Helmuth & Bicknese and Cumberland Design: comparing sustainable and conventional building firms

Sustainable Building Design

According to the National Park Service, an estimated 26 billion tons of topsoil are lost beyond the ability to replace it every year. In addition, out underground water tables are not contaminated in 32 American states. Water tables are dropping as our consumption of these resources climbs faster than the earth's capacity to replace them. The impact the humans have on the environment is staggering. There is now a movement to help reduce the impact that we have on the environment by using sustainable techniques in new building design. The following will compare two companies and their ability to meet these goals in their design program.

Sustainable Company

Helmuth & Bicknese is a sustainable design architecture firm that follows the entire building process from site selection to final specifications. They begin by analyzing the site to determine the impact that the building will have on the environmental resources on the site. They design the building so that it will have the minimal impact on the environment and the people that will occupy it. Sustainable design tries to consider every aspect of the building, both inside and out. It considers the impact of building systems, such as heat and water, choosing the method that has the least impact.

Helmuth & Bicknese perform a detailed analysis and attempt to consider every part of the building. Their approach appears to be detailed and methodical. On several places on their website, they mention the LEEDS system, which assigns a sustainability rating to the building. They appear to be knowledgeable and thorough in their approach to sustainable building design. It is likely that this company accomplishes its goal in designing low impact buildings.

Conclusions

In recognition that the world must change its attitude and act in a way that will help to conserve our vital resources, the General Service Administration (GSA) has mandated that sustainable building techniques be used. According to these standards, the sustainable building will seek to Sustainable design principles include the ability to: optimize site potential, minimize non-renewable energy consumption, use environmentally preferable products, protect and conserve water, enhance indoor environmental quality, and optimize operational and maintenance practices. These government standards are a response to the responsibility that the government has in protecting its citizens from harm stemming from environmental degradation. Sustainable building design is responsible from a social standpoint.

Helmuth & Bicknese demonstrate concern for their fellow mankind in trying to preserve natural resources for future generations. They express concern for the community and for the world. In contrast, the Cumberland Design and Building Company appear to be self-serving and only concerned with the bottom line. Helmuth & Bicknese are the more responsible company, in this case.

In addition to being the socially responsible choice for buildings, sustainable building techniques also help to save money, both in the short- and long-term. They save money over the long-term by reducing energy waster and consumption. Sustainable building used to be considered a niche market, but now the public demands it and government mandates are moving towards making it more mainstream that it was in the past. Now sustainable building design is becoming an accepted standard in the industry. Consumer demand is driving the building design market towards sustainable methods and those that do not adopt them will be left behind in the marketplace.