- Sustainability
- Equity
- Community Action
Great Design is Sustainable Design
Sustainable design is integral to great design. Together with our clients, we are acting to achieve zero carbon and elevate sustainable, equitable, and resilient design solutions across all building types. Explore our projects, expertise, and recognitions in the industry:
Learn MoreEmbracing a Sustainable Legacy
With more than 70 years of experience as an interdisciplinary design firm, we have developed an integrated approach to our work. Our teams collaborate across disciplines to consider environmental impact and resilience, setting ambitious yet achievable goals. The high-performance projects, industry commitments, and collected metrics are evidence: we have the knowledge and tools to design for mitigation and adaptation.
Learn MoreCarbon Neutrality
Our Goals
In 2024, we will measure our own carbon footprint. By 2025, we will achieve carbon neutrality using third-party, verified carbon offsets. By 2030, we will have reduced our carbon emissions by 50%.
Energy Analysis
Following the .script
ENERGY.script, a Rhino/Grasshopper-based tool by HGA and Cause, streamlines energy optimization comparisons, aiding design and budget choices.
801
Projects Reported to AIA 2030
Looking Forward
In 2022, HGA reported a record high number of eligible projects. To keep us on track to meet the AIA 2030 goal of net zero on all eligible projects, we are targeting a 10% improvement in EUI reduction from 2022 to 2023.
210+
Accredited Professionals
Our Collective
At HGA we have more than 210 Sustainability Accredited Professionals on staff, with certifications in LEED, WELL, LFA, and Passive House. Working across disciplines, we help our clients prepare for an evolving future.
COTE Top 10 Award
Westwood Hills Nature Center
Certified Net Zero Energy in a Cold Climate
The Westwood Hills Nature Center in St. Louis Park, Minnesota has achieved Zero Energy Certification from the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), and in 2023 was honored by the AIA with a COTE® Top Ten Award, the industry's most prestigious program recognizing sustainable design excellence.
MEP 2040
HGA signs pledge targeting net zero embodied carbon by 2040
Our Commitment
HGA has signed the MEP 2040 Commitment, agreeing to four benchmarks:
- Establish a company plan to reduce operational and embodied carbon across MEP systems on all projects, targeting zero by 2040.
- Specify low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Request Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) in project specifications for MEP system components.
- Participate in a quarterly MEP 2040 Forum.
Our Strategic Priorities
With vision and strategy, we have made progress toward aligning our internal structure to position our company and clients to create the greatest possible impact. As we build physical environments that are sustainable and resilient, we also are building relationships with other leaders and change-makers in the form of clients, employees, and partners.
Strengthen the Network
To continue nurturing our growing firm-wide sustainability resources, we have established formal processes, built out dedicated sustainability groups, and cultivated a broad knowledge ecosystem.
Integrate Sustainability into our Design Process
Sustainability experts are incorporated into project teams and goals are identified early to target energy performance, carbon emissions targets, and third-party certification.
Establish Accountability Measures and Track Progress
Transparency encourages responsible actions, and we are actively tracking and reporting our efforts to achieve industry commitments as well as continued measures within our own firm.
Strengthen the Network
To continue nurturing our growing firm-wide sustainability resources, we have established formal processes, built out dedicated sustainability groups, and cultivated a broad knowledge ecosystem.
Integrate Sustainability into our Design Process
Sustainability experts are incorporated into project teams and goals are identified early to target energy performance, carbon emissions targets, and third-party certification.
Establish Accountability Measures and Track Progress
Transparency encourages responsible actions, and we are actively tracking and reporting our efforts to achieve industry commitments as well as continued measures within our own firm.
Advancing Sustainability
Our increased commitment to sustainability has resulted in a firm-wide culture shift. Sustainability considerations are becoming ingrained in every project and are a targeted focus for our interdisciplinary team of architects, interior designers, planners, and researchers. Everyone at HGA is now within two degrees of separation from the person, resource, or answer they need.
Just as the industrial revolution was the catalyst for global warming, the current wave of climate action is the catalyst for a future sustainable, resilient world. Two hundred years from now, historians will look at this decade as the moment everything changed. We feel the weight of that responsibility and are honored to be working with so many clients who are leading this transformation.
Ariane Laxo, CID, IIDA, LEED AP ID+C, Allied AIA
Director of Sustainability
Our Ongoing Commitment to Equity
We are committed to fostering an equitable culture where everyone is valued, advancing accessibility for all, and leveraging resources to shape a positive future for our communities. Explore our impact, project stories, and partnerships:
Learn MoreEquity in Motion
Equity is a living, breathing part of HGA—woven into the fabric of our culture, it is reflected in our work, our people, and our strategy. Great design is equitable design: fueled by curiosity, informed by diverse perspectives, and elevated by insight directly from those who inhabit our spaces.
Learn MoreRestoring Legacy
Bronzeville Center for the Arts
Revitalizing a Historic Neighborhood
HGA and minority-owned firm M&E Architects + Engineers are designing an arts museum in Bronzeville, a historically African American neighborhood in Milwaukee.
Just.
Commitment to Social Justice
Corporate Transparency
HGA has achieved the Just Label 2.0, a voluntary disclosure platform for organizations to share their operations, including employee well-being and community commitment.
$13.5 M
Paid to Partner Organizations
Diverse Consultant Contracts
In 2022, HGA paid $13.5 million to small, diverse, or disadvantaged vendors, representing 33% of the total fees paid to all consultants.
21
Lunch & Learn Speakers
Different Perspectives
Initiated in 2022, we have hosted 21 speakers through Equity Speaks, a monthly equity-themed lunch and learn available virtually for all HGA staff across our 13 offices.
Embracing Equity
Gender Neutral
We have made great strides towards reaching gender equality through awareness and training, particularly seeing increased parity and representation in our corporate leadership and shareholder ranks: in 2023 77% of our executive team and 40% of our employee owners are women.
Our Growing Network
Pushing the Industry Forward
Equity is a business imperative—a continuous path of improvement from superficial equity signaling to genuine, purposeful actions. To help move the needle at HGA and across our industry, we are sharing our story and learning from other organizations. Our growing network includes partners like the National Organization of Minority Architects, Crew Network, National Society of Black Engineers, the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, the American Society for Health Care Engineering, and more.
Our Strategic Priorities
At HGA we embrace a responsibility that is both inspiring and humbling: to generate positive and lasting impact through design. To do that, we have developed a comprehensive equity strategy to build our culture, contribute to our communities, and create work that is inclusive and accessible.
Build Culture and Capacity
We are creating policies, practices, and a culture that helps all people flourish as we build a diverse workforce where differences are cultivated and appreciated.
Develop Authentic Partnerships
We are committed to fostering an equitable economy, within our own practice and in partnerships on our projects, and we are building an ecosystem of partners around the country.
Push the Industry Forward through Thought Leadership
We have detailed successes and challenges at conferences across the country, and exchange ongoing equity strategies with other firms as part of the AIA Large Firm Roundtable.
Contribute to the Resilience of our Communities
To address inequities and disparities within our local communities, we design to support equity, accessibility, and inclusion, and approach every project with empathy for all users and the public.
Practice Holistic Design
We put equity into practice through our process and outcomes, creating thoughtful, intentional design that helps communities thrive socially, economically, and environmentally.
The Journey Continues
HGA was founded on the belief that diverse perspectives are integral to great design. As a firm dedicated to learning and growing, our definition of diversity has evolved significantly. Now, our journey continues, and we will persist in our pursuit of equity, accessibility, and inclusion within our designs and for our broader community.
A genuine understanding of equity is to recognize that it is not something to achieve; it is an ever-evolving commitment to see the world and consider every interaction through an equity lens.
Terri Howard
Director of Equity
Designing for Social Impact
We aim to create a powerful impact on the social, environmental, and economic health of the communities where we live, work, gather, and play. Explore our impact, community-focused projects, and outreach:
Learn More
Qmunity District
HGA San Jose's pro bono work enhanced the inclusive Qmunity District for LGBTQ+ individuals and families in the South Bay area, featuring symbolic steel "portals," safer alleys, and LGBTQ+ history tributes through art. We also partnered with Local Color San Jose Downtown Association and artist Anthony Combs for the 2023 Martin Luther King National Day of Service mural in Qmunity.
Express Bikeshop
Through our annual pro bono design workshop, we created a design concept for Express Bike Shop, a Saint Paul, MN nonprofit specializing in refurbished bicycles and operating a successful youth social enterprise targeting low-income teens. A learning lab for teaching practical entrepreneurship, the program has been running for over 25 years.
Transforming Values into Action
HGA's Community Action program empowers employees for positive impact. Through pro bono work, outreach, and volunteering, we partner with nonprofits to elevate voices often unheard. This commitment reflects our ideals of equity, sustainability, and engagement.
Learn More210
Total Staff Engaged
Locally Grown
Each of our 13 office locations are empowered to identify and partner with local organizations that align with their unique passions and interests, and all employees are encouraged to participate.
52
Organizations Engaged
Free of Charge
We provide pro bono design services and engagement workshops for nonprofits, community associations, and educational institutions. Organizations apply for assistance, and when accepted are matched with an HGA design team.
2,426
Hours Volunteered
Hands-on
At HGA we put our equity values into action through annual days of service—in the past year we built homes with Habitat for Humanity, participated in charity fundraisers, and engaged in environmental restoration work.
3%
of Net Profits Given to Charities
Giving Back
To support national and local nonprofit community organizations, causes, and initiatives we care deeply about, HGA is committed to contributing at least 3% of our net profits to charitable giving each year.
Coast-to Coast Community Cleanups
Every spring, we celebrate our communities across the country by rolling up our sleeves to clean up rivers, parks, and neighborhoods, and recognize the incredible opportunity—and responsibility—we have at HGA to do everything we can to build a more sustainable future.
Community Action Programs
Begun as a grassroots effort in 2014, our Community Action program aims to enhance the social impact of our work through four primary programs:
- Days of Service – hands-on, face-to-face volunteer days benefiting local non-profits and community groups
- Pro Bono Design – HGA-employee time and expertise donated to local organizations
- Design Workshops – an annual tradition making design accessible for nonprofit groups
- Outreach – creating connections across communities to inspire the next generation of designers
Our Strategic Priorities
We are a design firm made up of passionate, creative, generous people who want to make our world a better place. HGA strives to create a powerful impact on the social, environmental, and economic health of the communities we live in.
Advance Authentic Engagement through Pro Bono Design
As a firm with equity at its core, we seek to make design accessible to community organizations who need assistance but lack financial resources to acquire our services.
Mentor the Next Generation of Designers
We support historically underrepresented communities through formal mentorship programs and scholarships that encourage young women and BIPOC students to pursue architecture from a young age.
Put Equity Values into Action through Days of Service
Outreach is a concrete way to embrace our civic responsibility, explore the social impact of the physical environment, and create connections across the communities where we live and work.
Support Communities through Charitable Giving
HGA supports national and local nonprofit community organizations by providing financial contributions and encouraging giving that is in alignment with local passions and overall firm goals.
Fostering Change Locally and Beyond
We believe that contributing to our communities is not just a corporate responsibility—it’s a human responsibility. Inspired by our founders’ early work in education and the arts, and propelled by current employees’ commitment to civic engagement, HGA will continue to invest time, resources, and expertise to create positive local impact.
Design services can be difficult to obtain for those who need them most. HGA is made up of creative, curious, and compassionate people with a deep level of expertise in the built environment. It is our responsibility as a firm to leverage our resources, knowledge, and authentic partnerships to give back to our communities, making design accessible to all.
Ethan Fogle & Kaitlin Schalow
Co-Directors of Community Action