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Climate Tech Pioneer C.Scale Emerges from EHDD to Advance Building Decarbonization with Accessible and Actionable Carbon Data
November 12, 2024
EHDD, a national leader in sustainable architecture, today launched C.Scale as an independent public benefit corporation poised to revolutionize the building industry’s approach to decarbonization.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – EHDD, a national leader in sustainable architecture, today launched C.Scale as an independent public benefit corporation poised to revolutionize the building industry’s approach to decarbonization. This strategic spinoff unleashes groundbreaking machine learning technology that promises to transform how the architecture and construction industries tackle climate change.
C.Scale’s breakthrough platform democratizes access to critical carbon data and decision-making tools, enabling any building project – from small renovations to large-scale developments – to achieve ambitious decarbonization goals. The company’s proprietary machine learning models solve fundamental data problems in the AEC industry, delivering comprehensive carbon insights from initial concept through final construction at a fraction of the cost of existing solutions.
“The climate crisis demands bold action at unprecedented speed and scale,” said Jack Rusk, CEO and Co-Founder of C.Scale. “As an independent company, C.Scale can now accelerate the deployment of our technology to transform how every building project worldwide approaches carbon reduction.”
Rusk, former Director of Climate Strategy at EHDD, is joined by Co-Founder Brad Jacobson, FAIA, whose 22-year track record of delivering net-zero projects at EHDD brings unparalleled industry expertise to the venture. The spinout recognizes that building successful software requires a different business model than professional services, positioning C.Scale to attract the investment needed to fulfill its vision.
Built on EHDD’s track record of climate leadership, C.Scale has already made a significant impact in the market. Its EPIC tool, released as an open-access platform in 2022, has become a cornerstone for low-carbon building design with over 5,000 users worldwide. Major players across the building industry ecosystem – from software giant Autodesk to global engineering leader Schneider Electric and architectural innovator Foster + Partners – have integrated C.Scale’s API into their own tools, validating its potential to become an industry standard for building carbon analysis. This spinoff positions C.Scale to launch an expanded platform that will support the entire building lifecycle, from early-phase carbon estimation through compliance reporting and construction.
“This spinoff demonstrates the power of combining architectural expertise with cutting-edge technology and will allow this initiative to flower on its own” said EHDD CEO Jennifer Devlin-Herbert. “C.Scale is a success story of how innovation within architecture firms can catalyze industry-wide transformation. We’re proud to have incubated a solution that will accelerate our profession’s response to climate change.”
About EHDD
EHDD is an award-winning west-coast architecture firm with a strong commitment to advancing climate action through sustainable design. With decades of experience helping clients achieve their dreams, EHDD creates transformative places of belonging and impact. https://ehdd.com/
About C.Scale
C.Scale is predictive software enabling zero carbon buildings. Its mission is to enable the full decarbonization of the built environment through democratizing access to climate strategy for designers and owners of all buildings everywhere. https://www.cscale.io/
For more information, contact Ana Wansink: a.wansink@ehdd.com
EHDD Awarded Two New Waterfront Commissions in Puget Sound
EHDD has been commissioned to design a new commercial waterfront center at the Port of Olympia and a series of projects through an IDIQ with the Port of Seattle
Seattle, WA – EHDD is proud to announce two new commissions that strengthen our role in shaping the future of Puget Sound’s shoreline. The first, a new waterfront center for the Port of Olympia, and the second, an IDIQ contract with the Port of Seattle, reflect EHDD’s ongoing commitment to delivering resilient, sustainable design solutions to the Pacific Northwest.
“These commissions mark another milestone in EHDD’s legacy of impactful waterfront design, helping to redefine the region’s coastline for future generations,” said Christopher Patano, EHDD Principal who leads EHDD’s Seattle office.
A New Waterfront Center for the Port of Olympia
EHDD was selected to design a new waterfront Center for the Port of Olympia at their Swantown Marina site along Budd Inlet. EHDD and the Port of Olympia will work together to program a new facility while aligning the waterfront center with an overall port peninsula integrated master plan and 2050 vision for the Port of Olympia. The new waterfront center will be a catalyst for connecting the port’s facilities to community favorite amenities like the Farmers Market, Hands on Children’s Museum, and Percival Landing.
A market analysis is expected to begin in late 2024 with the overall process leading to expected design work in 2025 and anticipated construction beginning in 2027. The waterfront center will have opportunities to highlight locally sourced wood products, enhancing the legacy of the timber industry in Olympia while providing a low-carbon structure that sets a new standard for sustainability and energy efficiency. EHDD’s waterfront team includes Groundswell, StructureCraft, Mazzetti, Moffatt & Nichol, Haley & Aldrich, Cushman & Wakefield, and Blanca lighting design.
Five years of design for the Port of Seattle
We’ve been working with the Port of Seattle since 2007. EHDD has been selected by the Port of Seattle for a five-year IDIQ Buildings and Structures contract, and our Seattle office will be supporting the port’s efforts to increase value and utilization of the port’s properties.
The waterfront work requires a complex team of architects and consultants, EHDD’s team includes Mazzetti, Moffatt & Nichol, Haley & Aldrich, KPFF, Integrated Design Engineers, Strata architects, and Blanca lighting design.
Both projects leverage EHDD’s deep waterfront expertise, integrating locally sourced materials with carbon-positive strategies to create environmentally responsible, durable, and beautiful spaces. Our team draws on decades of experience collaborating with regulatory agencies to ensure that each project aligns with both community goals and environmental best practices.
About EHDD
Founded in 1946, EHDD is a West Coast architecture firm with offices in San Francisco and Seattle. The firm is credited with pioneering the net zero energy building concept more than 20 years ago. Today, they are leading the way through built projects and applied research to collaboratively decarbonize our built environment. With a mission to create transformative places of belonging and impact, EHDD works with a range of clients with a focus on arts and education non-profits, visitor-serving institutions including aquariums and parks, and leading-edge corporations dedicated to leadership in sustainability and social impact.
Art & Architecture: Designing the Frit Pattern Façade for the Iconic AIA Headquarters
Before becoming a graphics specialist in architecture, I honed an art practice that reimagined place through sound, visuals, and installations. I was trained in drawing, painting, and printmaking methods, alongside a range of digital technologies, which provided a creative foundation that, today, shapes my practice at EHDD in profound ways.
Some of these influences are evident, such as my design of the feature art wall for UC San Diego’s Design and Innovation Building where I integrated the artwork into the lobby’s architecture. But there are subtler, yet equally powerful ways that artful design enhances the experience of a space.
Recently, I had the opportunity to draw from my printmaking background while designing a custom frit pattern for the façade of the American Institute of Architects headquarters building in Washington, D.C. By blending my artistic approach with advanced digital tools, I helped craft a façade that is both high-performing and deeply experiential.
At EHDD, we’re renovating the AIA headquarters, an iconic 1973 Brutalist structure, to align with the AIA’s values, both in terms of performance and design aesthetic. Our goal is to transform the United States’ home for architects into a beacon of sustainability, meeting the AIA 2030 Commitment by decarbonizing the building, fully electrifying its systems, and harnessing renewable energy. Equally important is the renewed human experience of the space, creating a high performing, biophilic environment that enhances wellness for employees, members, and visitors alike.
Every aspect of the renovation has been carefully considered to balance both functionality and the user’s experience—integrating sustainability, wellness, and biophilic design to achieve the AIA’s vision—and the façade’s frit pattern is no exception.
Here, we are pulling back the curtain on the iterative design process for these patterns and the inspiration behind them.
What is a frit pattern?
A frit pattern is a design, from simple dots or lines to complex custom patterns, applied to transparent surfaces such as exterior windows or interior window walls. The frit pattern is created by applying an enamel coating, either through silk-screening or ceramic digital printing. Frit patterns serve critical functions, including reducing solar glare, minimizing heat gain, and supporting bird-friendly architecture. When thoughtfully designed, these patterns can create a captivating interplay of light—filtering and dappling sunlight in ways that mimic natural light filtering through trees. This effect is not purely aesthetic; frit patterns enhance user wellbeing by creating impactful biophilic connections to daylight and nature.
With my background as an artist, I have a deep appreciation for the creative process behind these patterns—a process that merges traditional printmaking with modern design technologies. To me, there is an appealing tension between the design aesthetics and technical, sustainability performance targets. This balanced approach brings warmth and depth to architectural design by infusing the process with artistic methodologies.
Design goals for the AIA HQ frit pattern
For the AIA headquarters, we aimed to design a unique, custom digital frit pattern that delivered on all fronts—performance, wellness, and aesthetics.
The external plaza-facing sunshade system contains 302 PV panels with applied frit that addresses the glare and solar heat gain into the workspaces. The street-facing frit will span five levels of the building’s façade (floors 3 through 7) and is applied directly to the glass. The frit patterning for both the PV panels and the street-facing glass is designed to enhance the sensory and biophilic experience throughout the interior and across the building’s façade with dappled light and shading. The graphic expression creates a sense of movement and time while maximizing thermal comfort and energy production.
This extensive patterning plays a crucial role in shaping the building’s visual identity, and it was developed in close collaboration with the entire project team to ensure it aligns with our client’s goals.
A peek into the process
Concept Validation: Creating the Macro Pattern
In the first phase, I generated a macro pattern that mapped the frit pattern’s location and density across the building’s glass façade and PV panels.
The macro pattern on the PV arrays drew inspiration from Washington, D.C.’s rich history and unique elements, including dappled light from the abundant tree canopy and Brutalist architecture. Our design drew from The Architects Collaborative (TAC), the original architects of the AIA Headquarters. TAC’s initial plans for triangular waffle slabs and stairwells, inspired by the site’s irregular geometry, informed a PV frit pattern that reflects the building’s unique site and history.
For street-facing façades, the movement of the sun across the building was our major design driver: by tracing the path of the sun’s rays across the building, the pattern brings the Brutalist structure in tune with its context, while creating a welcoming, sweeping gesture toward the site.
I was personally inspired by the Washington Color School, an abstract expressionist movement from the 1950s-1970s, concurrent with the design of the original AIA Headquarters. Artists from this movement, such as Sam Gilliam and Alma Thomas, engaged with the city’s architecture through printmaking, painting, and patterning techniques. In Gilliam’s “Shoot Six,” beams of color evoke energy and empowerment, while Thomas’s “Cherry Blossom Symphony” and “White Roses Sing and Sing” depict the city’s flowers with harmonized light and texture.
While these inspirations sparked our creativity, the primary focus was ensuring that the design concepts met the AIA’s ambitious performance goals.
Collaborating with the client and design team, we distilled these inspirations into coherent design concepts. To reduce solar glare and heat gain, we needed the frit density to achieve 60% density coverage on the street-facing glass façade. Using Enscape and Lumion, I studied sunlight and shadow movement by following the sun’s path across the exterior throughout the day and year. The macro pattern on the street-facing façades was developed to be densest in high sun exposure areas and sparser in areas where visibility was crucial for occupants and visitors.
We utilized software like Illustrator, Photoshop, Revit, Rhino, Grasshopper, and Lumion for iterative studies and client validation. By extensively modeling the frit patterns, we tested various scales and densities, visualizing the pattern from multiple viewpoints, both inside and out, across different seasons. This comprehensive approach ensured the design met aesthetic and performance requirements.
Design Iteration: The Micro Pattern
Once the overall concept and macro pattern for the street-facing façade glass and the PV panel system were approved and finalized, we began exploring options for the micro fill pattern and density. This process involved testing various micro fill patterns through physical mockups. We printed the patterns in white ink on acetate at scale to study their appearance and dappled light qualities. These acetate prints were installed on office windows, a mockup PV panel, and eventually on site at the AIA HQ in DC.
For the PV micro pattern studies, it was crucial to understand how the pattern interacted with the PV grid lines. We designed a grid pattern that mimicked the PV grid’s appearance, printed it on acetate, and mounted the sheets to a plexiglass panel half the size of our PV panels. We explored a range of lines, dots, and custom shapes for the micro pattern options. Given the complexity of the patterning, we determined that a digital frit application would be the most cost-effective for both the street-facing glass and PV frit.
Performance Validation
Performance validation focused on ensuring the PV frit pattern would produce clear, crisp shadows across the building’s exterior and interior. The micro frit pattern was modeled in Rhino to study dappled light qualities and confirm the scale and density of the final pattern. Each panel featured unique frit densities and openings to create dappled light reminiscent of the surrounding trees and nature. Various line density combinations and openings filled the overall diagrid pattern, with diamond sizes and openings optimized for light and shadow.
As we refined the micro pattern for the PV panels, we applied the same logic to the street-facing glass. The linework scale was similar, and both patterns were designed to harmonize, unifying the dappled light experience throughout the building’s interior. The street-facing frit pattern responded to the building’s unique geometries, while the PV shading frit pattern sourced the building’s geometries to produce a dynamic light quality, enhancing the façade and interior experience throughout the day.
Fabrication
Throughout the design process, we communicated regularly with our fabricating partners: Onyx for the PV frit and Viracon for the street-facing frit. Before fabrication, we collaborated with both to produce physical sample mockups for internal and client review, a crucial step in design validation. This ensured we met technical requirements and project goals. We documented the macro pattern in Revit and Rhino, finalized it in AutoCAD and Illustrator before fabrication.
Next Steps
The street-facing fritted glass has been fabricated and is being installed on site, and the PV panels will soon go into fabrication. As we move ahead, we look forward to seeing how these innovative frit patterns transform the AIA Headquarters, blending art, architecture, and sustainability in a way that honors the building’s legacy while paving the way for its future.
Our team
Client: AIA
Architect: EHDD
EHDD Façade and Frit Design Team: Jeemin Bae, Eilish Cullen, Katherine Miller, Rebecca Sharkey, Christian Wopperer, Lily Yao
General Contractor: Turner Construction
Local Architect: Hartman-Cox Architects
Local Consultant: Custom Glass
Fabrication: Viracon, Onyx Solar
EHDD Earns Just 2.0 Label: Our Commitment to Equity, Transparency, and Social Justice
EHDD is proud to join more than 200 organizations around the world who are demonstrating their commitment to fair employee treatment, responsible financial investments, and positive community engagement through the International Living Futures Institute’s Just 2.0 Label initiative. As a firm dedicated to creating transformative places of belonging and impact, our participation in ILFI’s Just Label is an extension of our mission and core values.
“Just 2.0 is more than a label—it’s a comprehensive assessment of our business practices that reinforces our dedication to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion as essential components of EHDD’s identity,” said Jennifer Devlin-Herbert, EHDD Principal and CEO.
“This process has been an opportunity to reflect on our practices, identify areas for growth, and make lasting improvements that benefit our people, clients, and communities,” said Kerry Lange, Director of People and Culture.
What is the Just 2.0 Label?
Created by the ILFI, the Just 2.0 Label helps organizations create meaningful policies and ensures that those policies create growing positive impact over time. The Just label is a voluntary disclosure tool for organizations that acts as a transparency framework, rather than a certification program.
To earn a Just 2.0 Label, EHDD reported on indicators related to our operations and employees. Our performance was evaluated by clear, measurable goals across four areas, then summarized in our label and shared transparently to the public Just database.
Turning Practices into Policies
For EHDD, this process was an opportunity to reflect on the core values of Curiosity, Courage, Care, and Community that have emerged throughout our 75-year history. Furthermore, it empowered us to transfer our long-held values and ongoing practices into clear policies with measurable metrics:
- Formalizing Pay Equity Policies: We formalized our Gender Diversity, Ethnic Diversity and Pay Equity policies to support our current practices and ensure that our commitments can be measured and improved upon.
- Strengthening Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives: EHDD prides itself on being a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we look forward to continuing initiatives that support underrepresented groups and promote inclusivity at every level of the organization.
- Reinforcing Our Commitment to Responsible Investment: Financial responsibility is a key component of the Just 2.0 framework. As part of our certification process, we’ve evaluated our investments to ensure that they align with our values and contribute to positive social and environmental outcomes.
As we move forward, we’re dedicated to pushing our boundaries, learning from our experiences, and setting a positive example in the architecture and design industry. For more information about the Just 2.0 Label and its framework, visit the International Living Future Institute.
Designing the aquarium of tomorrow: Lessons from four unique projects
By elevating the unique culture and context of each project, architects can build curiosity, connection, and a passion for conservation into their designs.
This article was originally published by the Seattle DJC. Read it here.
It came earlier than I anticipated — a phenomenon I suspect is felt by architects around the world who step both feet into a specialized building type. You visit the precedents, and you start to see the patterns. The “best practices” and “must haves” of the past become overbearing trends. Every time you visit that type of project and see the same design ideas repeated, you feel a building sense of urgency to do something different. For me, as I worked on aquarium projects, it was two things. One was the tension between these institutions that champion environmental stewardship, while most of the facilities use more energy than any other building type. The other was the relentlessness of the black box experience.
Today’s institutions feel it, too. They ask, “What is the future of aquarium design?” I would suggest that the answer is twofold: getting serious about climate change and leaning into the unique aspects of institutional culture and context. Comparing four of EHDD’s recent aquarium projects shows how leveraging the unique culture and context of each project allows it to self-differentiate and break away from the tired black box formula.
Toledo Zoo Aquarium Improvement Project
The first aquarium I worked on was a renovation of an existing facility in Toledo, Ohio, embedded in their local zoo. As we wrapped our arms around the project’s ambitions, exploring building sites alongside the Maumee River, we learned that while the exhibit itself was an outdated, repetitive row of small blue boxes, literally falling to pieces after years of unmitigated corrosion, the building itself was a beloved heirloom to the local community. It quickly became clear that this was the key to the project. Revitalizing the existing building offered benefits across a triple bottom line: It would help us shift the slim $20 million budget from construction sitework to creating more dynamic exhibits; it would reduce the project’s embodied carbon; and it would send a clear message of reinvestment in the community and the heart of the Works Progress Administration-era zoo campus.
While the shell had become sacred, the interior was anything but. We looked to create a completely transformed visitor path, restoring the long-abandoned central entry, quadrupling the volume of the exhibits, creating larger tanks that offered multiple viewing experiences, and introducing variety and hands-on experiences. Delivering this level of visitor experience within a defined envelope was like working on a Swiss watch, but our space constraints allowed us to explore a low-energy drum filtration technology, due to the reduced footprint it required.
Pacific Seas Aquarium
At our next aquarium project, we built on the low-energy technology we beta-tested in Toledo. Tacoma’s Point Defiance Zoo wanted to set a new bar for sustainability in aquarium design. This group’s commitment to conservation was unparalleled, and they wanted to walk the walk as we approached the design of their new Pacific Seas Aquarium.
Achieving these significant ambitions meant leaning in to the vertical nature of our steeply sloped site. Our design arranged the water treatment systems to take advantage of gravity, instead of expending energy by pumping multiple times. Beyond this, we used every tool in the book — onsite rainwater capture and re-use, a mass-timber structural system to reduce embodied carbon, and of course, all-electric systems— to deliver the most sustainable aquarium in the country.
The project uses digital personalized engagement at the start and finish of the experience to compel visitors to make individual commitments to actions that help them support ocean health. To emotionally anchor these commitments, and to help visitors register the mostly regional aquatic collection as part of their local environment, we interlaced the visitor path with views to the pine-fringed hillside.
Seattle Aquarium Concept Design
Leveraging the immediate context to flavor the visitor experience played heavily in the campus plan and concept design work we completed for the Seattle Aquarium in 2016. Looking out toward the Olympic range, the Seattle Aquarium has perhaps the most spectacular waterfront view of any existing aquarium. But despite the beauty of its waterfront location, the building is sited in a deeply urban context. Still, we saw this as an opportunity to tell an enhanced story of conservation.
Embracing the urban site, we located the new Ocean Pavilion across the promenade where it would be anchored to the fabric of the waterfront revitalization. This single move yielded opportunities to create visual connections that highlight the urban/natural interface, showing how humans have impacted all aspects of the environment. From a civic perspective, the building becomes a focal point — the jewel sitting at the nexus of the waterfront promenade. It offers many opportunities for generosity to the public — spectacular views from the accessible roof deck, a graceful pedestrian descent from Pike Place Market down to the waterfront, and interpretive opportunities outside the paywall. We’re excited to see that many of these ideas have survived in the design as executed by LMN Architects, and look forward to visiting when it opens this fall.
Sobela Ocean Aquarium
Our most recent aquarium was a very different animal than the Pacific Northwest projects. The Sobela Ocean Aquarium, located on the campus of the Kansas City Zoo, is a 72,000-square-foot, ground-up facility that features 650,000 gallons of water and a broad survey of marine life from sand tigers to nudibranchs. Our charge here was to deliver “wow” — to create an indoor, all-season experience that would draw visitors to the zoo campus all year long.
Deep in the heart of the Midwest, we quickly realized that visitors here come from a different starting point. Many will never visit the ocean, and few will be tuned into the critical role it plays in our climate. This facility was a unique chance to build in them a passion for and connection to the ocean.
To do so, we orchestrated the visitor path to evoke the experience of the ocean, leveraging sensory cues such as light quality, temperature, spatial volume, and sound to foster the emotional bonds built when having the experience in real life. It’s an experience that unfolds to meet you at a human scale, and surprises you with a dynamic, pulsing wave tank, the moment you enter. Overlaid as an interpretive framework: the storyline of ocean currents as the superhighway that interconnects all ecosystems. This storyline ties together a disparate animal collection and is a backbone to showcase the ocean as the key player in the health of our environment.
Every project has its challenges. For the Sobela Ocean Aquarium, it was the COVID-19 pandemic. Our client group had given us the freedom to make the project as sustainable as possible, so long as the measures fit within the budget. As admitted climate warriors, we took this charge, seeking every opportunity to stretch the project performance past our LEED Silver baseline.
Then the wild inflation of 2021 hit. Wood prices were up. Electrical switch gear was up. PVC piping doubled in cost over a month. To keep within arm’s reach of our $61 million construction budget, we had to make some hard decisions. Among these was the return to gas boilers — a hard pill to swallow. In the year since this project opened, I’ve made my peace with it. Our team worked hard to make all-electrical systems cost competitive, and by stretching toward this goal, we delivered a project that really tightened up its energy usage. The truth is, the electrical grid in Kansas City is still fully reliant on fossil fuels; I take solace in the idea that, as it improves, the project we’ve delivered will easily adapt to an all-electric future.
EHDD has been designing aquariums for 40 years. Our journey, starting with Monterey Bay Aquarium, has been characterized by a willingness to challenge the status quo, a tendency to embrace unique cultural and environmental contexts of each project, and a commitment to do right by the environment. As we look toward the “Aquarium of the Future,” it’s clear that elevating the unique aspects of each project is the key to fostering curiosity, connection, and responsibility to the environment that is core to the mission of this industry.
Making landscapes memorable
Cultivating a close connection between the natural and curated planted environment and park architecture is as essential as blurring the boundaries between them.
This article was originally published by the Seattle DJC. Read it here.
EHDD has been working in close collaboration with communities, public agencies and our design partners on notable landscape projects across the Northwest for the past 20 years. As the design lead for these projects, I set out with one clear goal when working with clients and communities on their beloved parks: to create a memorable landscape.
We have found that simple, iconic forms, constructed of locally sourced materials, resonate with our special Pacific Northwest environments, especially in park settings. Memorable landscapes result from a close connection between the natural and curated planted environment of a park and the park architecture; we constantly strive to blur those boundaries to create a cohesive experience.
A particular specialty of EHDD is working on waterfront parks in the Northwest. These complex sites involve layers of environmental regulation and restoration, as well as the rehabilitation of the most memorable public spaces linking our cities to Puget Sound. From Percival Landing in Olympia to Juanita Beach Park in Kirkland, EHDD’s waterfront park teams have been fortunate to collaborate with local communities to create these memorable landscapes.
We have two distinct points of departure in our design process. First, we are committed to utilizing locally sourced materials in our parks projects. This strategy greatly reduces the carbon footprint of the project. When sourced from sustainable forests, locally sourced wood materials not only avoid carbon emissions from cross-continental shipping, but also have a climate positive impact by storing carbon in the wood.
Economically, this practice supports local jobs and trade economies. Even in places where these trades are struggling, the choice to use local trades whenever possible will boost those economies over time.
It also makes sense from the owner’s point of view: While costs may be comparable to other building materials, prefabricated wood solutions like cross laminated timber (CLT) can save money by shortening construction time. Utilizing Pacific Northwest wood products supports our local and regional economies while at the same time integrating the structures with our environment.
The Bathhouse at Juanita Beach is clad in locally sourced cedar with a natural finish which weathers over time. The picnic shelters are constructed of CLT panels (think of large, solid wood panels, layered to form large structural elements that can span twelve to sixteen feet between supports) which are also locally sourced.
Our parks projects have also featured prefabrication strategies that greatly reduce the duration of construction, allowing the parks projects to open during the peak summer season. We have utilized prefabricated CLT panels at the recently completed Lake Sammamish State Park and at Juanita Beach Park. The use of these prefabricated, locally sourced wood elements is also a demonstration for the general public to see how these new building technologies can be utilized to create healthy, environmentally integrated structures in our communities. In my practice, I’ve found that locally sourced wood brings a unique warmth and character to buildings, grounding them in their specific landscapes. Whether it’s a building in the rolling hills of Goldendale or along the vibrant shores of Seattle, local materials anchor a structure in its setting, creating a special sense of space.
Second, when designing park projects, EHDD curates the visitor experience by integrating and coordinating the landscape architecture, architecture and the interpretive design content. By bringing the full design team together at the beginning of the project to work with the client and the community, we can intertwine landscape concepts with architectural concepts and strengthen those relationships with the interpretive story. This results in richer, layered environments and a more authentic visitor experience.
We are constantly working at blurring the boundaries between the built environment and the natural environment. At Goldendale Observatory State Park, it was important for the operational needs of the park to provide a self-guided visitor experience in tandem with the staffed park programming. Working with Walker Macy, the landscape architect, and C&G, the interpretive designer, EHDD developed pathways around the observatory building that visitors can explore upon arrival and between park programs. These landscape journeys provide views of Mt. Hood, the Columbia River Valley and the surrounding mountains. Interpretive content along the pathways describes the surrounding environment and introduces themes that are presented in more detail inside the observatory.
By integrating the design team, featuring locally sourced materials, and implementing prefabricated construction techniques, we can achieve a sense of wonder and that “ah-ha” moment that enhances our favorite Pacific Northwest environments.
Team selected to design affordable housing for educators amid California’s escalating cost-of-living crisis
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – In response to the escalating cost of living in California, particularly in Santa Cruz —one of the nation’s most unaffordable housing markets—a collaborative design-build team of Bogard Construction, EHDD, and Studio VARA has been chosen to design affordable housing units specifically for educators. This project will address the growing challenge of retaining talented educators within school districts where living costs are soaring.
“Educator housing is a game-changer, both for the families who will live in these homes, as well as communities like Santa Cruz whose essential services are now threatened by the glacial pace of housing development over the past decades,” said Brad Jacobson, EHDD principal in charge for this project.
“It’s no secret that Santa Cruz has an affordability issue, as well as a housing crisis, which makes retention of our teachers and education staff extremely challenging. Santa Cruz City Schools is making a tremendous step by building housing for our valued educators. Being local to Santa Cruz, the pressing need for this project is very clear to our team, and we are honored at the trust that the SCCS District has placed in Bogard to successfully deliver,” said Jared Bogaard, president of Bogard Construction.
The proposed development is a multi-story, multi-family complex consisting of 100 units, offering a diverse mix of studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments. The design will reflect and take advantage of the coastal Santa Cruz environment to create a vibrant, resilient community where educators and their community can thrive.
“Educator and workforce housing are the new frontier, filling the ‘missing middle’ between subsidized affordable housing and market-rate developments, and Studio VARA is honored to have this opportunity to bring our deep experience in multifamily housing to the team,” said Christopher Roach, principal at Studio VARA.
This project is backed by the 2023 approval of Measures K and L by Santa Cruz City voters, securing $371 million for Santa Cruz City Schools. This funding is allocated for school updates, repairs, and the construction of affordable rental housing for school staff. The project’s vision extends beyond immediate housing solutions, aiming to support educators in eventually purchasing their homes through bond-sponsored grants, thus fostering long-term educator retention.
Santa Cruz’s project joins a growing list of similar initiatives in California after the state passed a series of bills making it easier for school districts to provide affordable housing specifically for district employees and their families. Los Angeles Unified and Santa Clara Unified school districts were the first to complete such projects in the state. Recent projects include a 122-unit complex in Daly City’s Jefferson Union High School District and a 135-unit complex by the San Francisco Unified School District. A collaborative effort in Palo Alto involving several school districts and non-profits is underway to construct a 110-unit complex.
As these pioneering projects unfold, valuable insights and best practices will emerge, guiding other districts keen on adopting similar strategies. The Santa Cruz project is not only a housing solution, but a blueprint for sustainable educator support and community building in California’s challenging economic landscape.
About EHDD
EHDD is an award-winning architecture firm with a strong commitment to advancing climate action through sustainable design. With decades of experience helping clients achieve their dreams, EHDD creates transformative places of belonging and impact.
About Bogard
Bogard Construction is a family-owned and operated construction firm, based in Santa Cruz, specializing in many project types and delivery methods throughout California. With over 77 years of experience, spanning four generations of family members, Bogard is an active advocate for the success of each of our projects.
About Studio VARA
Studio VARA is an interdisciplinary design studio driven by a passion for excellence in design, service, and execution across a wide range of project sizes and typologies that align with our mission to build a better world for our clients, our community, and our planet. We are a minority woman-owned firm based in San Francisco’s Mission District with roots deep in the Bay Area design and construction industry, and a deep commitment to empowering designers as agents of positive change in our built environment and society.
Architects, Drop the “Catalogue” Mindset and Specify Locally Sourced Timber
PUBLISHED: FEB. 1, 2024
Growing up in a mill town in Northern Idaho, I could hear the low rumble of lumber mills along the Spokane River as I fell asleep. There were seven mills downriver of Coeur d’Alene then. Now, there are none. As one mill after another shut its doors, the community grappled with the loss of this vital trade and the jobs it supported, shaking its fists at the economic forces seemingly so far beyond our control. At the same time, I saw new buildings in Coeur d’Alene being constructed of brick, with steel structures and glass facades, materials shipped in from across the globe, with no discernable connection to our community.
This pattern was mirrored globally as the industry pivoted to steel and concrete, sourced from afar without regard for the resources available locally. This change has had significant repercussions, destabilizing local trades and contributing to environmental degradation through increased carbon emissions and resource depletion. This way of sourcing materials has resulted in a building stock wholly divorced from its local environment.
In recent years, we’ve started finding our way back through the re-acceptance of wood as a viable building material. Industry leaders, through advocacy and research, have proven wood’s viability — highlighting its strength, fire resistance, and environmental benefits.
True transformative potential, however, lies one step further, in embracing locally sourced wood.
No single strategy will positively impact the architecture profession more than simply considering where our building materials come from. From energy efficiency to carbon footprint to longevity and health of buildings, locally sourced materials offer the greatest potential to return to a timeless way of building.
No single strategy will positively impact the architecture profession more than simply considering where our building materials come from.
The Case for Locally Sourced Wood
When sourced from sustainable forests, locally sourced wood materials not only avoid carbon emissions from cross-continental shipping, but they can also have a climate positive impact by storing carbon in the wood. Economically, this practice supports local jobs and trade economies. Even in places where these trades are struggling, the choice to use local trades whenever possible will boost those economies over time. It also makes sense from the owner’s point of view: while costs may be comparable to other building materials, prefabricated wood solutions like cross laminated timber can save money by shortening construction time.
In my practice, I’ve found that locally sourced wood brings a unique warmth and character to buildings, grounding them in their specific landscapes. Whether it’s a building in the rolling hills of Santa Cruz or along the vibrant shores of Seattle, local materials anchor a structure in its setting, creating a special sense of space.
Making It Happen
The shift back to local sourcing requires a fundamental change in mindset. It’s about looking beyond the pages of a catalogue and taking stock of the environment that surrounds us.
This was a lesson I learned while working on the Revelry Classroom Building at the University of Idaho. Our client was adamant that only Idaho forest products could be used in the creation of this building. This reframed the specification process for me, forcing me to look around to the natural forests and manufacturers. Working in collaboration with Idaho wood industry partners, our design team used locally produced wood materials throughout, including FSC- and SFI-certified framing lumber, cedar siding, engineered wood I-joists and glulam beams. We harvested Western Larch from the University of Idaho’s experimental forest, dried it in university kilns, and milled it for the flooring. Interior walls were clad with veneered wood panels, each highlighting a particular Idaho wood species. In the end, our materials traveled an average of 70 miles from source to project site.
Building relationships with local manufacturers and mills is crucial. By understanding the qualities of each material, designers can make informed decisions about their use in different aspects of a project.
At EHDD, we are forming partnerships with regional mills and west coast-based mass timber fabricators to highlight the value and potential of our locally produced materials. We’ve had success specifying local materials on both public and private projects; while publicly bid projects require more rigor to source multiple options for materials, it can be done, and done within budget.
Our Western Yacht Harbor project in Seattle exemplifies this approach. As Seattle’s first modern Dowel Laminated Timber (DLT) building, we put in the time to build connections with local manufacturers and better understand the characteristics of their materials. The use of hardwood dowels in DLT not only reduces the carbon footprint but also provides a stable, resilient structure, perfectly suited to Seattle’s commitment to innovative design.
In another example, EHDD recently designed the UC Santa Cruz Coastal Biology Building, a new 40,000 sf building serving the university’s world-class marine and ocean health research, education, and public service facility. Located along the Pacific Coast, we sought local timber that could withstand the harsh coastal climate, while exemplifying the region’s character. Working with local manufacturers, we learned about Western Red Cedar, which was used on the exterior. This material is a defining characteristic of the final building and will serve the university for years to come.
The journey back to local sourcing in architecture is not just a nod to the past—it’s a necessary step toward a sustainable future. By reconnecting our buildings with their local roots, we create spaces that are not only environmentally responsible, but also deeply resonant with the communities they serve. As architects, we have the responsibility to lead this change.
As EHDD CEO Jennifer Devlin-Herbert at the 2023 AIA Keynote Panel, “architects control the spec book.” It’s not just about specifying wood; it’s about knowing where the trees were grown, who milled it, how far was it delivered? These questions, when applied to all building materials, will move us toward more sustainable building projects, positively impacting our communities and regions.
The Case for Architecture in Aquariums
PUBLISHED: NOV. 15, 2023
Kansas City, Missouri, is nearly as far from the ocean as you can get. As my plane descended through an unceasing patchwork of crop squares, the feeling of being completely landlocked set in. I was traveling to Kansas City from EHDD’s San Francisco office, which, in contrast, couldn’t be closer to the ocean. The office sits on San Francisco’s Pier 1, where waves lap against pilons and the shrieks of gulls can be heard in every meeting room. As the design principal for the Sobela Aquarium at the Kansas City Zoo, I had been tasked with bringing this ocean with me, all the way to the Midwest.
The Sobela Aquarium is more than an addition to the zoo—it’s a transformation. Spanning 72,000 square feet, the aquarium offers an indoor, all-season attraction. It catapulted the zoo’s population from 1,700 to over 10,000, and necessitated a complete rebranding of the facility. But the project’s ambition extended further: The facility aimed to ignite a passion for ocean life in its visitors, to inspire a commitment to preserving our natural environment.
Graphic by Yining Ma
In my 15 years at EHDD, I’ve worked on many aquarium projects—from campus planning and concept design efforts to renovations (my first being a historic renovation at the Toledo Zoo) to ground-up projects (such as the one I write about today). And to understand the built landscape these projects fit into, I have visited many, many more. This is what I’ve discovered: Although aquariums are a project type loved by visitors, many have been failed by the design community.
Too much of the aquarium experience can be described as a dark room populated with little blue windows. Or, a common alternative: thematic décor more focused on entertainment than visitor enrichment. While some aquarium buildings are formally expressive, it’s all too rare for the exterior expression to inform the visitor experience.
Does this matter? Is holistic design important to the visitor? To the institution? I would argue yes.
Our clients, like the Kansas City Zoo, want to have a lasting impact on their visitors. They want to move beyond education, to create an experience that will anchor a visitor’s empathy for marine life long after they leave. Of course, the core of this experience is the direct impact of the marine exhibits. But we know that memory is encoded through a more complex sensory experience.
There-in lies the challenge: How can designers use the space to enrich the exhibit experience? To engage all the senses? To encode memories? To bring a true ocean experience to places far from its shores?
Bringing the world’s oceans to Kansas City
In 2018, during the Sobela Aquarium’s predesign phase, we confronted these challenges head-on. Collaborating closely with Space Haus, our exhibit design partners, we assessed the zoo’s initial collection, which included a few staff favorites and a batch of greatest hits: sharks, rays, turtles, tropical fish, octopus, and jellyfish.
The collection represented a broad survey of marine species. To achieve a cohesive visitor experience, we identified a storyline of “marine currents,” an interpretive framework we had yet to see in any peer institution. This storyline lent structure to the global collection, creating an interpretive backbone that highlighted the interconnected nature of our ecosystems. Importantly, the framework informed a progression of spatial and sensory experience—the missing 20% in most institutions. The things that visitors don’t notice that they’re noticing. A visual connection to the outdoors, expansion and contraction of space. Different qualities of light. Temperature and humidity. The feeling of physical descent.
Five years later, I was visiting the Sobela Aquarium just days before it would open to the public. It was time to see if it worked.
Surface
As I stepped inside the Sobela Aquarium, the first thing I noticed was the soundscape. It was alive: Tamarins trilled, toucans croaked, and a crash tank mimicked the arrhythmic crashing of waves against the shore. The space was warm, not just the temperature, but the stream of natural light glinting on the rockwork. The humidity pricked my skin, and the faint smell of salt drifted from the salt marsh habitat. I was immediately immersed in the exhibits, in a way that felt inviting, not jarring. Meandering between several pools with waist-high water, I found myself descending.
Shallows
The water levels shifted, from waist level to just above my head, and the physical descent down a ramp reinforced the sense that I was wading deeper into the ocean. As the scale of space and exhibit size increased, I started to feel small. The soundscape became less chaotic; the calls of birds and monkeys faded, replaced by more muffled aquatic sounds. Water warmed my hand as I dipped it into the touch tank. The light was dappled, streaming through a perforated screen from the clerestories above. A sea turtle lazed by at eye level, quickly overtaken by a reef fish racing through the vibrant tropics dropped into the heart of Kansas City.
Submersion
Slipping through a slender threshold into a darker space, I immediately noticed light dancing on the floor. I looked up, and a school of pilchard swirled above. It was quieter here. The carpeted floor dampened the sound of footfall, and large concrete walls sapped the warmth of the earlier galleries. I rounded the corner, coming face to face with a Napolean Wrasse. Based on his expression, I was more impressed with him than he was with me. I took a step back and saw him in his full context: a boundless ocean with a vibrant community of life. Stepping down into a tiered viewing area, I followed the cold gaze of a shark as it glided overhead. I felt the weight of thousands of gallons of water above me.
Depths
The next space felt like a reset. It was different, somewhat alien and a little disconnected. As I crossed a gateway of gravity-defying jellies, the space opened to an amorphous volume. A soft glow of light above offered a feeling that my normal life was up there somewhere. But down here, I was quick to discover spider crabs, giant isopods, and other oddities of the deep ocean.
Ascent
In the next space, things felt lighter. The volume of the space expanded. Light streamed in through a large kelp window and a conical eel tank sprang weightlessly from the center of the room. A soft bounce of daylight beckoned ahead.
Emerge
Rounding the corner, the otters took center stage, summersaulting over and under the water’s surface, occasionally hopping up “on shore” to glimpse the trees beyond. The ever-changing sky as the backdrop for these charismatic fellows anchored the feeling that we had resurfaced. Ascending a ramp that approached the final exhibit—a cold water touch tank—the ceiling peeled open to a north-facing clerestory that offered a cool brightness to the gallery below.
Creating resonance one design choice at a time
As the visitor path brought me full circle, back to the entryway, I was struck by the experience. All visitors to the aquarium will notice the animals, and many will notice their habitats. Few will consciously recognize the impact the quality of space has on their connection to these key features. But it is this layering of the experience—the hundreds of small design choices made over the course of the project—that can make a visitor’s experience so rich, varied, and engaging. This is the intangible element that creates memories and elevates an experience from enjoyable to resonant.
Beyond EUI: EHDD’s AIA 2030 Commitment Evolution
Published: Oct. 27, 2023
In April of this year, Michelle Amt at VMDO wrote an inspiring article about being radically transparent in their journey toward achieving the goals set by the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) 2030 Commitment. We recognize Michelle’s courage and integrity in making such a post and wanted to honor those ideals by publicly sharing the results from our 2022 portfolio.
EHDD & the AIA 2030 Commitment
EHDD has been a signatory to the AIA 2030 Commitment for over a decade. During that time, we have been an industry leader in achieving the goals set by the challenge and have met AIA targets for 8 out of 10 years since we started reporting in 2013.
In 2022, our firmwide average performance declined by approximately 10% compared to our 2021 performance, missing the AIA 2030 target. We are digging into the data to better understand why this is, including examining performance data by project type. For instance, we see that our student residence halls lagged behind the Energy Use Intensity (EUI) reduction of some other project types; meanwhile, the percentage of our work represented by student housing jumped up substantially in the last few years. Going forward, focusing more attention on student housing performance is a priority.
Decarbonization is the new EUI
At the same time, the AIA 2030 program is evolving in a significant way that aligns with our own shift in focus to decarbonization and EHDD’s commitment to a Climate Positive future.
EHDD’s aim is to eliminate fossil fuel use from our projects, support grid electrification, reduce energy use within realistic limits, and address embodied carbon. This shift is clearly evidenced by two significant projects included in our 2021 and 2022 portfolios, the AIA National Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and the YouTube Campus Expansion in San Bruno, California. Both projects relied on a mix of on-site and grid-provided renewable energy to achieve the AIA 2030 targets.
The AIA National Headquarters is an existing building renovation that achieved robust improvements in energy performance with a gross pEUI of 32 and included as many onsite renewables as could fit on the site. Operational carbon neutrality was achieved through the purchase of fully additional renewable power from the D.C. power grid. Similarly, our YouTube Campus Expansion in California combines extensive onsite renewables, a microgrid with battery storage, and offsite renewables to achieve zero carbon operation.
Additionally, in our work on Sonoma Clean Power Headquarters, EHDD has also been considering how patterns of energy use can be as important to reducing carbon emissions as the total amount of energy used. This GridOptimal pilot project shifts energy use to times when the grid has higher levels of generation from renewables—such as during the day when the sun is shining—orienting us toward a future where buildings are a resource, not a burden, to the electrical grid. This strategy also has the potential to reduce time-of-use electricity rates, resulting in both carbon and cost savings while taking the pressure off the grid.
Analysis using our EPIC tool shows that combining electrification and efficiency can reduce emissions beyond efficiency alone. As our research summary shows, while electrification achieves only a 25% reduction in energy use, it achieves an almost 80% reduction in carbon emissions. From a carbon perspective, it’s much more impactful to push for all-electric power than for a slight improvement in efficiency. This is true in various locations and across diverse project types.
The approaches for these projects align with the recent changes in the AIA 2030 Commitment reporting system that allows for counting legitimate (additional & dedicated) off-site renewables as negative EUI to offset operational energy. This change highlights a shift from thinking purely about energy reduction to one that aims to decarbonize the entire building stock while supporting the energy grid’s shift to renewable generation. A shift to focusing on carbon can help projects that cannot achieve an extremely low EUI (especially existing building retrofits) and that cannot accommodate significant onsite renewables to still meet the intent of the AIA 2030 commitment and contribute to the scalability of decarbonized energy.
The AIA’s 2030 Design Data Exchange (DDx) now invites firms to report on embodied carbon data. Both of the EHDD projects highlighted above also underwent significant embodied carbon reductions with analysis through full life-cycle assessments. While this was tracked in the AIA 2030 DDx, it does not currently contribute to the portfolio’s percent reduction number — an accounting metric we hope to see reflected in future iterations of the 2030 reporting.
We applaud the continuing efforts of the AIA 2030 Working Group to move the program away from EUI and toward fossil fuel reductions across operational and embodied emissions. And while our firm would like to be meeting the 80% reduction goal today, we are confident that by addressing carbon broadly in our projects, EHDD is on track to meet the ultimate goal of zero emission buildings by 2030.