Ethos
We define regeneration as creating conditions for people, places, and communities to thrive—using architecture, planning, and consulting to shape healthier, more resilient built environments. From concept through delivery, we translate regenerative ideas into high-performance buildings and spaces designed to inspire, endure, and elevate the everyday experience.
HMTX World Headquarters
Regenerative Design Approach
Architecture That Inspires, Performs, and Endures
At McLennan Design, we design architecture with intent and responsibility — buildings, landscapes, and communities that are buildable, functional, technically rigorous, and designed to last. Guided by the vision of Jason F. McLennan, creator of the Living Building Challenge, our work brings together decades of leadership, research, and international experience with a place-based, regenerative approach to architecture.
From off-grid cabins to company headquarters, adaptive reuse projects, world-class sports arenas, and campus-scale developments, we create buildings and spaces that support human health, perform at a high level, and respond thoughtfully to their context. Our projects integrate healthy, low-impact materials; daylight and biophilic design; high-quality indoor air and occupant comfort; and optimized building systems — always with people, place, and long-term value at the center. Each project enhances the place it inhabits and delivers architecture built to endure.
70% more efficient than typical building
The HMTX headquarters is 70% more efficient than a typical building of comparable size, with a predicted Energy Use Intensity (EUI) score of 18 versus an EUI of 91.
HMTX World Headquarters
Climate Pledge Arena | Seattle, WA
A global first for zero-carbon sports and entertainment.
As lead sustainability advisor, McLennan Design guided the 800,000-square-foot adaptive reuse to become the world’s first arena to achieve ILFI Zero Carbon Certification—proving that large-scale venues can eliminate fossil fuels, operate on renewable energy, and preserve historic structures.
Learn more about our work with the Climate Pledge Arena team
“If you’re in the Fortune 500 space and you’re looking to do something creative, innovative and sustainable, Jason is the person you talk to. He’s on that shortlist of international architectural presences who have the wherewithal to help you think about campus master planning and individual building elements and all connecting it to the global climate crisis that we have right now.”
Rob Johnson
Vice President for Sustainability and Transportation for Climate Pledge Arena and the Seattle Kraken
Our Approach
Listening & Observation
Every project begins with close attention to place. We listen to communities, study site conditions, and understand the cultural, ecological, and climatic forces at work. This allows us to identify strengths to build upon and opportunities for repair, reconnection, or improvement — grounding each design in real conditions rather than abstraction.
Collaborative Engagement
There is no greater force in design than a community aligned around what it values. We engage clients, stakeholders, and partners early and meaningfully, ensuring projects reflect shared priorities and long-term goals. This inclusive process builds clarity, trust, and collective ownership — essential ingredients for successful architecture.
Critical habitat & site sensitivity: McCall Field Campus was designed in a State park to protect and save Ponderosa Pine trees
Universal access and youth-oriented spaces
public-schools that are restorative and inspirational
Creating spaces for life-long learning and education
extending the longevity of existing buildings
Pursuing the maximum potential with existing buildings
Creating places for life and living
Buildings built with non-toxic, site-sourced materials
Dynamic, multi-use, durable university buildings
Re-wilding and restoring landscapes at higher-ed campus
Educational and communal multi-use spaces
ASHRAE’s new headquarters transforms a tired 1970s structure into a bright, high-performing, Net Zero workplace—without expanding the site or disturbing a single established tree. Strategic skylights, climate-responsive design, and rigorous energy and daylight modeling prove that reuse can be both practical and visionary.
Learn more about our transformation and renovation for ASHRAE world Headquarters in Atlanta
Interdisciplinary Expertise at ASHRAE HQ
“Regenerative design is not about doing less harm. It’s about doing more good.”
– Jason F. McLennan
Regeneration and Performance
We understand regeneration as the active renewal of places — strengthening ecological health, supporting communities, and improving long-term performance through design. Every architectural decision influences outcomes over time. By prioritizing durability, efficiency, material health, indoor air quality, and system optimization, we deliver buildings that perform reliably and create lasting value for clients, occupants, and communities.
Durability is sustainability. Well-designed architecture is resilient, adaptable, and capable of serving people well for decades.
Indoor environments with clean air, non-toxic materials, and biophilic connections
Optimizing every inch with pollinator friendly green roofs, artwork, and using solar PV canopy for shade, shelter, and power at the HMTX World Headquarters
Indoor spaces with real life daylight greenwalls and planters softening spaces, cleaning air, and adding biophilic moments in everyday spaces
At ASHRAE HQ, skylights punctuate the 1970s building to provide ambient daylight to office areas
A bioretention park cleans stormwater, provides habitat, and a park-like setting at an industrial maintenance facility
Salvage materials and features add character, repurpose items, and add distinction at Heron Hall
Site sourced rammed earth walls, cottonwood milled from felled trees, and repurposed stained glass windows all add meaning and identity to Heron Hall
Long-Term Value
We design architecture to endure — performing thoughtfully for people and place over decades. Each project is shaped to enhance human well-being, support ecological health, and strengthen the communities it serves, today and into the future.
Award-Winning Leadership
Our work is recognized for design quality, performance, and measurable impact:
- Climate Pledge Arena: Sustainability consulting for the world’s first arena to achieve ILFI Zero Carbon Certification and TRUE Platinum waste performance
- HMTX HQ & ASHRAE Net Zero HQ: AIA Design Awards for architectural excellence and environmental performance
- WWU Kaiser Borsari Hall: Holcim Awards Bronze — sustainability consulting by McLennan Design, with Perkins&Will Seattle leading design
- Lichen Collection (Mohawk Carpet): Best of NeoCon Gold for advancing healthier materials and industry innovation
- HCPS Center for Environmental Studies: 2026 AIA Triangle Honor Award - Unbuilt Category with Perkins&Will North Carolina + Bainbridge Island
- 2026 Metropolis Planet Positive Award Finalist: HCPS
- Archtizer A+ Special Mention 2026: McCall Field Campus Dining Hall
Across all scales and typologies, we bring analytical depth, creative ambition, and a deep respect for great spaces — delivering architecture that is both award-winning and built to last.
King County’s first mass timber building designed to pursue Living Building Challenge Petals.
The 50,250-square-foot, Net Zero Energy-targeted campus pairs 1,100 solar panels with a bioretention park—turning essential civic infrastructure into a model for resilience and regeneration.
Start the Conversation
If you’re planning a project and looking for architecture that combines design excellence, performance, and long-term value, we’d welcome the opportunity to collaborate.
