Beth Pearcy, AIA, CPCH, LEED AP BD+C, leader of Amenta Emma’s Sustainability team and co-chair of the BSA Committee on the Environment, will be sharing her knowledge and some of AE’s Sustainability practices throughout the month of April.
“Connecticut Innovations is one of our workplace projects where we were able to use little changes to make a big sustainability impact. The project is a tenant fit out in a building was originally a bus station built in the 1950’s before being adapted to a multitenant office building. The material with the smallest carbon footprint is the one that already exists which is why we love working on adaptive reuse projects, taking an old building, and turning it into something modern while still utilizing much of its existing materials. On this project we were able to reduce the embodied carbon by simply using less material. The original concrete floors were polished and left exposed, instead of installing a ceiling the structure was painted, and existing brick walls were left in place. To bring natural light further into the space, sloped wells were built around the existing skylights that reflect deep into the office. These design features reduced the carbon footprint of the project and created an interesting design that showcases the original character of the building as well as serving the functional needs of today.”
