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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Interdisciplinary Global Architecture PracticeMember of US GBC, UK GBC
8 Assets
20,778 sqm total floor area
1118 employees
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) are responsible for some of the most technically and environmentally advanced buildings and spaces in the world, with a portfolio encompassing more than 8 million m2 in 2019. They are focused on the challenge to decarbonize the built environment, reduce emissions, and address the impacts of climate change.
1
Commit
Commit to all SOM offices to operate at net zero carbon and all major renovations to be net zero embodied carbon by 2030.
2
Disclose
Measure and disclose annual operational energy use and associated carbon emissions via annual reports. Measure and disclose all embodied carbon emissions for SOM offices (when they undergo major renovation), and include this information as part of the company's annual reports.
3
Act
Develop and implement a carbon emissions' reduction strategy for all SOM offices - with a roadmap, identifying key actions to drive energy savings, procurement of renewable energy, maximising embodied reductions for renovations and carbon offsets for any remaining residual carbon.
4
Verify
Verify and report annual progress against the identified SOM and, if applicable, local targets, verifying data via an independent third party.
5
Advocate
SOM is committed to advancing the ideas of sustainable living, environmental responsiveness, ecological balance, biodiversity, and high-performance design for every project in which it engages. Demonstrate leadership through core business activities to support market transformation through knowledge sharing, and collaboration across the industry with the aim to decarbonise built environments, fast and at scale. Advocate net zero and low carbon design choices to clients at all stages to maximise whole life carbon reductions across the lifecycle. SOM joined the Race to Zero Campaign through the Business Ambition for 1.5°C Pledge of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), committing to the highest level of ambition aligned with the Paris Agreement. SOM is an original and active member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), engaged member of the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC), and has participated in the development of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating System. SOM is an active supporter of the AIA 2030 Commitment, striving to bring all our projects’ greenhouse gas and fuel emissions to zero by 2030, reporting our project performance data, on an annual basis, to measure carbon reduction during each design phase.
