Sustainability is central to all of the activities of 450 Architects. We care passionately about all spheres of environmental impact, such as site, energy, water, materials, and health. We support the U.S. Green Building Council and we have three LEED Accredited Professionals on staff.  San Mateo County (California) hired 450 Architects to support the growth of sustainable design countywide by writing a comprehensive Sustainable Building Guidelines and Checklist that covers all types of construction and projects of all sizes. 

Our award-winning studio provides comprehensive architectural design, bid, and construction administration services for public and private clients throughout California. We emphasize sustainable building practices and strive for cost-effective solutions. We have an eye for details. Our standards are high. What's more, we understand the building process because we're builders at heart.

The practice is also known for solar and sustainable building consulting. Our aim is to educate the client about what products and technologies are currently available, to what benefit, and at what cost. These services range from full design to any combination of services, including: building-integrated solar and architectural design; project oversight; healthy building strategies; energy efficiency and conservation; recycled-content materials selection; and low-maintenance landscape design.

Examples of our leadership:

• Argonne Child Development Center received a 2003 Top Ten Green Building of the Year award from the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment.
• San Francisco Waldorf High School will be the first San Francisco high school to achieve a U.S. Green Building Council Gold LEED Certification.
• Schulz Residence has the first rainwater harvesting cistern permitted in Marin County, completed with Sherwood Design Engineers.
• We wrote the San Mateo County Green Building Guidelines and Checklist to facilitate the coordination of residential and commercial green building construction for their twenty-one municipalities.
• We participate in the Commuter Check program to provide our employees with non-taxable reimbursement for use of public transportation to and from the office.
• To achieve the San Francisco Green Business Certification we reviewed our office's day-to-day activities to increase our recycling efforts, use only non-toxic cleaners and adhesives, replace all light bulbs with fluorescent, upgrade our equipment to Energy Star rating, and work with other S.F. businesses to purchase recycled-content products.

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450 Architects, Inc.