SUSTAINABILITY

In support of fulfilling its larger mission of designing socially, economically and environmentally sustainable places to live, Pyatok Architects has fully integrated sustainability into its professional practice, both in the services provided to its clients and in its way of doing business. We believe in the interwoven relationship between environmental, social, and economic sustainability, and this “triple bottom line” is at the heart of all our design decisions. 

Green Professionals

LEED - Pyatok Architects has eight LEED Accredited Professionals on staff and has worked on projects under LEED NC, ND, and LEED for Homes.

GreenPoint Rating - Principal Betsy Yost is a certified GreenPoint Rater and her depth of knowledge of the system helps ensure that projects are able to achieve their sustainability goals.

Featured Projects

At UC Merced, Pyatok Architects designed a student residence complex to achieve LEED Gold. UC Merced is the first campus to achieve campus-wide prototype credits under LEED-NC Application Guide for Multiple Buildings & On-Campus Building Projects, with all individual buildings required to achieve LEED Silver certification.

In Oakland, Pyatok Architects designed Fox Courts Apartments, an 80-unit affordable housing development that was the 2nd highest rated multifamily building in California upon its opening in 2009. Fox Courts earned a GreenPoint Rating of 143 due to its use of extensive natural ventilation, solar panels, and low-VOC finishes.

Community Based Sustainable Design
Pyatok Architects actively engages neighborhoods in a hands-on community design process that allows community members and policy makers to understand, embrace, and shape new sustainable infill development in their communities. This interactive community process is critical to gaining insight into the special social and cultural needs of residents to assure long-term residency, and to gain the support of neighbors, stakeholders, and public agencies for the gradual introduction of higher density mixed use development in existing neighborhoods.

Sustainable Density
Our practice emphasizes maximizing the potential and livability of every infill site. We pursue this goal through constant innovation in every aspect of design; seeking to reduce reliance on automobiles, to shape attractive useful, outdoor spaces, and to create smart building envelopes that maximize natural day lighting and ventilation while reducing energy consumption. All of these elements contribute to the realization of safe, stable, livable urban communities that make higher density development desirable as well as sustainable.

Greening Affordable Housing
To assist our non-profit clients in establishing clear priorities at the outset of the green design process, Pyatok Architects developed a weighted matrix of sustainable measures specifically relevant to affordable housing. This matrix allows the client and the design team to set sustainability goals early in the design process.

 

Additional Sustainable Design Programs 

As with all sustainable design programs, it is essential to integrate sustainability early on in the design process. Other programs that we work with at Pyatok Architects include:

California Multifamily New Homes (CMFNH)

This PG&E sponsored program requires energy performance 15% above the baseline Title 24 requirements.  The Orchards on Foothill was awarded financial incentives under this program. Pyatok Architects worked closely with Heshong Mahone Group, the firm that administers the program, to ensure that the energy performance would qualify for the financial incentives.   The calculations required are slightly different than the standard Title 24 calculations. 

Enterprise Green Communities

This program is aligned with the LEED for Homes program. It awards up to $75,000 for sustainable features.  Fox Courts was awarded a significant Green Communities grant that helped pay for numerous sustainable items.