Building Bureau

Building Bureau was incorporated as a nonprofit corporation in February 2022 in response to a demand by public organizations and institutions for mission-driven architectural services. Buildings are the fabric of our built environment. In addition to serving an organization’s specific needs, buildings are used and seen by many; they impact our streets and skylines; they outlast the owners and architects who built them, becoming part of the human-made legacy inherited by future generations. Building codes across the world are a tacit acknowledgement of the public importance of the built environment: poorly designed structures can harm us, so buildings are subject to oversight. Our codes and regulations show we take a collective interest in the design of each and every building that is added to our common world. Architecture has an outsized impact on the natural environment too: more than a third of all greenhouse gas emissions globally are linked to the construction and operation of buildings. Every energy inefficient and carbon intensive new building – no matter its ownership or use – degrades the environment and contributes to our collective climate crisis. Thus the impact of a single building, regardless of its scale or occupancy, is planetary and ecological. Due to the measurable effects that buildings have on our societies, the process of their design – and who has access to design services – is of public concern. Building Bureau’s mission is to further the social impact of public organizations and civic institutions through architecture, while promoting stewardship of the built environment through research and educational programs.