Sustainable Design

Buildings use resources such as energy, water and raw materials, generate waste (occupant, construction and demolition) and emit potentially harmful atmospheric emissions. Building owners, designers and builders face a unique challenge to meet demands for new and renovated facilities that are accessible, secure, healthy, and productive while minimizing their impact on the environment.

Considering the current economic challenges, retrofitting an existing building can be more cost effective than building a new facility. Designing major renovations and retrofits for existing buildings to include sustainability initiatives reduces operation costs and environmental impacts, and can increase building resiliency.

M.Arch Architects principal, March Chadwick has held the standards of sustainable practice since 1990 when he contributed to the work of Paolo Soleri and the experimental community Arcosanti in the Arizona desert whose design purpose is to reduce human impact on the environment. M.Arch Architects is a LEED certified firm prepared to design, commission, and approval LEED projects. Our work within the Brooklyn Navy Yards, Newtown Creek Waste Treatment Center, and Columbia University are examples of high design standards and skills in producing facilities with sustainable goals and reduce pollution impact.

Our services include building information modeling, energy audits, energy code analysis and special insptections, LEED commissioning, water retension design, building envelope design, green roof design shading and drainage.