Global Impact is how Woods Bagot advances climate action with our clients, in our communities, and with our own operations as one of the world’s leading architecture practices. From iconic sustainable projects to the digital tools we develop to deliver on our ambitions, we bring together ideas from across our global studio that contribute meaningful sustainable outcomes to architecture.

Climate Playbook

Woods Bagot publishes an annual report, the Climate Playbook, that encompasses our Environmental, Social, and Governance initiatives as a sustainability action plan. The Playbook includes our commitments to Architects Declare and the American Institute of Architects’ 2030 Challenge, as well as broader goals associated with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Sustainability Services

Our Global Impact Group provides sustainability services in every Woods Bagot studio, supported by our teams of subject matter experts. Russell Fortmeyer, Woods Bagot’s global sustainability leader, manages the team from our Los Angeles studio. Our services include the following:

• Sustainability and carbon strategy
• Building envelope optimization
• Carbon modeling and reduction studies
• Daylighting design and analysis
• Urban microclimate studies
• Green building certification consulting
• Post-occupancy evaluations
• Climate risk, resilience and passive design consulting
• Healthy materials consulting
• Sustainability planning and management

The modeled view on the left illustrates the Universal Thermal Climate Index, or UTCI, for a proposed highrise in Melbourne, Australia. Designers incorporated outdoor terraces into the project, which necessitated an investigation into the environmental conditions that would support occupancy of those spaces throughout the year. This image shows UTCI data for June 15, which would be early winter months and shows a daytime UTCI of between 17-18˚C, which would be considered comfortable. In comparison to the historical UTCI model, the outdoor spaces in the same proposed highrise in Melbourne reveal a much colder condition when modeled using WeatherShift data as shown on the right. A UTCI of nearly 13˚C would suggest these terraces may not be comfortable during winter months or may necessitate a design change to provide some wind protection to improve the outcome. Although we often focus on extreme heat in the future given the climate crisis, understanding the potential for seasonal extremes can inform many different design outcomes.

Managing Sustainable Design

Woods Bagot’s Global Impact Assessment (GIA) tool is an online sustainability project plan we use for projects to establish comprehensive sustainability strategies that support our client’s goals. Using the tool, we can track over 60 metrics across 12 categories, including both mandatory and voluntary requirements. The GIA produces a report for tracking sustainable performance throughout the project, keeping projects on track.

Russell Fortmeyer Portrait

Talk to Russell Fortmeyer about Sustainability

Sustainability at Woods Bagot