CNCPT: How We’ve Structured Practice Technology to Maximize Innovation, Creativity, and Efficiency

Technology has dramatically changed how we work at Clark Nexsen, enhancing our ability to develop innovative and creative solutions across the company. New tools and technology, from drones to energy and daylight simulations, have impacted what and how we design and deliver projects to our clients. To effectively capitalize on how technology can augment our work, we created a comprehensive resource and strategic hub for practice technology within our firm that meets key goals: supporting our people with the technologies they use frequently, maximizing the potential benefit of those technologies, improving workflows and processes, and investigating and applying emerging technologies in our industry. Known as CNCPT (Clark Nexsen Creative Practice Technology), and pronounced “concept,” the central purpose of this collaborative is to apply advanced digital tools across our interdisciplinary practice to improve the quality and efficiency of our work, help clients make informed decisions, and remain at the forefront of technological innovation.

More »

Building Science: Systems and Tools to Meet the 2030 Challenge

Contributor: Don Kranbuehl, FAIA

Architects are realizing the 2030 Challenge is no longer just about tracking predicted Energy Use Intensity (pEUI) and operational carbon (the carbon emitted from building mechanical systems). In the next 10 years, it will be critical to also make great strides in reducing embodied carbon (the carbon emitted from the interior and exterior materials that are used to construct buildings). Embodied carbon emissions make up a large amount of greenhouse emissions from the built environment and have greater potential to have an immediate impact on reducing the effects of climate change. Overall, building energy sources and their materials account for nearly 40% of all global emissions. However, over the next 10 years, approximately 72% of the carbon emitted from new construction will be from embodied carbon. Those metrics alone make it undeniable that as designers, we have a role and responsibility to mitigate environmental impacts by working with nature to develop resilient, sustainable, low carbon projects.

More »