Big Green: Finding a green firm

[Pavlova Ludmilla]

A couple of years ago I thought it might be interesting to apply for
work back in the design sector.  I was most interested in finding a firm
that had a commitment to sustainable design, so the question I asked
first was:  do you keep a project team together from start to finish or
do you pass planning work on to detailers!  At the time I could not find
a large firm with institutional higher ed and research lab clients that
committed to doing that, so I stayed put.  I cannot imagine how you can
deliver a good, green building if you hold back the people who detail
the construction from being part of the design process.  So I would ask
if integrated design is practiced as a core principle.

This past week I heard a person from SOM talk about BIM, and that the
integration of the technology is requiring project teams to stay
together and for senior architects to train junior architects not just
on how to draw a building, but how to build it.  Halleluiah!  I'm
finding that BIM is bringing about sustainability in design practice.
So I guess I will have to dust off my resume and look again...

Ludmilla

Ludmilla Pavlova, R.A., LEED A.P.
Senior Facilities Planner
University of Massachusetts
Facilities & Campus Planning
360 Campus Center Way
Amherst, MA 01003-9248
Voice (413) 577-1720
Fax. (413) 545-3684
http://www.umass.edu/facil