The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) has analyzed the characteristics of the architecture firms that regularly produce the most advanced buildings and compiled their findings in a new report, The Habits of High-Performance Firms. Closely studying these firms reveals several common traits related to their specialization, size, location, staff, and age.
According to the research, these high-performance firms have the following traits:
- Significantly high project performance for energy, water, and other metrics
- Energy modeling, daylighting modeling, and post-occupancy evaluations as standard practice
- Geographic concentration (47% on the West Coast)
- Medium size (average staff number of 75)
- A high percentage of women in staff (46%) and leadership positions (34%)
- Low staff turnover (under 10%)
- A high percentage of staff with LEED accreditation (48%)