Our 2026 State of Sustainability looks at our operations, work, and aspirations.
Operational Carbon Neutrality
For the third consecutive year, we have achieved operational carbon neutrality, offsetting our Scope 1 (direct) and 2 (indirect) emissions. Although our Scope 3 (supply chain) emissions are largely beyond our control, we have offset our business travel for the first time this year. Our operational emissions are small compared to the impact of our design work, but improving these metrics is an important part of engraining sustainability into our culture.
For more information on our greenhouse gas emissions, please see the full report from our third-party verifier, Verdis Group. For details about our procurement of renewable energy credits and carbon offsets, see our CNaught dashboard.
Low-Carbon Transition Plan
We are in the process of reducing our emissions by developing a low-carbon transition plan, because procuring offsets is not the end goal. We have taken steps toward this transition, including procuring Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) equivalent to our studios’ electricity usage.
Designed for Impact
In 2025, as a part of our AIA 2030 commitment, we achieved an average 60.2% predicted energy reduction against the 2003 Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) baseline. This reduction in energy demand is equivalent to turning off the power in 64,263,651 homes for one year. But there is more work to do, which is why 100% of our projects are energy modeled, and we are using this data to optimize our design strategies and improve our process.
Embodied Carbon
Because our carbon impact is much larger than our energy savings, we have started tracking embodied carbon across our entire global portfolio of projects. As a result of implementing design strategies outlined in our Embodied Carbon Action Plan, we estimate that on average we have reduced embodied carbon by 15% from the Carbon Leadership Forum’s benchmarks.
High-Performing Projects
In 2025, we added seven new projects to our certified projects list, bringing our current total to 292. This total includes our first Living Future Zero Energy Certification™ for a project that also received an AIA COTE Top Ten Award last year.
Dennis-Yarmouth Intermediate/Middle School
South Yarmouth, MA
LEED Gold
Kaye
Seattle, WA
Fitwel 2 Stars
Sela Public Charter School Interior Renovation Phase 1
Washington, DC
LEED Silver
John Lewis Elementary School
Washington, DC
LEED Platinum, WELL Platinum, and Zero Energy Certification
The Trillium Tysons
Tysons, VA
LEED Gold
UC Davis Coffee Center
Davis, CA
LEED Silver
Materials Matter
For the first time, we have asked our design teams to provide basic information on the materials in our work. With the data in hand, we can make strategic improvements, starting with our Materials Action Plan (MAP), which is helping our design teams act on the Common Materials Framework, a shared language for product sustainability developed by mindful MATERIALS.
Previous State of Sustainability reports can be found on our Publications page.
Biorealism Today: Cover Photograph © Julius Shulman photography archive, 1935-2009, Research Library, Getty Research Institute, Accession no.2004.R.10; Dennis-Yarmouth Intermediate/Middle School: Photograph by Andrew Rugge/© Perkins Eastman; John Lewis Elementary School and The Trillium Tysons: Photographs © Joseph Romeo; Kaye: Photograph © Seamus Payne; Perkins Eastman Pittsburgh Studio: Video © Jonnu Singleton, 2023 jonnu.com / Courtesy Perkins Eastman; Reconnecting Pasadena: Courtesy Perkins Eastman; Sela Public Charter School: © Perkins Eastman; The Wharf: Video Courtesy ByDesign TV; UC David Coffee Center: Photograph © Garry Belinsky; UMass Computer Sciences Laboratories: Video Courtesy Consigli; USC Dick Wolf Drama Center: Photograph © Eric Staudenmaier