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February 27, 2007

Lord, Aeck & Sargent to Adopt The 2030 Challenge

ATLANTA, Feb. 27, 2007 – Lord, Aeck & Sargent Architecture, a pioneer in sustainable, energy-efficient architectural design, today became one of the first architecture firms in the country to adopt The 2030 Challenge, an initiative that calls on the global building sector to immediately reduce energy usage by 50 percent in new buildings and major renovations in order to avoid hazardous climate change. Specifically, The 2030 Challenge sets several targets for the fossil fuel reduction standard for all new buildings, the ultimate goal being the design of carbon-neutral buildings, or buildings that use no fossil-fuel greenhouse gas-emitting energy to operate, by the year 2030.

“High-performance buildings make both environmental and economic sense,” said Terry Sargent, AIA, Lord, Aeck & Sargent’s senior design principal. “Our clients recognize that increased energy efficiency reduces the cost of ownership for their facilities, while reducing green house gas emissions.”

“Lord, Aeck & Sargent has a long history of creating ecologically responsible projects that predates the widespread use of the terms ‘green’ and ‘sustainable,’” said Jim Nicolow, AIA, LEED AP, a senior associate who leads the firm’s Sustainability Initiative. Nicolow noted that Edward Mazria, AIA, the founder of Architecture 2030, which issued The 2030 Challenge, was the guest speaker at Lord, Aeck & Sargent’s Jan. 26 annual State of the Firm meeting, where sustainable design was the overriding theme.

“Given our longstanding commitment to sustainable design, our track record of innovative green projects, our early adoption of the LEED Green Building Rating System and staff of over 30 LEED Accredited Professionals, and our in-house quantitative analysis capabilities, leading the industry by adopting The 2030 Challenge energy performance targets, was a natural next step,” Nicolow added.

The Lord, Aeck & Sargent Sustainability Initiative is tasked with evaluating the firm’s environmental impacts and identifying strategic opportunities, goals and performance benchmarks as the firm moves forward. The Sustainability Initiative comprises two task forces. The recommendation to adopt The 2030 Initiative was made by the “How We Practice” task force, which focuses on how the firm designs buildings and seeks opportunities and strategies to facilitate the routine integration of eco-effective design in all of the firm’s projects.

The “How We Live” task force seeks opportunities and strategies for improving the environmental performance of the firm’s operations and three workplaces. Task force members focus on areas such as the office environment, employee benefits, staff training and day-to-day operations.

About Lord, Aeck & Sargent

Lord, Aeck & Sargent is an award-winning architectural firm serving clients in scientific, academic, historic preservation, arts and cultural, and multi-family housing and mixed-use markets. The firm’s core values are responsive design, technological expertise and exceptional service. In 2003, The Construction Specifications Institute awarded Lord, Aeck & Sargent its Environmental Sensitivity Award for showing exceptional devotion to the use of sustainable and environmentally friendly materials, and for striving to create functional, sensitive and healthy buildings for clients. Lord, Aeck & Sargent has offices in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Atlanta; and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. For more information, visit the firm at www.lordaecksargent.com.

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NOTE TO EDITORS: Further information on The 2030 Challenge can be found at the Architecture 2030 and American Institute of Architects web sites. Visit these sites at www.architecture2030.org and www.aia.org, respectively. For a list of some of The 2030 Challenge current adopters, supporters and collaborators, go to http://www.2010imperative.org/onboard.html.

The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System® is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. Members of the U.S. Green Building Council representing all segments of the building industry developed LEED and continue to contribute to its evolution. For more information, visit http://www.usgbc.org.