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Message: Sustainable Office Designs Gordon Stratford’s sketches for HOK’s new, LEEDs certified office on Toronto’s King Street West. Toronto architecture firm HOK recently moved into its new offices on King Street West. Big deal, right? Well, it is a big deal. HOK’s commitment to sustainable practices is setting new standards for green office design in the city. Their experience achieving a coveted “Gold” LEEDs rating for the office is detailed by Metropolis Magazine. The designers—who have long dealt with issues of sustainable development—are helping others imagine and create environmentally sound businesses: Yet HOK has found that its clients are the most important audience for the space--not because of aesthetics, but because of environmental principles. Rather than advertise their design savvy with the typical architect’s corporate cool--all Barcelona chairs and travertine--HOK throws its significant corporate heft behind the “triple bottom line”: how sustainability benefits business, society, and the planet. What the firm has found is that the conversation often stretches beyond architecture. “We’re talking with our clients about what it means to go green not just with their offices but with their whole organization,” says Orawski. One client recently asked for help in offsetting the carbon dioxide emissions of its energy usage to make its space “carbon neutral,” prompting Orawski to respond, “Oh boy, this is going to be fun!” www.corporateknightsforum.com