HOK Honored by USGBC

HOK, Toronto, has been honored by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for its commitment to sustainable design.

The architectural firm was awarded the Organizational Excellence award in the 2006 USGBC Leadership Awards program, which was presented at the Greenbuild International Conference held recently in Denver.

The firm has been involved with the USGBC and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification program since the early 1990s. The first firm to achieve 100 LEED Accredited Professionals, HOK today has more than 430 LEED APs located in North America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, according to a news release from the firm. HOK has designed 11 LEED-certified projects and 40 others pursuing certification. Additionally, the firm has adopted a policy to apply LEED principles to every project, whether or not the client has requested it, according to the news release.

“Sustainable design is a core value of HOK, and it’s integral to every aspect of our firm’s work and operations,” says Bill Valentine, HOK’s chairman. “We are honored by this award, but more than that, we’re challenged to do what we can to continue advancing sustainability toward mainstream awareness and acceptance.”

The USGBC Leadership Awards also recognized the following organizations and individuals in four other categories:

• Community: Robert Fox Jr., principal, Cook + Fox
• Education: Greg E. Franta, FAIA, of the Rocky Mountain Institute, the Alliance for a Sustainable Colorado
• Advocacy: Maria Atkinson, global head of sustainability at Lend Lease, California Department of General Services (GDS)
• LEED: Gary Saulson, director of corporate real estate at PNC Financial Services, Liberty Property Trust