We understand how strong and important the link between the built environment and the social wellbeing of people is. Our focus starts positioning our projects to ensure we are promoting healthy living, starting with open space and overall public realm. These initiatives strengthen community bonds, encourage social interaction, and improve overall wellbeing. Public realm improvements are integrated into projects, emphasizing sustainable designs with new plantings, increased tree canopy, permeable pavers, and water retention processes, effectively improving air + water quality, providing habitat for wildlife, mitigating the effects of climate change and reducing urban heat islands. Well planned open spaces, especially in urban environments, are a vital component to our physical and mental wellbeing.
Projects go above and beyond local and regional resiliency guidelines for stormwater management, including new construction near projected future flood zones. We achieve these goals by working with municipalities to identify stormwater and flood risks early on and implementing systems to minimize impacts.
We intentionally focus efforts on building with utilizing sustainable materials within projects and constructions means and methods that reduce carbon output. Embodied carbon refers to the amount of carbon emissions that are released during the production, transportation, and assembly of building materials. Embodied carbon is expected to account for nearly 50% of the overall carbon footprint of new construction between now and 2050. To limit our carbon footprint, we use wood frame construction, reducing the need for concrete. We also strategically sources materials that reuse second-hand materials such as brick, metal, recycled content steel.
We implement energy demand mitigation methods that reduce carbon impacts. These methods include everything from studying geothermal technologies that power buildings, to installing high performance facades .
Architectural and engineering design of buildings and sites focuses focuses on maximizing energy efficiencies from the very start. RISE projects have utilized LEED and Passive House design guidelines that push projects to the leading edge of sustainability.
RISE implements advanced transportation demand measures on all projects to reduce vehicular trips created by new construction while implementing and improving pedestrian and bike safety, both on site and on access pathways.