Local architect designs green buildings

It’s not easy being green — it takes a lot of hard work and attention to detail — but according to Jason Schmidt, it’s worth it.

Schmidt recently opened an architectural firm on South Foster Street specializing in designing energy efficient, environmentally friendly buildings. 

Schmidt says his specialty is designing buildings that are energy efficient, make use of local materials and that take advantage of the natural characteristics of the building site.

Schmidt’s commitment to building green buildings isn’t the product of some hippie-dippy social consciousness, but rather the logical, practical conclusion of a mind devoted to good design.

“It’s designing buildings to meet a higher mark, making a higher performance building,” he said.

Schmidt said green buildings offer their owners many benefits, in that they use less energy and water,. They are also generally much healthier for their inhabitants. For a business, that can translate into substantial cost savings because of decreased absenteeism and increased worker productivity.

Schmidt said the design process for green buildings takes a little more attention to detail than standard, cookie-cutter designs.

“You do things like pay attention to the path of the sun and build accordingly,” he said. “You don’t do things like building a glass box in the desert.”

The 34-year-old Schmidt is one of the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified architects in the Wiregrass. According to the U.S. Green Buildings Council, buildings designed by LEED certified architects are typically more efficient and healthy than standard buildings. LEED certification began in 1994, and about 14,000 buildings worldwide are LEED-certified buildings.

Schmidt is a graduate of Slocomb High School and Auburn University. He and his wife have three children.