Sustainability at Holst Headquarters
At Holst, we recognize that architects are stewards of the environment and advocate for resilient, healthy design choices in all our projects. This was highly considered when designing our new office headquarters. As our daily working environment and a space for client and consultant meetings, we knew our new space needed to reflect our commitment to sustainable design. Our Sustainability Director, Cory Hawbecker, led the green design process and the design team, identifying sustainable and healthy choices for our new space.

Project Goals
The sustainability goals for this project centered on improving interior air quality, which has been shown to improve health and performance. With limited control of a shared HVAC system and few operable windows, our team focused on design decisions that would minimize the presence of interior air pollutants.
Utilizing Healthy, Sustainable Materials
After comparing materials research from leading experts – including the Environmental Protection Agency, National Institute of Health, Living Building Challenge, and Green Science Policy Institute – we identified five materials to “red-list” from our new office: added formaldehyde, halogenated flame retardants, perfluorinated compounds, phthalates, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in wet-applied products. These materials are common in interior products, but are harmful to the environment and a risk to human health.

Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is a chemical used in some adhesives and is a respiratory irritant. At low levels, it can trigger asthma and disrupt sleep and cognitive function, and long-term exposure is linked to multiple cancers. As an adhesive component, it off-gasses into interior air, is inhaled, and can be absorbed through the skin with physical contact. It is commonly found in wood products, fibrous insulation, acoustic ceiling tiles, and furniture. Our team was able to specify products with No Added Formaldehyde (NAF) in wood products and worked with product reps to identify NAF furniture.

Halogenated Flame Retardants
Halogenated Flame Retardants (HFRs) are a broad group of chemicals that inhibit the ignition of building products. When absorbed into the body, they break down into dioxins, a powerful known carcinogen that can also cause a wide range of adverse health outcomes in humans. They are commonly applied as a spray to flammable fabrics and foams and, as a topical product, enter the environment through physical contact and off-gassing. When choosing furniture for the office, we worked closely with a representative from Pacific WRO to specify furniture without HFRs.

Perfluorinated Compounds
Perfluorinated Compounds are a group of chemicals used to make upholstery and carpets wrinkle, stain, or water resistant. They have been identified as endocrine and immune system disruptors and may cause damage to liver and pancreatic function. Our team specified patcraft EcoWorx carpet, which does not use perfluorinated compounds, comes in tiles for easy cleaning or replacement, and in a color options that hide stains and dirt.
Phthalates
Phthalates are a group of chemicals that soften vinyl plastics used in numerous products, including flooring, upholstery, and countertop materials. The EPA identified them as a Chemical of Concern with proven adverse health effects, particularly in childhood development. While most people are exposed to phthalates through contaminated food, they are also transmissible through physical contact and inhalation of contaminated dust. Throughout the office, we used a minimal material palate, helping us eliminate products that may contain phthalates.

Volatile Organic Compounds
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are a group of chemicals with many short—and long-term negative health effects that off-gas from numerous interior finishes and household products. They significantly impair interior air quality and cause negative health effects, including headaches, nausea, and fatigue. Similar to formaldehyde, we were easily able to specify low—or no-VOC products.
Our Commitment to Sustainable Design
In committing to a sustainable and healthy office environment, our team learned a lot about material health and sustainability in interior design. Developing our in-house red list and specifying safer products required an enormous amount of research. In some instances, information on the material health of a product was easily found through third-party certifications and declarations. The International Living Future Institute’s DECLARE program was particularly helpful, as a product’s DECLARE label includes information on where a product is made, what that product is made of, and where it goes at the end of its life cycle. In other cases, understanding material health requires digging into a product’s manufacturing handbook and researching international requirements for using hazardous materials. The most difficult products to specify were lighting fixtures, which are assembled with components that do not always disclose material makeup. There are material health requirements for electrical products in the European Union, such as the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (ROHS). Still, it can be challenging to determine whether a fixture is compliant.

An Office That Reflects Our Values
Ultimately, we found that while there is growing information about a product’s efficiency and environmental impact, there is less transparency about its material makeup and its effect on human health. We are encouraged by programs like DECLARE and hope that more manufacturing companies commit to minimizing or eliminating the use of hazardous materials in their products. At Holst, we will continue to advocate for sustainable and healthy design and are proud that our new office reflects this commitment.