Perkins&Will

What does it mean to design for a city that shaped you?

For Douglas Tolaine, Design Director of our São Paulo studio, Bio Jardins offered an opportunity to draw on his personal connection to São Paulo while imagining a more sustainable, people-centered future. Swipe to explore the story behind the design, and learn more here: https://perkinswill.com/project/bio-jardins/

We’re proud to rank #3 on Interior Design Magazine’s 2026 Sustainability Giants list!

“Being recognized on this list is a reflection of our continued commitment to pushing sustainability forward through design,” says Kathy Wardle, Regional Director of Regenerative Design in Canada. “We see an opportunity to move beyond incremental change and continue exploring new materials, research, and approaches that create healthier, more resilient places for people and the planet.”

See the full list: https://interiordesign.net/research/interior-design-2026-sustainability-giants/

📷: Our Vancouver Studio

Designed as a “lantern in the woodlands,” the RAD Center welcomes University of Houston students into a glowing gathering space nestled among the trees.

As the first mass timber building on campus, this groundbreaking structure replaces an underground, flood-prone dining facility that was severely damaged during Hurricane Harvey. The RAD Center serves as a “third place” beyond home and the classroom, giving students a daylit space to gather, dine, study, and connect.

Thank you to Pooja Desai for featuring the project in Texas Society of Architects/AIA. Read the full story here: https://magazine.texasarchitects.org/2026/07/28/higher-ground/

The Metropolis Magazine Planet Positive Awards celebrate the people, projects, and ideas advancing a more sustainable, healthy, and equitable built environment. This year, we’re proud to have two projects and two research initiatives named finalists!

𝐇𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲
𝘜𝘯𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵
The first public school in the U.S. to pursue full Living Building Challenge 4.1 Certification, this project creates an immersive, regenerative learning environment for K–12 students. Classrooms and lab spaces—both indoor and outdoor—are designed to support hands-on learning, connect students with the outdoors through a teaching orchard and nearly 500 acres of preserved forest, and create opportunities to build environmental stewardship.

Western Washington University’𝐬 𝐊𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐢 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥
𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘌𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵
Designed for WWU’s electrical engineering and computer science departments, the project features technology-rich learning laboratories and makerspaces that foster collaboration. Supporting the university’s vision of becoming the first carbon net-neutral collegiate campus in Washington state, the project was recently certified Zero Energy and Zero Carbon by the International Living Future Institute.

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐃𝐄
𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵
Public Repository to Engage Community and Enhance Design Equity (PRECEDE) provides educational resources on public health factors that influence community health and well-being. Covering topics from disability inclusion and neuroinclusion to women’s health, the resources give designers and other professionals accessible, research-based tools to better understand how the built environment can support healthier communities.

𝐂𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐄
𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵
The Coalition for the Advanced Understanding of School Environments (CAUSE) brings together architects, educators, researchers, and school districts to make open-access post-occupancy evaluations the norm in K–12 design. Founded by CADRE, HKS Architects, Perkins&Will, and Multistudio, CAUSE is transforming how research is gathered and shared to support more informed design decisions and better outcomes for students and teachers.

The Aaron Milken Center in Los Angeles reimagines early childhood education as a place where learning, creativity, and connection to nature are woven into everyday experiences. This approach comes to life through a series of design strategies:

𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: The Center integrates learning into the architecture through flexible spaces and built-in teaching elements that encourage hands-on exploration. Each classroom opens onto an outdoor environment featuring native landscaping, play spaces, and a garden where students can plant and grow food. Every design element supports the developmental needs of young learners of all abilities.

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫: Color becomes both a design feature and a wayfinding tool. Custom-colored glazed bricks help students navigate the campus, while neutral-toned bricks are interwoven with the colored ones and set vertically to evoke tree trunks.

𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞: Rather than relying on traditional hallways, the Center organizes classrooms and shared spaces around a central, shaded plaza, with open doors and breezeways creating a connected indoor-outdoor learning environment. Its Bel Air hilltop location offers panoramic canyon vistas and access to cooling airflow and direct sunlight.

“The most important part of the Aaron Milken Center isn't what was built, but it's what will happen inside it,” says Sarah Kaber, Senior Director of the Aaron Milken Center. “Every classroom, garden, and gathering space was designed to nurture relationships, inspire curiosity, and remind every child and family that they belong.”

Learn more: https://perkinswill.com/project/aaron-milken-center/

Stephen Wise Temple |

As back-to-school season begins, we’re revisiting a school that helped define the future of educational design: Crow Island School.

Built in 1940, Crow Island is widely considered the first modern school in the U.S., introducing a new approach to learning environments through child-scaled spaces, connections to nature, and its iconic L-shaped classrooms. When we returned to renovate and expand this landmark project, the goal was clear: to honor its legacy while creating spaces that support the needs of current and future generations.

“When you are working on a project that involves a historic building like Crow Island, it is a strong advantage to have a team that considers the value of the relationship that the community has with the building, and the symbolism that the building embodies for so many,” says Dr. Kelly Tess, Superintendent of The Winnetka Public Schools District 36.

Learn more: https://perkinswill.com/insights/crow-island-elementary-school-winnetka/?utm_campaign=Insights&utm_content=1787927384&utm_medium=Perkins%26Will&utm_source=facebook

We’re proud to be named #3 on Interior Design Magazine’s 2026 Healthcare Giants list! The annual rankings recognize the firms shaping the future of healthcare design and advancing care through the built environment. Thank you to our incredible design teams, clients, and collaborators who bring their expertise, vision, and ambition to every project.

Check out some of our health projects: https://perkinswill.com/projects/health/

: Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT).

CLT is changing how we think about structure, combining the strength of solid wood with the precision and efficiency of modern construction. Made by layering and bonding solid wood panels in alternating directions, CLT creates strong, lightweight structural elements that can be used for walls, floors, roofs, and other building components. Its prefabricated nature can also streamline construction, reduce material waste, and bring greater precision to the building process.

Beyond its structural potential, CLT brings the warmth and natural character of wood into the spaces we inhabit. When thoughtfully designed and made with responsibly sourced wood, it can support lower-carbon design while creating spaces that feel connected to their material origins.

Featured Projects:
1. 1 De Haro in San Francisco, California
2. River Beech Tower in Chicago, Illinois
3. University of British Columbia Earth Sciences Building in Vancouver, British Columbia
4. Modular Timber Housing in Vancouver, British Columbia
5. Tukwila Foster Library in Tukwila, Washington
6. BCIT: British Columbia Institute of Technology Tall Timber Student Housing in Burnaby, British Columbia

La Plaza Viva, designed in collaboration with The Beck Group and TBG Partners, has received a Merit Award from Architecture at Zero! The competition presents architects, designers, and engineers with a real site, real client, and real program, asking them to embed equity and decarbonization into a design that supports real community needs.

This year's challenge: a venue in Southern California serving as both a year-round educational and cultural space and a resiliency asset that transforms during regional emergencies to support evacuees, first responders, and multi-agency operations.

La Plaza Viva brings these goals to life through:

𝐅𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐥𝐨𝐰-𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧: A grid-based layout, demountable partitions, and low-carbon materials—including mass timber, CLT, rammed earth, and reclaimed materials—support long-term adaptability while reducing embodied carbon and future waste.

𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: Bioswales, on-site rainwater capture, and native desert landscaping help reduce potable water demand, strengthen soil stability, and turn stormwater into a resource.

𝐍𝐞𝐭-𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬: Renewable energy systems are designed to generate approximately three times the building’s annual energy demand, while battery storage supports grid independence and emergency operations during outages and disasters.

𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥-𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠: A shaded courtyard oasis anchors festivals, performances, markets, and everyday gatherings, while warm natural materials and flexible public spaces foster connection, healing, and belonging.

Explore all of the Architecture at Zero winners: https://www.architectureatzero.com/2026-winners