US Green Building Council

 

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Welcome to Design Balance LLC

Design Balance LLC is a sustainable design consulting firm that works with commercial, educational, governmental and non-profit clients all over the United States.  Our clients are very diverse, but they share a common desire to reduce the environmental impact of new construction and renovation projects.   We help our clients identify sustainable goals and continue throughout the design and construction process to make sure their goals are achieved.

Design Balance was founded in 1996 to focus on sustainable design and was an earlier adopter of green building rating systems.  We make it our business to keep current on new programs, trends, materials, tools, design concepts and rating programs so we can give our clients the best guidance possible.   Some of our clients are new to sustainable design, and some have worked with us for many years on multiple projects.  We help them meet their goals, whether they be modest or very ambitious.

Design Balance LLC works with several environmental assessment tools, including the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) programs, Collaborative for High Performance Schools and the Green Building Initiative Green Globes® program.  For clients who do not want to use pre-developed assessment tools, Design Balance can assist with identifying goals tailored to the project type, climate, and client requirements.  We provide a wide range of services depending on the client's needs, project goals and budget.

 

Our website is currently being revised to add new projects and content. Thank you for your patience!  Be sure to check back next week for the new updates!

 

Featured Project

Missoula Federal Credit Union
Missoula Federal Credit Union

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Wisdom of the Week

Recycled Paper Benefits

6/21/2010

There are lots of reasons to use recycled paper in our offices and homes.  Besides preserving forests and habitats, using recycled paper also reduces energy use, greenhouse gases and landfill waste.  Recyled paper uses up to 70% less energy and 55% less water than paper made of virgin pulp.  80% of paper that is not recycled ends up in landfill, and as it decomposes if produces methane, a green house gas with 21 times the heat-trapping capacity of carbon dioxide.  Thankfully there are many recycled paper choices available on the market, including 100% post consumer which means no new virgin pulp is used to create the paper.

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Photographs © 2010 Kelly Karmel unless otherwise noted.

Project Renderings courtesy of the Architect.