Holistic, Sustainable Design Solutions
Whether your organization has a mature ESG (Environmental Social Governance) program or you’re gearing up to establish baselines, our team offers the multidisciplinary capabilities to serve as a your partner in the formation and implementation of your program and beyond.
ESG-Related Services
ESG criteria are used by investors to make socially responsible investment decisions, considering not only financial performance, but also the broader impact a company has on society and the environment. Companies that perform well in ESG metrics are often seen as more sustainable and responsible, which can attract socially conscious investors.
At Cushing Terrell, we leverage the expertise of our multidisciplinary team to offer a multi-pronged approach to implementing solutions for the built environment that deliver on environmental, social, and governance goals. Depending on the framework(s) your organization aligns with, our holistic services provide multiple avenues to identify, implement, and measure the non-financial aspects of ESG. Below are the related services we provide.
Environmental Indicators
The assessment of how a company interacts with and impacts the environment is one of the three key factors in understanding ESG risks and opportunities. It includes considerations such as a company’s carbon footprint, energy efficiency, waste management, water usage, and overall environmental sustainability practices.
Services and expertise: planning (master planning, parks and recreation planning and design, regional and urban planning and design, site planning); geospatial analysis; streetscape design; sustainable landscape architecture.
Services and expertise: adaptation planning; adaptive reuse; advanced building energy modeling; building automation; code compliance; electrification analysis and design; emergency power assessment and backups; greenhouse gas analysis and management; microgrid and renewable energy systems design and implementation; vulnerability/risk assessments; wildfire resilience assessment and application.
Services and expertise: adaptive reuse; advanced building energy modeling; building automation; building performance analysis; combined heat and power design; daylight modeling; distributed energy systems; electrification analysis and design; embodied carbon and lifecycle analysis; energy audits and benchmarking; facility assessments; energy efficient retrofits; greenhouse gas analysis and management; refrigeration engineering; renewable energy systems.
Services and expertise: landscape architecture solutions, such as water-efficient landscape design, bio-swales, permeable surfaces, native vegetation, rain gardens, xeriscaping, and green roofs; stormwater reduction and management; water capture and reuse; water treatment system design.
Social Indicators
The social category assesses a company’s relationships with its employees, customers, suppliers, and the communities in which it operates. It includes factors such as labor practices, diversity and inclusion, community engagement, and product safety.
Services and expertise: biophilic design; daylight analysis and simulation; healthy materials selection; human-centric interior design; indoor environmental quality enhancement strategies;Â pre/post occupancy evaluations.
Services and expertise: affordable housing design; Design for Freedom advocacy (elimination of forced/slave labor in the building materials supply chain); design for accessibility and inclusion; universal design; design for neurodiversity.
Services and expertise: occupant, user, and community engagement events and resources; training and workshops; design charrettes.
Governance Indicators
This category evaluates the quality of a company’s corporate governance structure. It includes aspects such as board composition, executive compensation, shareholder rights, and the overall transparency and accountability of the company’s management.
Services and expertise: building performance analysis; custom sustainability standards; decarbonization strategies; energy audits and benchmarking; facility assessments.
Services and expertise: climate action planning, emergency power assessment and backups; post occupancy evaluations; resilient design framework; vulnerability and risk assessments.
Services and expertise: code compliance; third-party certification management; utility incentives.
Behind the Design
Read some of the stories showcasing design strategies and projects that consider environmental, social, and governance impacts and goals.
Historic Building in Downtown Billings Sees New Life as a Hub for Entrepreneurs
This renovation project for Big Sky Economic Development created a state-of-the-art, collaboration space geared at helping businesses flourish and grow.
Urban Planning: What Cities Can Learn from Minneapolis’ Commitment to Community
Battling climate change through urban planning, while having obvious implications for land use, is about centering development on the users.
Land (Re) Use and Climate Change: Breathing New Life into Old Buildings
Through adaptive reuse, we can meld past and present and create a deeper, more meaningful sense of place, all while realizing environmental benefits.
![[White Paper] The Fluid, Sustainable Future of Retail](https://cushingterrell.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Cushing-Terrell_Met-Market-Gig-Harbor_Interior_Baked-Fresh-1024x683.jpg)
[White Paper] The Fluid, Sustainable Future of Retail
In the second installment of the Future of Retail, we look at how younger generations see consumption through an ethical, social, and sustainable lens.
An Energy Expert Answers the Question: What Is Carbon Neutrality?
Mechanical engineer and energy modeling expert, Tim Johnson, weighs in on carbon neutrality — what it means and how we can get there.
Having ‘the Talk’: Solar Now vs. Solar Readiness
Your client is committed to making a difference through zero-net-energy goals. This is the path to a better built environment. But how do you get there?
