Hoffman's leadership in the area of sustainable design and construction is demonstrated by the success of our first two LEED certified schools. Northland Pines High School in Eagle River, Wisconsin, is the first LEED Gold certified public high school in the United States, while River Crest Elementary School in Hudson is the first LEED for Schools Gold certified public elementary school in Wisconsin and the second in the United States. Both schools were built at a construction cost at least 25% below the average cost of other public schools in the Midwest (according to data published in School Planning & Management magazine), defying the conventional wisdom that "building green costs more". Thoughtful design and innovative techniques ensured that design and construction quality were not sacrificed in the quest for the LEED Gold certifications.

Hoffman's expertise in planning, designing, and constructing sustainable projects has led to opportunities to create new products and services, as well as to provide a test bed in our projects for the commercial application of new products and services developed by others. In the case of Andersen® Corporation, we identified a new window that was not available in Andersen's offerings and were able to jointly determine (with Andersen and Cardinal Glass) how to manufacture the new window that Hoffman wanted for its projects.

In March, 2010, the U.S. Green Building Council® awarded Holy Wisdom Monastery all 63 points sought out of a possible 69 points. This exceeded the previous record of 61 points and was accomplished at a cost well below that of other LEED certified buildings and at a cost comparable to other buildings of similar quality and function built in the Madison area in that year. Hoffman's thoughtful, integrated approach to the design and delivery of highly sustainable buildings consistently demonstrates that even the "greenest" buildings need not cost more than those that are conventionally designed and built.

Hoffman is well versed in the latest market trends, highlighted by the significant shift in senior care from a medical care model to a person-centered approach, which is the basis of the nationally recognized Green House concept. Working closely with Wisconsin-based provider Lutheran Homes of Oshkosh on the development of their new 77-acre campus, Hoffman designed and constructed the first two Green House® Homes in the state of Wisconsin. Hoffman was selected by Dunn County, Wisconsin to design eight Green House Homes and four neighbors in the Congregate Care Facility, which is modeled after the Green House concept.

Value Trading is a collaborative process where we work with our clients to identify features with greater value and offset any added expense by eliminating features of less value. In addition to considering cost savings associated with individual systems or equipment selection (i.e. traditional value engineering), we perform a more complete evaluation of tradeoffs available to optimize our clients' project goals within their budget. For example, a client may choose to allocate additional budget to a more highly efficient HVAC system by relaxing the standards for interior finishes, so that within the same project budget, a higher overall value is achieved.

The Power of g, which equals True Sustainability, is Hoffman's holistic "and thinking" approach to sustainability which results in each client finding their ideal balance of capital costs, sustainable design and delivery, life-cycle cost savings, and healthy, productive environments. Every organization has its unique needs and priorities that must be brought into balance. Some organizations want to be leaders in sustainable technology. Others want to save money while reducing environmental impact. We help each client balance their priorities, stay within budget, and achieve their unique sustainability objective. By providing the appropriate "green" solution for each of our client's projects and helping them reach a balance among those elements, they achieve True Sustainability.