Founded on people-centric design, BAR strives to create buildings and spaces that enhance community and people's lives. Focused on health and well-being, our work strives to help restore the deeply intertwined existential issues of climate change and social equity which we believe are key to a positive, sustainable future. We see the creation of a low carbon, high performance built environment as an opportunity to support our communities. Our ongoing R&D efforts serve to advance our knowledge and support our clients and broader community with the creation of healthy, high performance buildings.

Creating a Carbon Neutral Future – Supporting Decarbonization

Evaluating and incorporating efficiency, ranging from all-electric buildings to alternative construction delivery methods such as modular, mass timber, pre-fabrication, or a hybrid of different systems, helps us reduce operational and embodied carbon in our buildings.

As specialists in designing multifamily housing, one of our most recent R&D efforts serves to increase the creation of Zero Net Energy (ZNE) housing in the Bay Area. To do so, BAR formed a collaborative engineering and construction team to create Powerhaus1, a prototype ZNE for multifamily infill housing that incorporates a unique, integrated approach to design and project financing that offers market-rate housing developers a clear pathway to ZNE development.

Integrated Design

We holistically consider short- and long-term implications of design decisions and their impact on the environment and overall project goals. As part of our integrated design approach, we incorporate a variety of tools, including the AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence for goal setting; early, iterative performance modeling daylighting; and life-cycle analysis (LCA) for optimization. We utilize LCA software to evaluate and quantify embodied carbon during our design process to help inform our selection of alternative low carbon materials and building systems. Jointly weighing the program, aesthetic and budget goals, we develop a tailored design and sustainability strategy as a roadmap to success.

Health & Wellness

We believe buildings should support healthy living and the selection of healthy materials is key to sustaining and supporting a healthy environment. The elimination of red-list materials not only contributes to the health of building users, but also makes a major impact along the entire supply and manufacturing chain. Using an environmental and health focused design approach benefits those who live, work and play in our buildings as well as those involved in the construction process and building maintenance. Reducing the negative impacts of toxic materials from all aspects can positively affect health and equity within all of our communities.

A Net Positive, Equitable Future

We are in a critical time for the built environment. As signatories to the AIA 2030 Commitment since 2015, BAR continually builds upon lessons learned from our own projects as well as others in pursuit of Net Zero and beyond. We are actively working towards holistic solutions to prioritize improved energy performance and reduced material requirements with the goal of creating buildings that are carbon neutral and contribute to a cleaner, healthier, and more affordable built environment. We are committed to being part of the solution and contributing to the creation of a net-positive, equitable future for everyone.