A Greener Future
Not every problem can be solved with a building—although that’s often what people call us for.
Sometimes, life’s wicked problems lead us to ask deeper questions with ambiguous answers. We excel at turning those question marks into actionable plans with concrete details.
Mainly, because the best way to solve a problem is to sometimes make it bigger, looking beyond our usual understanding, and seeing results others may overlook or discount.
See below for some common examples of when our expertise can be tapped during early project stages, paving a path for future success:
Our best work results from collaborations that aspire to attain social, economic, and environmental goals—often at the crossroads of urbanism and architecture.
Future-Proof Master Planning
Large buildings (or conversely, small budgets) may require phasing to meet all upgrade and decarbonization needs.
Don’t start with the solar panels! Let us walk you through your building and bring up the items that give the biggest bang for the buck.
We can provide a Master Plan that future-proofs your building, and provides synergistic upgrades that match known or estimated funding bursts.
See below for a selection of current projects:
Hyde Park Neighborhood Club
DuPage Children’s Museum
Farrside Guide to Residential Retrofits
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Hyde Park Neighborhood Club
A modernist building on Chicago’s southside, this Keck & Keck building needed both immediate assistance in construction to get their project back on track and a master plan to ensure their building would meet their goals for growth.
Farr Associates’ stepped into the middle of construction to guide the project to completion, and provided HPNC with a master plan to upgrade their building over time as grant or other fundraising efforts come to fruition.
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DuPage Children's Museum
Farr Associates is leading an award-winning consultant team to refine the vision for the expanded museum campus, including its sustainability goals, and determine the construction cost.
Our team explored innovative and cutting edge construction techniques to achieve net zero energy and water, programming and end user synergies, and partnerships with other local groups. DCM’s expansion is currently in the fundraising and procurement stages.
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Retrofit Your Home
We’re creating a how-to guide for retrofitting your private residence! Stay tuned for the booklet, but in the meantime check out our award-winning Phius-certified Lincoln Park Retrofit.
There are 1.1 million buildings in Chicago, of which 700,000 are residential buildings likely in need of an energy upgrade! We hope to provide general guidance for the DIY-er and future-proofer to smartly retrofit a residential structure.
Chicago’s Climate Action Museum is another great resource to learn more about actions we can take in our daily lives to mitigate climate change.
Prototyping
Interested in a large-scale solution or do you need something repeatable? Great!
We’ve worked with developers and corporations to design the first article in their fleet of high-performance buildings. Often times, these buildings are general, either lacking sites entirely, or awaiting sites by a future purchaser.
Featured Projects
In addition to the main Weatherization Training Center, Farr Associates designed two tiny homes for CEDA, which are used for blower door tests and other whole-building test trainings.
Feasibility Studies
What do you have? What do you need? How can you get there? We’re not designing yet, just taking a critical inventory of all components.
Featured Projects
We provided a detailed rehabilitation plan for the Chicago Park District’s Pulaski Park Fieldhouse, recommending the most efficient use of the district’s budget which included the restroom upgrades shown above.
Community-wide Initiatives
Interested in a large-scale solution? We love talking with community about their needs, desires, wants, and worries. We are skilled at making something as vague as a city wide low carbon goal into a concrete, actionable plan. We understand how to listen, and importantly, convey abstract ideas into understandable concepts, either with words or graphics.
Featured Projects
Opticos & Farr Associates leading a community workshop in the City of Davis, CA
Farr Associates’ mission to design sustainable environments puts human social and economic benefit on par with our aesthetic and environmental aims.
Our Certifications
Our staff includes two Phius Certified Consultants (CPHC®). Even if we don't design your building, we can consult on your certifications!
The CPHC® credential signifies a commitment to building high-performance, energy-efficient homes and buildings using passive building principles.
Select Projects:
We are accredited health and well-being experts, including LFA and WELL AP!
The Living Future Accreditation (LFA) is the professional credential that recognizes and rewards proficiency in the most ambitious, advanced, and holistic sustainable design standards available.
The WELL Accredited Professional (WELL AP) credential denotes expertise in the WELL Building Standard and a commitment to advancing human health and wellness in buildings and communities around the world.
Select Projects:
University of Chicago Keller Center: Living Building Challenge Petal Certifications
Academy for Global Citizenship: Living Building Challenge Full Certfication Pending
Lawson House: Living Building Challenge Affordable Housing Pilot
Town of Normal: Living Community Challenge Pilot
As early adopters to LEED and authors of the LEED Neighborhood Development rating system, Farr Associates has a 25 year history with USBGC. We use rating systems which match project goals and start at the top with Platinum. Technical Director Len Sciarra, LEED Fellow, and additional staff are currently training in LEED v5 in anticipation of the future roll-out.
Select Projects: