All of our projects, to some degree, are green homes.  We incorporate sustainable materials, natural ventilation and solar power in all our projects.  The McKinley residence embodies the green home ideal.  Solar and photovoltaic panels provide 70% of the family’s energy needs, and the materials, from structural to cladding to appliances, are all environmentally conscious.  David Hertz was LEED Accredited in 2004 and the firm is affiliated with several green organizations such as, USCBC, AIA COTE and EPS for the city of Santa Monica.  David has also been teaching a course on ecology and architecture at UCLA for over 10 years.

Service Area (Counties)

Los Angeles

Our green design approach incorporates natural and alternative materials as well as state of the art technology, like photovoltaic solar roofs or innovative mechanical systems. We are familiar with green roofs and gray water systems and have strong expertise in straw bale construction, with over fifty such projects realized. Our firm applies integrated design principles to achieve ecological benefits and as a means of creating healthy and beautiful environments.  As LEED Accredited Professionals we can help you to comply with this green building standard. We know how to balance function, buildability and green building approaches, and we work closely with our clients so they can reach their goals while reducing the environmental impact.

Service Area (Counties)

Alameda, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Trinity

Our projects highlight environmental features such as habitat preservation and restoration and incorporate ecological design strategies such as passive solar energy efficiencies, water retention/recycling and use of non-toxic/recycled building materials. Our firm emphasizes the interdependent relationship between the natural and built environments. Our goal is to build shelters and communities for our growing society, while minimizing the impact of the construction on the land and local resources.

Duvivier Architects won the City of Santa Monica’s Sustainable Leadership Award in October 2004 for their “extraordinary efforts and commitments which have helped to make Santa Monica a more sustainable community.”

Service Area (Counties)

Los Angeles area

Greg VanMechelen’s projects include a variety of alternative building materials and healthy building design. He is the co-author of the Revised Master Specifications for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, was the Resource Efficient Building Consultant to the City of San Francisco, advising their Public Works Departments, including Architecture and Construction Management, on Green Building Practices. Mr. VanMechelen serves on the National Board of Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility (ADPSR), is a founding member of the California Straw Building Association (CASBA), and is on the Board of the Berkeley EcoHouse.

Service Area (Counties)

Alameda

We have six green projects in the works: Two under construction and four in documentation. We are using LEED as our standard of evaluation; none of our clients have yet opted to pay for certification. The in-house design objective for two current projects is LEED Gold, and three others are aiming for LEED Silver.  Three current projects are mixed use on brownfield infill sites around the Bay Area. We currently have two LEED Accredited staff members, with three more in the process. 

Service Area (Counties)

Alameda, Contra Costa, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sonoma

Lily Livingston is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professional that helps facilitate the complex and integrated process of greening building projects.  As an architect with over 13 years of experience, Ms. Livingston has worked on projects from small to large, from single family residential to urban, commercial, and community public projects. Ms. Livingston is active in the green building community and affiliated with the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Architects Designers and Planners for Social Responsibility (ADPSR) and the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

Service Area (Counties)

Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz

Since 1989, we have completed six green home projects, including the Ranch House, an 18,000 square foot house nestled into the ridge atop a 300-acre ranch site in the Sonoma hills. The building incorporates green building elements such as straw bale construction, structural rammed-earth walls, and reclaimed lumber from old bridges and wineries. 

Service Area (Counties)

Certainly through California, the West and Minnesota. Other locations TBD.

Our Mill Valley cottage remodel, one of three homes recently featured in Build It Green’s second annual Green Home Tour, won the People’s Choice Award for Marin County and the Best Home Renovation Award from Build It Green. The house features a photovoltaic system, hydronic radiant floor heat, double-paned windows and Energy Star appliances. We worked with green interior designer Shannon Del Vecchio of Tranquil Spaces to install sustainable finishes throughout the home. Fifty percent of construction waste was recycled, and some of the existing materials were reused in the new construction. Eighty percent of the existing non-invasive plants were also reused and relocated to make room for a turf-free landscape designed by noted landscape artist Topher Delaney.

Service Area (Counties)

Marin county

I have incorporated a variety of green building methods (deconstruction and reuse) and materials into seven residential remodeling projects to date. I am a NARI Certified Green Building Professional and am currently enrolled in Sonoma State University’s Green Building Professional Certificate Program.

Service Area (Counties)

Monterey, Santa Cruz

Sustainable design is a priority and is consciously integrated in the design process at every level.  Thread Collective has completed a 4,500sf renovation in Brooklyn—a green conversion of a warehouse to residential and commercial art studios.  Green design was considered throughout, from thermal sealing to non-toxic materials to energy efficiency and solar panels.

Current work further investigates sustainable design principles with the introduction of BIODRIVE, an educational portable greenhouse powered on 100% biodeisel, to be made available to various learning institutions; a seven condo unit building designed to meet LEED certification; the development of sustainable housing units, and a committed relationship with GreenHomeNYC. 

Our firm is fully licensed and insured in the state of New York, and is in the process of attaining LEED accredation.

Service Area (Counties)

Kings, Queens, Manhattan, Nausau, Suffolk