REES History of Sustainable Design

REES has a 35-year history of providing energy efficient facilities with components and systems that are now considered "sustainable" or "green." Today, our company continues to emphasize the principles and lessons that environmental stewardship has to offer.

Under the direction of REES' Director of Sustainability, who guides the firm's environmental policies and design efforts, REES has formalized the expectation that our employees will become fluent in the language of green building. REES' comprehensive LEED training program has resulted in the accreditation of 70% of our design and technical staff. Our commitment to environmentally responsible design permeates our firm culture; every senior officer of REES is a LEED Accredited Professional.

Sustainability is a factor in nearly every decision that our team makes throughout the design process. From Pre-Design through Construction Administration, our professionals strive to make environmentally-friendly choices through building orientation, selection of efficient systems, daylighting elements, specification of finishes, water management, and numerous other methods. REES is adept at finding cost-effective or cost-neutral methods to implement sustainability into any project, large or small. Ultimately, we believe that the choices we make as designers and planners not only have a positive impact on the Earth but serve to make the built environment a healthier and more productive place to inhabit.

Elements that are now considered "sustainable" have been implemented on REES projects from the very beginning of the firm's existence. KAUT, an Oklahoma City broadcasting station completed in 1982, was our first project to assemble several strategies into one facility. Our "maiden" sustainable project incorporated approaches such as building orientation and earth berming. A true "green" success, the facility has the ability to self-heat even when exterior temperatures reach -5 degrees.

Each of our design specialties – Mission Critical / Broadcast, Corporate / Interiors, Education, Government, Healthcare, Justice, and Senior Living – features a portfolio containing sustainable projects. Recently, REES' Federal Bureau of Investigation Field Office in Louisville, Kentucky achieved LEED Silver Certification. Longhorn Village, a prominent Continuing Care Retirement Community in Austin, Texas, received a three star green building rating from the Austin Energy Green Building program in 2010.

We practice what we preach, making sure to design our own offices to the high environmental standards we promote. Our own offices incorporate numerous sustainable elements, including recycled carpet, steel structure and framing, and abundant daylighting and views in REES' Oklahoma City location. Additionally, REES' Atlanta and Dallas offices were each designed to achieve LEED Certification.

Our understanding of green building elements enhances our clients' ability to build smart and build sustainably. Although we believe that a project doesn't have to be LEED to be green, our experience shows that green elements are further enhanced when a project is targeting LEED Certification. The common green building elements below are representative of the choices our designers make to benefit our client's projects:

• Bamboo and Cork Flooring – Natural and Renewable Materials
• Shaw Carpet Tile – Recycled Content and Recyclable
• High Performance Low E Glass – Reduce HVAC Operating Costs and Equipment
• Large Building Overhangs – Shade Glass and Reduce HVAC Operating Costs and Equipment
• Natural Stone Exterior Native to Your State
• 80% of Interior Spaces have Views to the Outside and Natural Daylighting
• Indirect Lighting in the Open Office Areas – Reduced Number of Fixtures Required and Lighting Loads
• Window Shading Devices – Controls Heat Gain and Natural Light
• Energy Management System
• Lighting Management System for Exterior Lights
• Storm Water Retention On - Site and Eventually Flows into Native Wetlands
• Roof R-Value meets or exceeds ASHRAE - Reduced HVAC Equipment and Costs
• Vegetated Roofs
• Rainwater Recycling
• Low Flow or Waterless Technology
• Reduction of Heat Island Effect
• Parking for Low Emission Vehicles