Alta Calcagno, an Arch Nexus project manager, tells a similar story about a very different client she was honored to serve: the Hill Aerospace Museum at Hill Air Force Base in Roy, Utah. Arch Nexus remodeled the institution’s original galleries and added new galleries for aircraft. Like Robb and Huntsman, Alta has a personal connection to the client and its mission. Her father-in-law was a Navy pilot during the Vietnam War, and her husband was a hospital corpsman for the Navy. “Some military installations have an uneasy relationship with their host cities, but the Hill Aerospace Museum helps Hill Air Force Base to make a positive connection to the surrounding community. The renovation project was a great effort.” The process involved servicepeople, civilian personnel, family members and volunteers. They are proud of the museums and its mission and wanted to honor the men and women who built, flew and serviced these aircraft. The new gallery brought aircraft languishing on the museum grounds to exhibit and preserve them. “These are samples of airplanes that our grandfathers (and sometimes grandmothers) flew, often in foreign wars. The museum creates a legacy for these veterans and passes their stories onto the next generation,” said Alta. The Hill Aerospace Museum is free of charge for all visitors. Green Design While most architectural firms are invested, at least to some degree, in environmentally responsible architecture and sustainable design, Arch Nexus has taken this mantra to extraordinary levels. They routinely design buildings that go beyond conventional green building practices and focus on how a building interacts with and supports its surrounding ecosystem. Project Manager Rachel Sittler says this focus drew her to Arch Nexus while she was still in school and keeps her there. “Just today, we had an in-house training on how AI impacts the environment.” Their regular “Green Minutes” trainings address current green strategies for designing buildings using sustainable approaches and materials that go beyond minimizing harm and give back to the environment. Arch Nexus works with clients to infuse sustainable design into its projects to the highest degree feasible within the program and the budget. Arch Nexus’ energy-efficient projects include libraries, healthcare facilities, schools and commercial facilities. Walking the Walk The Arch Nexus Design Center, Arch Nexus’ Salt Lake Office, is emblematic of this deep commitment to sustainable design. Located at 2505 E. Parley’s Way, the building was an existing fitness center, with lots of potential for flexibility given its high ceilings, wide bays and open plan. Already a very green building, the Design Center was renovated to be certified by Living Future. For more information about the building, scan the QR code. https://living-future.org/ case-studies/architecturalnexus-salt-lake-city/ Rachel said, “We attract individuals who are very sustainability centric. When we remodeled this office in 2020 and our office in Sacramento, the renovations were about people living in living buildings. Now we operate in two of the greenest buildings in the world, and we can share it with clients. We are working in a lab, and we can demonstrate what works well and what needs improvement.” Key features of the Platinum LEED-certified building include: • Energy Efficiency: This building is 35% better than the national median. • Water Conservation: The building minimizes water use. Greywater is used for toilet flushing and the interior irrigation of the five living walls. A 2,500-gallon rainwater cistern was installed on site, and rainwater is used for clothes washers and exterior irrigation. Stormwater runoff is managed with a swale. • Material Sourcing: Whenever possible, Arch Nexus sources materials locally, and reused much of the material from the renovation onsite. • Indoor Environmental Quality: The design maximizes natural light, ventilation and healthy indoor air quality. Culture and Succession Brian Cassil, Arch Nexus’ Director of Communications, who has been with the firm for 28 years, says, “Mentoring is a big part of our culture. We have to replenish the firm by growing the firm.” The staff of a successful architectural practice must know how to put together a building, provide great design services and effectively serve clients. Over time, this develops a design portfolio that in turn develops sustainable market segments. New hires can’t learn all they need to know about the profession in school or through an employee handbook. Robb said, “There are certain things that take time to learn in this industry. We try to learn what people are passionate 20 REFLEXION
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