MATERIALS ACTION PLAN AT A GLANCE GUIDE LS3P is a proud signatory of the AIA Materials Pledge, affirming the firm’s commitment to improving human and environmental health through more responsible material selection. Signed in 2023, the pledge builds on LS3P’s long-standing leadership in sustainable and resilient design and recognizes materials as a critical driver of design excellence, public health, and climate action.
WHY
HOW
WHO
WHEN
Material choices affect far more than buildings alone. From extraction and manufacturing to use, reuse, and disposal, materials influence indoor air quality, carbon emissions, ecosystems, labor conditions, and community well-being. The Materials Action Plan provides a firmwide framework for addressing these impacts consistently across projects, offices, and markets, aligned with LS3P’s mission, values, Evolution30, and the AIA Framework for Design Excellence.
The Action Plan focuses on five core strategies: aligning selections with pledge criteria; asking for transparency through third‑party documentation; setting goals and metrics; continuously improving specifications and procurement; and collaborating and sharing knowledge. Categories include human health, climate health, ecosystem health, social health & equity, and circular economy; LS3P aligns these categories with industry tools such as the mindfulMaterials Common Materials Framework to guide transparent, informed, and comparable decision-making.
Implementation is a one‑firm effort. Project teams, office leadership, Materials Champions, the Specifications Team, the Sustainability Team, and firm leadership all play essential roles. Oversight and coordination are provided by the Materials Pledge Task Force, which supports education, specification updates, goal‑setting, and annual reporting.
Phased short‑, medium‑, and long‑term targets will allow LS3P to establish a baseline, measure progress, and steadily raise expectations.
KEY STEPS ALIGN
pledge + goals
ASK
SET
for transparency
goals + metrics
IMPACT CATEGORIES
HUMAN HEALTH
CLIMATE HEALTH
IMPROVE
specifications + processes
COLLABORATE share + scale
Through this plan, LS3P aims not only to meet the AIA Materials Pledge, but to help drive market transformation—using the firm’s collective expertise and specification influence to advance healthier, more equitable, and more resilient outcomes for our projects, our communities, and the profession. CIRCULAR ECONOMY
SOCIAL HEALTH & EQUITY
ECOSYSTEM HEALTH