Designing with environmental consciousness means understanding the life of a building in its entirety: its materials, energy use, resilience, and, most importantly, its relationship with the people and place it inhabits.
Sustainability is anchored in the Workshops DNA through the ideas and pursuits central to our production: building well and designing for the long term, making places for people, the pursuit of lightness and a belief in the intrinsic value of natural light, air and plant life.
Driven by innovation and critical thinking, RPBW has long been at the forefront of environmentally responsible architecture. Learning from experience and consistently developing new tools, methods and collaborations to ensure a meaningful approach at all scales.
For over four decades, RPBW has explored new ways to integrate sustainability into architecture. We have developed methods of off-site fabrication and modular construction to reduce material waste, pioneered hybrid timber structures to lower embodied carbon, and designed naturally ventilated spaces that prioritize occupant well-being. The California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco set a precedent as the first major museum to achieve LEED Platinum certification in 2008, integrating a living roof and natural cooling systems. The Columbia University Manhattanville Masterplan redefined urban regeneration with an open, accessible design that earned the first LEED-ND Platinum certification in the U.S. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens, obtained LEED Platinum certification in 2016, being the first cultural project of such scale to earn this certification in Europe and Greece.
Current projects under design such as the Marunouchi Tokio Marine building are both targeting LEED Platinum rating and develop an innovative use of mass timber while also integrating whole life cycle embodied carbon analysis methodology starting from the very earliest stages of the design process.
Each project is an opportunity to test and refine strategies that balance innovation with architectural clarity. In the face of an urgent climate reality, we continue to question, adapt, and push forward—seeking solutions that are not only responsible today but resilient for the future.
