Sustainability is Our Commitment

Stewardship, integrity, and well-being — creating positive change in a complex world. At Bruner/Cott, sustainability isn’t just a concept; it’s a commitment. We believe in a shared responsibility to honor our planet and do our part to help restore ecological balance. As architects, we have a unique opportunity to go beyond doing no harm to create positive change by designing built environments that are regenerative, economically responsible, ethical and equitable, and respect the long-term carrying capacity of the earth.

Sustainability drives design

Successful design must consider environmental impact, human well-being, and social responsibility. Building standards like LEED, the Living Building Challenge, and WELL support this integrated approach by providing a predefined set of principles to guide decision making during the design process. We work with our clients to define these values within the context of their own aspirations and to choose the tools and methods that are right for their project. With input from carefully chosen teams of expert consultants, we navigate the sea of information related to material selection, energy and water conservation strategies, renewable energy options, and passive design. We empower clients to make educated decisions about which approach best aligns with their goals while maintaining our commitment to design excellence.

Through our work, we contribute to a better world

We continue to be leaders and innovators as we pursue ever more progressive strategies for sustainable design.

• Our projects have achieved two LEED Platinum and over ten LEED Gold and Silver certifications.
• We have successfully completed our first Living Building Challenge project that has achieved net-zero water, net-positive energy, and is red-list compliant. It is the largest Living Certified higher education project in the world.
• We are signatories of the AIA 2030 Commitment, adopting fossil fuel reduction standards to achieve carbon neutral building design.
• We have creatively recycled over 5 million square feet of building.
• We were early adopters of sustainable technology, deploying passive solar and geothermal systems and a hydro-electric plant in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s – long before they were commonplace.
• We are the first New England-based company to receive the International Living Future Institute’s JUST label. JUST is a corporate responsibility and transparency metric emphasizing diversity, equity, social justice, and stewardship.
• We believe in giving back and contribute 10% of our annual profits and a portion of our time to charitable organizations.