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BUSINESS NEWS CORGAN ACHIEVES
CARBON
Appalachian Mountain Club Maine Woods Initiative: The oldest outdoor conservation and recreation organization in the United States. Funds support and advance climate resilience and conservation work in Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness region and beyond. Advanced Refrigeration Systems: Designed to minimize greenhouse gas emissions from day one, completely avoiding the use of traditional refrigerants. Funds will support Publix as it implements advanced refrigeration systems that use climate-friendly, low-GWP refrigerants across its portfolio. IsoHemp: A Belgian company that uses 100% locally sourced lime and hemp to create hemp concrete blocks. The blocks store long-term biomass, lower GHG emissions, and deliver thermal and energy performance comparable to conventional materials. Funds will expand production capacity. Igloo Cellulose: Based in France, the project reduces embodied emissions in construction by transforming 90% recycled paper into high-performance cellulose fiber insulation. Solar Water Pump Project in Kenya: SunCulture develops solar water pumps to replace conventional fossil fuel-powered pumps with the aim of increasing access to water for food productivity.
Earlier this year, the firm formalized and presented the Corgan Climate Action Plan, outlining strategies to advance decarbonization and minimize environmental impact across its operations and work for clients. Key goals outlined in the CCAP include decarbonizing operations, conserving natural resources and ensuring climate resilient operations. To remain transparent in its efforts, align with global institutions and as part of the World Green Buildings Council ‘The Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment’, Corgan will publish its reporting results annually. Corgan also plans to build on its commitment to reduce the environmental impact of its projects, empower its designers and cultivate a culture of responsible design through its sustainability practice, Corgan—Echo. “We believe in putting sustainability at the core of everything we do from daily operations to the projects we design and the services we provide,” said Varun Kohli, principal and director of Sustainability at Corgan. “We are committed to empowering our designers and our clients to achieve exemplary projects that strive to create built environments in harmony with the natural environment through collaboration, consistency and transparency.” Corgan is an employee-owned architecture and design firm with 20 locations and approximately 1,200 team members globally.
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NEUTRALITY GLOBAL OPERATIONS Global architecture and design firm, Corgan, has achieved carbon neutrality across all Scopes 1, 2 and 3. This milestone reflects the firm’s ongoing commitment to measure, report and offset carbon emissions across its global business practice. ACROSS “Achieving carbon neutrality is a significant milestone in Corgan’s evolution. We’ve worked to create a sustainability practice that aligns with our values and with our clients’ aspirations. Meeting this goal reflects our commitment to operate our firm as responsible stewards of the environment,” said Scott Ruch, principal and CEO at Corgan. Corgan’s in-house sustainability team, Echo, led the effort to collect emissions data with external support. Corgan began tracking emissions data in 2023 starting with Scopes 1 and 2 CO2e emissions from its 14 offices. In 2024, Corgan added five offices and over 200 employees; in addition to accounting for Scopes 1 and 2 across those 19 offices, Echo accounted for the firm’s Scope 3 emissions including business air-travel and staff commuting. This work establishes a baseline for the firm as it looks to reduce energy consumption and emissions. Working with CEEZER, Corgan offset its 2024 emissions across all Scopes through a portfolio of carbon credit purchases supporting global decarbonization initiatives in the built environment that align with its priorities:
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I consider myself an “extroverted introvert.” I can be perfectly happy at home doing my own thing, interacting with no one. But I know it’s not healthy. It’s not the way for me to be all I can be. So I clean up, get dressed, and get out. And other than the insane amount of money spent on coffee and restaurant meals, I never regret it! Maybe you should have more face-to- face interactions, too? Mark Zweig is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com. coffees, and get out to professional or trade association meetings. Everything is better when you do.” “Make more of an effort to go see clients, meet people for lunch and
MARK ZWEIG , from page 5
studio in the country. That’s all just in one week and does not include all of the virtual meetings I was involved with also. This week will be much the same although it starts with a nearly solid day of online meetings that I hope don’t leave me feeling depleted. I’m 67 years old and as busy as I have ever been. I am energized and can get by on four or five hours of sleep day after day. But you know what? If I tried doing everything I just told you about from remotely my home office – even though it’s much more efficient with no travel – I don’t think I could motivate myself to do it. And I don’t think all of the good – much of it intangible and hard to describe – that came out of those face-to-face meetings would be realized, either. Relationships are established and solidified – life courses are even altered because of these meetings.
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THE ZWEIG LETTER NOVEMBER 17, 2025, ISSUE 1610
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