Creating High Performance buildings has been a guiding design principle at HMFH from our earliest work with passive solar design in the 1970s to 21st century buildings that meet or exceed LEED or CHPS (Collaborative for High Performance Schools) standards. Through a collaborative, integrated design process, we provide our clients with innovative, energy-efficient, high performance buildings and systems.
Energy conservation
HMFH’s comprehensive energy modeling allows owners to systematically explore energy-related design alternatives that can result in significant utility rebates and energy cost savings, such as at the Capuano Early Childhood Center, which saves the owner 40% in energy costs.
Optimal indoor environments
Because people learn and work more readily in effectively day-lit spaces, we develop optimal daylighting strategies that combine enhancement features like light shelves and borrowed lights with classroom dimming sensors to reduce artificial lighting usage and cost. Our research also sets performance guidelines for other environmental characteristics that are critical to effective learning, such as acoustics, indoor air quality, and thermal comfort.
Materials and resources
At HMFH we have long been sensitive to the impacts of building material selection on the overall environment, both in terms of occupant health and well-being, as well as long-term environmental effects. We continually evaluate and incorporate rapidly renewable and recycled materials into the design of our buildings, and have developed detailed specifications and life-cycle analysis to select reliable, economical, and low-maintenance materials and systems.
Services
Green Feasibility Studies
LEED or CHPS certification / documentation
Green guideline / Standards development
Energy efficiency modeling and analysis
Grant / rebate applications
Green specifications
Daylighting analysis
Environmental acoustic design