SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS Project Management Staff Education Marketing Community Advocacy and Engagement Immediate (6 months) • Create sustainability checklist for all phases of design and include in Wrike. • Begin to develop sustainability guide to share with clients. • Create sustainability kick‑off guide for initiating discussion with clients. • Identify needed skills and knowledge and develop plan to support staff in attaining sustainability expertise. • Include sustainability commitment on website. • Commit to mentorship and education opportunities. • Continue to provide office opportunities for community engagement. • Continue to incentivize AIA involvement. Short Term (18 months) • Implement sustainability checklist at all phases of a project. • Evaluate and update SAP each year at end of year. • Finalize and improve sustainability guide to share with clients. • Develop means of supporting staff in pursuing green building credential(s). • Schedule office CEUs related to sustainability. • Apply to awards that recognize sustainability. • Work intentionally with consultants to pursue sustainability measures. Mid Term (3-5 years) • Continue to implement and evaluate project management and client education strategies to achieve sustainability targets. • Maintain and expand expertise through ongoing continuing education and innovative ideas. great marketing strategy for your firm. The commitment entails creating a little document called a Sustainability Action Plan, a firm‑specific outline of goals tailored to your firm, your available resources and time. There are many examples of other firms’ plans online. You can reference AIA National’s SAP (which will be updated specifically for small firms in 2025) by scanning the QR code. https://www.aia.org/sites/default/files/2023-11/Creating_a_Sustainability_Action_Plan.pdf THE BENEFITS OF A SUSTAINABILITY ACTION PLAN The following are five benefits of having a Sustainability Action Plan (SAP): 1. Streamlined Productivity: An SAP aligns your firm’s goals with actionable strategies, saving time and reducing inefficiencies. 2. Enhanced Marketability: Position your firm as a leader in sustainability. Clients increasingly value environmentally responsible practices. 3. Competitive Edge: Demonstrating expertise in sustainable design helps you stand out in a crowded market. 4. Elevated Design: Metrics and boundaries within a SAP inspire innovation and elevate design quality. 5. Resilience and Fortitude: Build a future-ready firm that thrives as sustainability and disaster‑survivability become the industry standard. How to Create a Sustainability Action Plan That Works Your SAP will reflect your firm’s unique culture, celebrate existing sustainable practices and align with the challenges of operating as a small firm. It will empower you to turn clients into sustainability advocates, enhancing your influence within your market. By setting realistic goals paced over one, three and five years, your SAP ensures progress without overwhelming, paving the way for impactful, long-lasting change. If you set your firm on this track, momentum will drive integration and make your sustainable practices sought after by clients and collaborators. You do not have to do it all! Consultants like Regenerative Building Solutions can perform (or recommend others) energy modeling, envelope design and detailing, spec-writing, sub-contractor and G.C. procurement, life-cycle analysis, and upload to the DDX in a way that can be incorporated into your existing process without significantly adding to your learning curve or project scope and fee. SAP Action Items Chart, Furman + Keil Architects 8 IDAHO ARCHITECTURE | 2025 | aiaidaho.com
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