Gensler Product Sustainability standards reduce environmental impact of architectural interiors
G ensler , a leading global architecture and design firm , announced an expansion of the Gensler Product Sustainability ( GPS ) Standards to encompass 20 building product categories and furniture . For maximum impact , Gensler has selected materials used widely in residential , office and recreational spaces , ranging from everyday materials , like carpet and wallpaper , to less obvious components , like those used to build walls . GPS Standards set sustainability performance criteria across the 1.25 billion square feet of buildings designed annually by the firm . The sustainability standards create a consistent approach for specifying and measuring the environmental impact of buildings , interiors and furniture , including carbon dioxide emissions associated with materials and construction , across the firm ’ s work in the United States , Canada , United Kingdom and Europe .
Gensler announced the GPS initiative in August 2023 and implemented these standards in January 2024 . In September 2024 , the firm expanded the initial 12 product categories with the addition of eight new high-impact categories as part of a steady effort to increase the scope and stringency of the standards in alignment with the goals to drastically reduce net emissions associated with the firm ’ s work by 2030 .
The construction , operations , renovation and demolition of buildings produces nearly 40 % of carbon emissions each year globally . In recent years , increased public dialogue of the embodied carbon of structural building materials , such as concrete , steel and mass timber , and of building operations , such as energy use and efficiency , have increased awareness of how the built environment contributes to climate change .
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“ Gensler ’ s global impact and reach allows the firm to send a powerful market signal in support of better environmental performance for interior products and furniture ,” said David Briefel , Principal and Climate Action & Sustainability Studio Director , and Co-author of GPS . “ GPS Standards are set up to reward manufacturers for making the necessary decisions to move the industry toward a more sustainable future .”
Hitachi Digital Services launches R2O2 . ai framework to build , scale and operate trustworthy AI
The R2O2 . ai framework will further expand our proprietary HARC ( Hitachi Application Reliability Centres ) offering , a suite of engineering services that helps our customers build and manage systems with reliability , resiliency , security and cost efficiency . R2O2 . ai leverages 20-plus years of experience implementing AI solutions , complemented with a comprehensive library of 25-plus custom models built to address common industry problems and accelerate AI adoption . Its approach and frameworks enable efficient data adaptation , maximising model reusability while allowing for the development of highly targeted solutions . This streamlined process ensures a seamless transition from proof of concept to live production in weeks , rather than months .
H itachi Digital Services , the digital consultancy and technology services subsidiary of Hitachi , has announced the launch of its generative Artificial Intelligence ( GenAI ) offering : Reliable , Responsible , Observable and Optimal AI or R2O2 . ai . The R2O2 . ai framework is designed to bridge the gap between conceptualising AI workloads and deploying them at scale , delivering reliable , responsible and observable AI models at unprecedented speed and efficiency – ideal for enterprises aiming to scale their AI projects responsibly and optimally .
Rajesh Rajappan , Chief Strategy Officer of Hitachi Digital Services , said : “ R2O2 . ai helps our customers adopt nextgeneration AI technologies from design to build to ongoing operations . Building on principles of HARC , our R2O2 . ai framework empowers developers to design effective AI solutions by incorporating industry best practices , delivering full life-cycle solutions from identifying fit-for-purpose models with a forward-looking design and build for reliable , safe and optimised operations .”
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