At SERA, we believe that a fully sustainable workplace is the logical first step toward practicing sustainability in our projects and helps nurture a culture of sustainability. By “walking our talk” we continue to discover new ways to work, interact and create more sustainable environments. In fact, that’s our mission:
We listen. We collaborate. We envision. We iterate. We share.
We design. Sustainable placemaking at every scale.
We hope to create change that ripples out into the world.
100% Employee Ownership
SERA is committed to a greater level of employee engagement and entrepreneurial involvement than is customarily found in an architectural firm. 100% of the stock of SERA Architects, Inc. is held in an Employee Stock Ownership Trust and our employees are the beneficiaries of that Trust. Being employee-owned empowers our staff in decision-making, one of SERA’s fundamental values that serves both the long-term health of the firm and our employee-owners.
Backcasting
In 2002, SERA leadership went through an intensive training in The Natural Step Framework and then instigated an extensive office-wide backcasting process. Backcasting is a process that reverses the standard forecasting approach by first establishing a future vision — in our case, a fully sustainable workplace — and then works backwards to develop the steps required to achieve that vision. The lessons learned from the backcasting process continue to permeate all aspects of SERA’s culture and operations.
One of the most prominent results of this process was the creation an employee-based Sustainable Action Committee (SAC). This volunteer group helps oversee the execution of sustainable business policies, practices, and strategies for the firm. Each year, SAC throws a Sustainable Action Celebration to share the company’s efforts and accomplishments with fellow employees, clients and community members.
