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Green Building & Sustainability |  | | | LEED Silver Phoenix Executive Building (Truckee, CA) |
One of MWA's primary goals is to design buildings that are responsible to the environment.
While there have been many great advancements in green building design and technologies over the last 10 years, it often feels like all the new options make it harder to figure out how to be "green." MWA works with its clients to understand what their goals and objectives for their project and come up with solutions that meet those goals.
We find it is best to evaluate the environmental impact of buildings using the following 5 metrics:
Site/Community, Materials Consumption, Energy Consumption, Water Consumption, and Indoor Environmental Quality. Using these five categories (as recognized by most green building programs,) we help our clients understand and evaluate the challenges and opportunities with green building and incorporating them into their projects.
Our staff is trained and experienced working with various certification programs including LEED (Leadership in energy and environmental design) for commercial projects and Build-It Green's Green Point Rated program for residences. MWA keeps current with the latest green building practices through our active support and participation with the locally based Sierra Green Building Association (SiGBA.org.)
We are experienced designing high-performance buildings utilizing either advanced mechanical systems including solar photovoltaics (PV), solar thermal (hot water and space heating,) ground source heat pumps, or more traditional passive solar buildings. We help our clients evaluate the pros and cons of various systems and choose the most appropriate systems for their project.
In the Fall of 2009, MWA's Phoenix Executive Building (Truckee, CA) received a LEED Silver rating from the United States Green Building Council. read more
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|  | | | Reception desk and bar made from reclaimed wood. 968 Park Hotel - South Lake Tahoe, CA |
Our environmental leadership extends far beyond participation in checklist-based certification programs. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) recognized MWA with their "Best in the Basin" award for the commercial redevelopment the Ski Run Center in South Lake Tahoe, CA.read more.
While green building, like other premium building practices can be significantly more expensive than traditional building practices, this doesn't have to be the case. G8 Partners worked with MWA to transform a neglected Days Inn motel into an chic and environmentally responsible hotel. The building received a total facelift, inside and out, nearly eliminating any trace of its original 1970's architecture. Throughout the building, there are hints of the original building from the use of wood still painted with the buildings original green, and transforming an old bed spring into a design element in the lobby. The project received a commercial merit award in the 7th Annual TQ Mountain home awards for its unique, and innovative approach to environmentally responsible redevelopment. read article.
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