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Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, LLP (AS+GG) celebrates diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Sustainability Designer

Job Location: Chicago, IL
Salary: $49,670 to $72,000 per year
Job Number: OF04142026

Job Description:

With preliminary direction from a licensed architect, support pre-design and all phases of mixed-use, residential, commercial, hotel, retail, entertainment, and master planning projects, including new construction and renovation; define sustainability goals, strategies, and measurable KPIs in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams, and develop Sustainability Management Plans to monitor, track and report sustainability indicators, such as energy usage, natural resource usage, waste generation, and recycling; register and document compliance with rating systems including LEED, WELL, BREEAM, MOSTADAM, and any applicable certification system; research domestic and international codes, standards and rating systems, and develop summarized design criteria guidance for projects across diverse locations; conduct research into resilience planning, climate adaptation strategies, circular design principles to inform project-level sustainability solutions, guide policy development, and support innovative, forward-looking design practices; conduct whole building Life-Cycle Carbon Analysis (LCA) and benchmark, develop reports with an in-depth understanding of materials, manufacturing processes, and carbon reduction strategies, utilizing OneClick LCA, Tally, EC3; develop Sustainable Material Guidelines to clarify material selection criteria to all project stakeholders; conduct extensive research on building system products, developing databases for parameter comparison and making informed recommendations based on professional judgment; develop and execute energy performance simulations at scales ranging from master planning to single-family homes, with knowledge of building envelopes, MEP/FP systems, and life safety requirements as well as proficiency in software such as DesignBuilder, and Grasshopper (Honeybee/Climate Studio) for modeling, and apply analytics platforms such as Power BI to produce energy reports that summarize findings and implications; conduct daylight, radiance and view analysis and produce reports for optimal space quality, with proficiency in Grasshopper Ladybug and ClimateStudio; run photovoltaic power production simulations using PVSyst, Grasshopper Ladybug, and ClimateStudio, delivering reports and actionable insights to maximize renewable energy generation; perform incident and annual radiation studies and produce reports to assist early-stage design decisions on building envelopes or photovoltaic placing strategies, with proficiency in Grasshopper Ladybug and ClimateStudio; perform indoor and outdoor thermal comfort analysis for occupants and pedestrians, including CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations, using tools including Forma, Grasshopper Honeybee, SimScale, Orbital Stack, and ClimateStudio; develop water balance models and sustainable water strategies with efficient fixtures, stormwater, and green infrastructure; collect information about waste stream management or green building practices to inform decision makers; pilot and implement advanced digital workflows, including parametric design optimization and machine learning driven performance prediction, to enhance building performance, inform design decisions, and accelerate sustainability outcomes; meet and coordinate with client representatives, structural consultants, MEP/FP consultants, landscape consultants and product suppliers as needed, for presentations and workshops, analysis of goals and needs, develop required performance studies and diagrams, narrative summaries, and prepare final documentation for submission; conduct annual greenhouse gas reporting for various entities and clients with understanding of GHG Protocol, manage, analyze and visualize data with Power BI and IBM Envizi; monitor and report firm-wide sustainability KPIs, support compliance with AIA 2030 and UN Global Compact, develop dashboards in Power BI/Tableau, and create marketing/outreach materials to communicate sustainability goals and outcomes; engage in ongoing research on emerging sustainability topics to drive innovation and informed decision-making; collaborate with IT and data teams to design, implement and sustain robust pipelines for collecting, cleaning, and managing large-scale sustainability datasets, ensuring data integrity and accessibility for analysis and reporting; support leadership and business growth by scaling services, recruiting and mentoring talent, preparing proposals, client presentations, and marketing materials, reviewing project scopes to identify sustainability opportunities, and developing innovative consulting offerings aligned with overall project objectives and new market expansion; engage in ongoing research on emerging sustainability topics to drive innovation and informed decision-making.

Job Requirements:

Bachelor of Architecture (5 year) or foreign equivalent plus internship or coursework to include supporting pre-design and all phases of mixed-use, residential, commercial, hotel, retail, entertainment, and master planning projects, including new construction and renovation; defining sustainability goals and strategies in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams, and reporting sustainability indicators, such as energy usage, waste generation, and recycling; researching domestic and international codes, standards and rating systems, and developing summarized design criteria guidance for projects across diverse locations; conducting research into resilience planning, climate adaptation strategies, circular design principles to inform project-level sustainability solutions and support innovative, forward-looking design practices; conducting whole building Life-Cycle Carbon Analysis (LCA) and benchmark, developing reports with an in-depth understanding of materials, manufacturing processes, and carbon reduction strategies, utilizing OneClick LCA and Tally; conducting extensive research on building system products; developing and executing energy performance simulations at scales ranging from master planning to single-family homes, with knowledge of building envelopes, MEP/FP systems, as well as proficiency in software such as DesignBuilder, and Grasshopper (Honeybee/Climate Studio) for modeling; conducting daylight, radiance and view analysis and producing reports for optimal space quality, with proficiency in Grasshopper Ladybug and ClimateStudio; running photovoltaic power production simulations, Grasshopper Ladybug, and ClimateStudio, delivering reports and actionable insights to maximize renewable energy generation; performing incident and annual radiation studies and producing reports to assist early-stage design decisions on building envelopes or with proficiency in Grasshopper Ladybug and ClimateStudio; developing sustainable water strategies with efficient fixtures, stormwater, and green infrastructure; implementing advanced digital workflows, including parametric design optimization and machine learning driven performance prediction, to enhance building performance, inform design decisions, and accelerate sustainability outcomes; meeting and coordinating with structural consultants, MEP/FP consultants, and landscape consultants for workshops, analysis of goals and needs, developing required performance studies and diagrams, narrative summaries; engaging in ongoing research on emerging sustainability topics to drive innovation and informed decision-making.

When responding to this job posting please send all resumes to resumes@smithgill.com, reference job number #OF04142026, and respond to the following questions:

Are you legally authorized to work in the United States?
      ______  YES       ______  NO

Will you now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B visa status)?
      ______  YES       ______  NO

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