Sustainable Design Services
APD Engineering and Architecture is fully committed to incorporating sustainable technology and designs into all of our projects. APD’s approach considers our client’s needs, operations, and budget to balance the best applications. APD understands ROI and how making the right choices can be a benefit to all. APD is at the forefront of practical sustainable building and site design as well as strategy implementation. APD’s LEED accredited professionals and design personnel pursue the latest conservation and responsible green building design and construction principles. APD believes that we are stewards of our environment and are responsible for conserving our precious natural resources. By employing sustainable design practices, our goals of benefiting our clients’ projects, the community, the environment and the future are achieved.
APD has extensive experience in implementing sustainability, and our experience has been called upon to advise clients in both the private and public sectors. We have implemented sustainability on national prototype and roll-out programs, continue to monitor the performance metrics and refine designs to improve building performances. We have been enlisted by one of the largest retailers in the world to service on their advisory board for site sustainability, and produce recommendations that are implemented at locations nationwide. As a participant in our local community, we have agreed to serve on a council for a local college to implement sustainability for existing operations and buildings as well as to give advice on future projects.
APD’s building team strives to produce facilities that conserve, sustain, and are efficient in energy, materials and operations. We incorporate high-performance plumbing fixtures, enhanced commissioning and refrigeration management, utilization of recycled and regional materials, increased ventilation, low-emitting materials, controllability of lighting and thermal control systems and daylighting techniques in our designs. At the same time, we are look at the other side of the equation. For example, low water usage can increase pollutant levels in the effluent waters causing permitting issues. Balance is an important consideration so that solutions do not cause negative impacts later, somewhere else.
APD’s civil engineers have employed a number of sustainable design principles in our projects including:
- Strive to maintain existing undeveloped areas to retain the natural functionality and/or restore components of previously developed area by adding green space to provide a more sustainable location
- Protection and mitigation of environmentally sensitive areas
- Incorporation of rain gardens and bio-filtration swales to promote water quality and groundwater infiltration, as well as provide significant savings by reducing underground storm sewer and retention pond costs
- Examine the use of recycled materials
- Conservation of energy through lighting designs, fixtures and site orientation
- Saving or eliminating irrigation water through use of indigenous plants for landscaping
- Consultation with the owner to gain understanding of operational techniques such as snow removal, landscape maintenance, and stormwater maintenance to reduce the project impact on the environment
APD’s architects and engineers have the experience to guide our clients in understanding the benefits and costs associated with sustainable design and construction certification programs, such as LEED and the Florida Green Commercial Building Certification Standard. These programs exceed the general sustainable design principals we employ through the use of rating systems for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of green buildings.
