MBB’s Jeffrey Murphy discussed sustainable and resilient design strategies as part of the Climate Transformations symposium at UVA’s School of Architecture on March 28th.

Innovative Design and Climate Research

How do we implement sustainable design strategies in practice? This two-day symposium spotlights innovative design and climate research at the UVA School of Architecture and beyond. MBB Architects founding partner Jeffrey Murphy was invited to participate in the symposium based on our firm’s experience designing sustainable environments. As part of a panel called “In Practice,” focusing on sustainable architecture and resilient design strategies, he shared insights from a variety of projects in our studio. He was joined by distinguished colleagues from Reed Hilderbrand, Nelson Byrd Woltz, LTL, Southern Environmental Law Center, and Dean Malo A. Hutson from UVA.

The Need for Sustainable Architecture and Design

As the symposium organizers noted, “Our climate future demands transformation—a courageous and collective understanding of our world, novel approaches to living, and generous models of stewardship and intervention. Design and planning possess a distinctive fusion of technical knowledge, synthetic creativity, and inclusive methods that can be defined as both radical and practical. How can these practices, which center the physical world and its making, inspire individuals and communities to reimagine the changing environment and their essential relationship to it?”

Sustainability Leadership by MBB Architects

Sustainable design solutions—which conserve the environment, ensure human wellbeing, and reduce long-term costs—are integral to MBB’s planning and design process. Our firm’s LEED-accredited professionals and Passive House Certified Designers are committed to implementing sustainable design methods and creative, high-performance technical solutions that are cost-effective, serve our client’s interests, and help protect the future of the planet. MBB Architects is just one of 400 firms that have signed onto the AIA’s 2030 Commitment—a call for all new buildings, developments and major renovations to be carbon neutral by 2030.

Expertise in Sustainable Architecture

Highlights of our firm’s sustainable design expertise include:

• Space planning with Columbia University to envision 300,000+ square feet of future space needs that meet the aggressive sustainability goals of Columbia’s Plan 2030.
• Seamlessly upgrading campus infrastructure at St. Patrick’s Cathedral with energy-efficient building systems, including a state-of-the-art geothermal heating and cooling plant.
• Designing a Net Zero Energy Library in Hollister, California as part of the 2020 Architecture at Zero design competition (Merit Award).
• Renovating a Harlem Townhouse to (uncertified) Passive House standards