At this point sustainability consulting can make a big difference in the outcome of a project, often making or breaking a project budget! Hickory engineers, architects, and sustainability consultants, all LEED certified, offer pre-contract consulting on project opportunities and help to build consensus among stakeholders on goals. We also review contracts and specifications, address opportunities and possible pitfalls, and guide the initial contract development and bid process. This includes process planning, review of drawings and matters of contract coordination and partnering. It can also include follow-through during construction and commissioning to make sure the specified measures are in place and the building performance goals are met. Hickory brings to this process strong expertise in renewable energy systems, Energy Star®, government rebates, systems building cost efficiencies, commissioning; and for public projects, grant writing.

If direct professional services in architecture or engineering are required, Hickory can provide these, and if the project is in the U.S. Northeast, we can provide construction management services. We have strong partnerships with contractors, and if referrals for professional services are needed, Hickory can supply these, too.

Workshops take many forms: For a recent non-profit government client we provided a series of workshops to a variety of stakeholders on greening state building code. This was preceded by interactive research amongst the groups to be affected and followed by recommendations. For another recent client we provided a two-day workshop and follow-up recommendations on practical contractual and performance issues of high-performance building technologies. Workshops to project managers often follow a question-and-answer mode based on actual project case studies.

These workshops are led by Hickory's LEED-accredited building professionals with ongoing practices in construction management, architecture, and building science. Apart from being educational (they carry CEU credits), they serve to unify client goals and provide a road map to achieving them.
See more at 'Sample Workshop Agenda'

These charrettes draw on our national network of manufacturers, construction experts, finance providers, and building professionals for in-depth knowledge of environmental design. They are available for both non-profit and market-rate projects. These were initially designed for Community Development Corporations, and you can read more about this by clicking on Green Leveraging Program.
See more at Sample Charrette Agenda