Sustainability is central to all of the activities of 450 Architects. We care passionately about all spheres of environmental impact, such as site, energy, water, materials, and health. We support the U.S. Green Building Council and we have three LEED Accredited Professionals on staff.  San Mateo County (California) hired 450 Architects to support the growth of sustainable design countywide by writing a comprehensive Sustainable Building Guidelines and Checklist that covers all types of construction and projects of all sizes. 

A D Construction has completed a variety of green home projects since 2000.  Our most recent green project is a bathroom remodel completed in 2008 incorporating bamboo cabinetry, water saving plumbing and non toxic paints and finishes.  In 2006, we completed new construction of a green home in the Pleasure Point area of Santa Cruz called the Tree House.  This project incorporates the use of local and salvaged materials throughout, including redwood siding from a downed tree in Big Sur, energy efficient insulation and heating, and non toxic materials.  All of our staff are Certified Green Building Professionals and Shannon Demma is a LEED Accredited Professional by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Alward Construction is a nationally recognized builder, winning over twelve awards since 1995. We have added green building as a specialty, and have a NARI Certified Green Builder on staff.

Since its founding, Canyon Construction has completed more than sixty exclusively green projects, including ten custom homes and more than fifty remodels.  Many more of our remodels have incorporated sustainable features and methods, but were not exclusively green.  We have five LEED Accredited Professionals on staff, and four staff members are NARI Certified Green Builders.  We are also nationally recognized for our extensive work in High Volume Fly Ash Concrete.

We have been doing green building projects since 1998. Carpistry’s existence evolved as we sought solutions to health issues in Tom’s family.

Tom’s own family home was Carpistry’s first green project in 2000, designed to alleviate his wife’s mold allergies. This is a 2,000 sq ft engineered log chalet on a mountain top in North Carolina, utilizing unused skyscraper parts collected in NYC (such as oversized windows, 8’ doors, slabs of granite, marble flooring, cherry flooring). The house was built as an exercise in mold-free living for $160/sq ft.  A whole house fan on a timer replaced AC by exaggerating mountain breezes and being 6’ in the air on sonotubes insured no basement mold.

David Bergman is a licensed architect and LEED Accredited Professional, with more than a decade of green design experience. A recent green project was the gut renovation of a NoHo/Greenwich Village loft space utilizing eco materials, energy efficient lighting and a removable fabric duct system. 

In addition to his practice, David currently teaches sustainable design at Parsons School of Design, has taught at Yale and lectures frequently. He is a board member of o2NYC, the NY chapter of an international organization of ecodesigners, and is also on the boards of several other design organizations.

Design Solutions is a full service residential and commercial design-build firm specializing in sustainable design and remodeling. Since 2005, we have completed four “green” residential remodels and incorporated green features into dozens of others. We recently designed and built the first sustainable nail spa in San Francisco, with green finishes including Kirei Board, 3Form resin panels and Plyboo floors. We are Certified Green Building Professionals (CGBP) and a dealer of certified green cabinets and countertops. We are affiliated with the U.S. Green Building Council, Build It Green, the Green Remodelers Guild, and Co-op America.

Carolyn has been certified by the Green Advantage program and is currently completing her first green project.

Geoffrey Holton and Associates have been advocates and practitioners of sustainable design for over ten years. GHA has completed a number of projects which made careful use of recycled, renewable and salvaged materials.  These include the Berkeley Youth Alternatives propagation greenhouses and outdoor classroom, and the Fruitvale Avenue Homes in Oakland for East Bay Habitat. The latter received a 2004 Phoenix Award from the Environmental Protection Agency for community achievement in redevelopment of urban brownfield sites. Our staff includes three Certified Green Building Professionals.

In 2007 we began a green home project we call Playa in the Westchester area of Los Angeles. We’re “deconstructing” this existing single-family home—taking it apart board by board, nail by nail. Usable building products are donated and recycled, diverting material from the landfills.  We are aiming for a LEED Platinum rating, the highest rating granted by the United States Green Building Council.