John Lewis Elementary School | Washington, DC
LEED Platinum, WELL Platinum, Zero Energy Certified
It All Starts with Culture
Sustainability—social, economic, and environmental—is a cornerstone of our Human by Design ethos. Our studios are sustainable when they are populated by diverse voices and reflect the clients and communities we serve. Our operations are sustainable when we invest in carbon neutrality. Our work is sustainable when we apply our expertise to the toughest challenges of climate change. By providing exceptional resources, compelling educational opportunities, and technical expertise, we have developed a robust network of motivated and talented professionals. Sustainability is infused into our culture and supports our ability to make a positive impact on the well-being of people and the planet.
Boston Arts Academy | Boston, MA
LEED Gold
How We Are Structured
Our Sustainability Network embodies our mission through shared expertise, creativity, and commitment. It is a collective endeavor that defines how we work.
Sustainability Leads
Leads assist design teams by leading, connecting, and tracking sustainability efforts for the duration of a project.
Green Coordinator Network
Coordinators drive local progress to support our sustainability initiatives and goals.
Firmwide Sustainability Team
Team members guide global strategy, support studios and projects, and develop firmwide sustainability policies.
Leadership Advisory Committee
Committee members guide sustainability initiatives strategy across
the firm.
CASE STUDY: The Right Tools for the Job
Perkins Eastman's Sustainability Tools Library
To help our designers navigate the overwhelming number of analysis tools, the Data Analytics & Tools subcommittee created the Sustainability Tools Library—an interactive guide with tested tools, case studies, and step-by-step instructions. It empowers our teams to make data-informed decisions that improve building performance and support sustainable, high-impact design across every project phase.
How We Learn
HUMAN BY DESIGN EXCHANGE
Our first-ever Human by Design Exchange, held in November 2024, brought together voices from across our studios to share project stories and accomplishments that embody our ethos, champion our sustainable design efforts, and showcase our manifesto. This annual event is an important addition to our culture-building and sustainable design initiatives, and we look forward to expanding its format in the coming years.
SUSTAINABILITY IS EVERYTHING SERIES
Our firmwide instruction on sustainable design topics provides our people with ongoing opportunities to expand their knowledge. Topics in 2024 included sessions on analyzing carbon holistically across a project and discussions on healthy materials and circularity. This series continues in 2025.
SUSTAINABILITY LEAD COHORT PROGRAM
Each year, two cohorts of Sustainability Leads (comprising one person from each of our studio locations) complete a 12-week training program. They learn various methods to integrate sustainability into our design process and how to organize sustainability-focused charrettes. The program immerses them in passive design strategies, material health, and other topics. Below, recent cohort members share their experiences:
How We Share
As design professionals, we believe speaking up and speaking out about climate change is our responsibility. Sharing our work at industry events is one way we support and advance sustainable thinking and practices.
EARTH DAY
While our commitment to sustainability is year-round, Earth Day is an annual opportunity for us to celebrate our progress and reinforce our goals. Each April, we celebrate with a video produced by Sustainability Network members across the firm.
GREENBUILD 2024
Last year, our Firmwide Sustainability Team and a group of Green Coordinators attended Greenbuild in Philadelphia. The annual conference features sessions and activities that educate, engage, and inspire the sustainable design community. Among the presentations and panels in which we participated, Ryan Dirks spoke about embodied and operational carbon. See our “Cutting Carbon at Every Stage” case study to learn more.
CNBC SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS INTERVIEW
Co-CEO Nick Leahy and Director of Sustainability Heather Jauregui were featured in CNBC’s SDG Leaders interview series, which highlights those who are actively addressing issues central to the United Nations’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They discussed architecture’s role in climate action and its capacity to support human health and well-being. The segment aired during Climate Week in 2024.
AMERICA BYDESIGN
The America ByDesign series is an offshoot of ByDesign, a CBS syndicated global television series dedicated to showcasing the world’s most innovative designs and the designers who create them. In season two, Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Washington, DC, was highlighted for its reenvisioning of the learning environment.
How We Make Impact
Through community volunteering and inclusive practices, we strengthen the places where we live and work, and foster environmental stewardship, equity, and belonging across our practice.
COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERING
Our practice is global, but our work is local. Volunteering in our local communities is part of how we make a positive impact. Our 2024 efforts included:
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Staff in our Pittsburgh studio volunteered in the Buena Vista Heights Conservation Area, planting native trees on a tract of land managed by the Allegheny Land Trust (bottom photo). Read more about this event in the “Offsets in Action” case study.
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Our Stamford, CT, studio participated in a beach cleanup day with SoundWaters, a local organization dedicated to protecting Long Island Sound (top photo).
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Our Shanghai studio celebrated Earth Day by hosting a bartering event, which promoted the use of second-hand items by encouraging staff to barter and trade with each other.
INCLUSION
Diverse voices and perspectives are essential to the sustainability of people and the planet. By investing in equity and inclusion efforts through strategic partnerships, leadership programs, and other initiatives, we are building a more resilient and inclusive firm—one that reflects the communities we serve, honors the natural world, and drives meaningful change.
We are committed to advancing inclusion through long-term, meaningful action. In 2024, we earned the Just Label, a transparency tool affirming and verifying our dedication to equity, health, and inclusion. We are preparing for the label’s renewal in 2026, focusing on our goals to increase diversity, address pay gaps, and expand firmwide education and training. While we don’t use quotas, we do track data to inform progress, including promotions and leadership demographics. In 2024, 60% of promotions were female or nonbinary; together, women and gender minorities comprise 36% of our firm leadership and nearly 40% of our Executive Committee.
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
2022
2023
2024
34.7%
34.7%
34.7%
65.3%
65.3%
64.1%
Nonbinary
Female
Male
Associate Principals and Principals
23.8%
23.4%
23.5%
76.2%
76.6%
76.5%
2022
2023
2024
Non-white
White
2022
2023
2024
58.8%
51.3%
60.0%
41.2%
48.7%
38.8%
1.3%
Nonbinary
Female
Male
Promotions
42.0%
44.9%
38.8%
58.8%
55.1%
61.2%
2022
2023
2024
Non-white
White
We continue to focus on understanding how the unique workplace dynamics within each of our 25 studios influences the way we collaborate. Internally, we invest in antibias training and cultural competence. To foster inclusion and diversify the talent pipeline, we are partnering with a variety of organizations and institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities such as Howard University and Florida A&M University, the National Organization of Minority Architects, Salvadori Center, ACE Mentor Program, and Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture UDream program.
To guide personal reflection and studio-driven action plans, we are using Reconstructing DEI: A Practitioner’s Workbook, by inclusion expert Lily Zheng, as a tool to help us pilot a localized inclusion strategy in our West Coast studios; we hope to scale this effort firmwide.
CASE STUDY: Our Just Journey
Perkins Eastman's Just Label Is Just the Beginning
What began as a pilot in our DC studio grew into a firmwide commitment: Perkins Eastman has now earned the Just label across all 17 U.S. locations. This milestone reflects our ongoing journey toward transparency, equity, and accountability—and strengthens our pursuit of a more inclusive, Human by Design future.
