Sustainable Design Consulting
SDC enjoyed watching TWO of our projects receive THREE USGBC Virginia community leader awards this week! Pictured here is Henrico County's LEED Gold Fairfield Area Library, designed by Quinn Evans and Tappé Architects, which won BOTH the Innovative Project of the Year – New Construction and People's Choice awards! Our other winning project was
SDC is excited to announce that our LEED Gold and LBC Petal-certified renovation project at Williams College has been honored with the Built Environment Plus award for Carbon & Energy! Designed by MCWB Architects and built by A/Z Corporation, this student housing project takes campus sustainability to new heights.
SDC is honored to have served the professional building community with consulting excellence for 20 years! From our humble beginnings in Sandra Leibowitz’s home to a far-reaching firm operating from offices in both Richmond, Virginia and Washington, DC – we’ve come a long way, baby!
In this time, SDC has grown with the green building industry
At last night's Midsummer Night's Green event, USGBC National Capital Region honored SDC's LEED Platinum-level certified Southwest Neighborhood Library with BOTH the Climate Champion AND People’s Choice project awards! Accepting the award on behalf of DC Public Library was Director, Capital Planning and Construction
We’re thrilled to announce LEED Platinum certification for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Brock Environmental Center’s Macon and Joan Brock Classroom! Designed by Tymoff + Moss Architects, this 1,500 sf addition provides hands-on learning for students in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools Environmental Studies Program.
This year, SDC enhanced its engagement with AIA Virginia to increase state-wide impact, as Sandra Leibowitz joined the Advocacy Advisory Council and Rebecca Aarons-Sydnor joined the newly formed, state-wide Committee on the Environment (COTE) Steering Committee. We look forward to helping advance both sets of priorities in 2022!
The Fort at Williams College has now attained both LEED Gold-level AND LBC Petal certifications! Designed by MCWB Architects and built by A/Z Corporation, the 12,875 sf renovated building houses graduate students in Fine Arts. Championing low energy use intensity and non-toxic materials, it takes campus sustainability to new heights.
The Bank Building at 699 14th Street NW in DC has now attained both LEED for Core & Shell Gold-level AND Fitwel certifications! This new 143,700 sf, 11-story office building and historic bank building renovation were developed by Lincoln Property Company and designed by Shalom Baranes Associates. Congratulations to all involved!
SDC’s Washington Office has now been recognized under U.S. EPA’s new ENERGY STAR® Tenant Space program! Our office space’s lighting system has been verified to be about 25% more efficient than lighting found in typical offices. We’re doing our part to save energy and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions from our DC location.
We’re thrilled to announce LEED Platinum certification for DC’s new Southwest Library! This ‘pavilion in a park’ emphasizes connection to the natural environment and embraces passive site design. Its unique roof structure significantly reduced the project’s construction waste on-site, while supporting both vegetation and a photovoltaic array.
SDC is now recognized as an ENERGY STAR Partner: Commercial & Industrial Service & Product Provider! As such, we provide services that directly aid in improving the energy efficiency of our customer's buildings, plants, or operations – most recently by successfully managing the ENERGY STAR certification for 1875 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
Earlier this year, the Women in Sustainability Leadership Awards (WSLA) were acquired from gb&d magazine by the newly formed WSLA Alumnae Group, which has now teamed up with GreenBiz Group as its media partner! Sandra Leibowitz, a 2017 WSLA alumna, serves as Treasurer for this new not-for-profit organization moving into 2021.
The 6th Edition of Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) has now been published by the CDC with the NIH and includes a new Sustainability Appendix co-authored by former SDCer Elizabeth Floyd and Steven Piguet! See more information about this important guidance document and download a free copy here.
2100 L Street NW in downtown DC is now LEED for Core & Shell Platinum-level certified! Developed by Akridge and designed by WDG Architecture, this ~190,000 sf, 10-story, Class A office building shines in its smart location, within walking distance of our own DC office and USGBC's Headquarters. Read more about this striking property here.
We’re now thrilled to announce LEED Platinum certification for Hub Pavilion, Weil Hall, and Welcome Center at Washington University in St. Louis! These new buildings, designed by KieranTimberlake, complete the Danforth Campus east end development for which SDC has provided LEED services – learn more about their story here.
A Midsummer Night’s Green was held virtually this year, and therein USGBC National Capital Region chapter honored SDC with its prestigious Leadership in Sustainable Business Practices, Small Business award! Reserved for “organizations in our region that ‘walk the walk’ when it comes to innovative or influential sustainability strategies”, SDC was recognized as “early adopters and champions of LEED in its many forms.”
We’re thrilled to announce LEED Platinum certification for Jubel Hall at Washington University in St. Louis! This new building, designed by Moore Ruble Yudell, is one of four with a shared master site for which SDC has provided LEED services. See Architect’s February feature story, covering the overall campus and individual building projects!
Like you, SDC has had to adapt expeditiously to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts. Staff are largely teleworking, and can be reached by email, as we strive to maintain service to our clients. To further assist during this trying time, we have developed a coronavirus office cleaning resource, for your use as well as our own.
This year, SDC expands its contribution to sustainability advocacy efforts across our region. As part of this effort, Kara Strong now sits on the DMV Net Zero Energy (NZE) Coalition's Executive Committee and has joined USGBC National Capital Region (NCR) Chapter's Montgomery County Committee, providing SDC's input into these two important DC-area
GBCI has announced its 2019 class of LEED Fellows, and SDC’s Avneet Gujral is among them! This annual recognition of outstanding LEED professionals within the green building community is the most prestigious credential awarded by GBCI. SDC congratulates our own Avneet for joining the 2019 class of LEED Fellows!
After 11 years of service to SDC as manager of DC office operations, Steven Piguet transitions to part-time consultant status as Director of Special Programs, focusing on business development, marketing, human resources, administrative functions and Fitwel process management. Managing Principal Sandra Leibowitz resumes responsibility
Two years ago, SDC first pursued labeling under version 1.0 of JUST, the International Living Future Institute’s social justice transparency platform. The JUST program serves as both a voluntary disclosure tool and a "nutrition label" for socially just and equitable organizations. SDC has now attained JUST v2.0 labeling, reflecting the program’s updated criteria and SDC’s.
Designed by Hickok Cole Architects and developed by Akridge and Alcion Ventures, 1701 Rhode Island Avenue NW is SDC’s 20th LEED Platinum certification! The original downtown DC structure was transformed into a boutique office building, with a naturally-lit fitness center, penthouse conference facility and landscaped roof terraces.
SDC was thrilled that the renovation of and addition to Powell Elementary School won both this year's AIA|DC Design Awards for Architecture AND Sustainable Design! Congratulations to DC Public Schools, iSTUDIO and the entire team on such wonderful accolades for such a wonderful green building project.
