Meeks + Partners Launches Green Studio

By Anuradha Kher, Online News EditorHouston–Architectural firm Meeks + Partners is launching M+P Green Studio, which will help incorporate sustainable strategies into the planning and design of multifamily developments. A three-man team of LEED-accredited professionals, including Associate Partner Keith Malone, AIA, LEED AP, will run the studio. In addition to LEED guidelines, the M+P Green studio team members will incorporate the green initiatives set forth in the newly adopted National Green Building Standards.The other two members of the team are Ryan Meeks and Trevor Meeks. “This is a very important step for the firm, because many of our development partner are striving to take green initiatives,” Malone tells MHN. “We wanted to bring the LEED principles into the multifamily world.” One of the foundations of the M+P Green Studio is to lay the groundwork for new directions in making sound land-use decisions. With the implementation of the program, the team reviews the site plan, building mechanical systems and material selections. “Our goal is to reduce the energy consumption and to make the buildings more efficient, which will reduce our clients’ operating costs and responds directly to market demand,” he says.The studio plans to work right from the conception to the construction stage. While the studio doesn’t have any clients right now because of the slowdown in the market, the company is hoping to be poised well when the market does turn around. “We are currently developing a framework to inform ourselves, as well as our clients on how we can create a green product without a quantum leap in the way things are typically done and in a way that works for a project’s economics,” says Malone.Donald J. Meeks, AIA, Chairman, Meeks + Partners, says, “Whether it is repositioning an existing multifamily development in the market to incorporate energy-efficient designs and optimizing its performance, or designing a new property, we are committed to design ingenuity – as it relates to cost controls and the positive impact left on the environment and the community.”(Pictured: 2125Yale, a development in which Meeks + Partners was involved.) Some of the initiatives at the project include: The pedestrian-friendly property’s high-density design and close proximity to mass transit;  Saving  all Live Oak trees that dot the perimeter of the site; A  two-level structured parking under residential buildings and common  areas;Use of  reclaimed wood flooring from Kaplan’s Ben-Hur storeUsing  insulated double-studded party walls;Low  energy double-pane glass in doors and windows; Low-water volume  commodes; water-saving showerheads; Energy Star appliances, and other sustainable  practices.