ecosystem
– Limit “human-only” footprint
– Prevent degradation of the surrounding environment
– Preserve, restore and create healthy biodiversity
Healthy Community
– Eliminate the release of known toxins and polluting emissions
– Provide optimal conditions for human comfort and wellbeing using biophilic design principles
– Practice inclusive design through community engagement
Sustainability Consulting
OPAL provides sustainable design consulting services to a broad range of project types, drawing on our extensive experience designing, building, and certifying high performance buildings. We have particular experience using Passive House design principles, data driven energy modeling, and life cycle analysis to execute projects that can achieve net zero for operational energy and eventually pay back their embodied carbon debt. Our background is in delivering high performance buildings while working with real-world construction and budgetary constraints. We can help you and your project achieve ambitious sustainability goals.
Passive House Approach
Buildings account for nearly 40 percent of global energy use, and for an equivalent amount of carbon emissions worldwide. At OPAL, we understand that stemming climate change will require a massive reduction in the energy consumed by the buildings we design and construct. At OPAL, we follow the Passive House approach: We create an airtight, blower-door-tested super-insulated building shell. We specify ultra-high performance windows and doors and locate them where they’ll collect free heat from the sun. And we install a heat-recovery ventilation system that delivers a constant flow of fresh air while capturing 80 percent of the heat in the air it exhausts to the outdoors. An OPAL building uses 20 percent of the energy consumed by a conventional code-compliant house, while providing a healthier, more comfortable living environment.
Counting Emissions
At OPAL we constantly challenge ourselves to understand and reduce the environmental footprint of the buildings we design. To achieve a net-positive environmental impact as a firm, we must also factor in the environmental impact of OPAL’s office operations. With that in mind, we quantified our office’s carbon footprint—including staff commuting, project site visits, and office energy use.