Henderson Engineers, a national building systems design firm, named Brian Alessi, AIA, LEED AP, BD+C, as its new sustainability director. Alessi brings 20 years of experience in sustainable design to the role, including over 400 LEED certified projects, zero net energy projects, and residential and commercial passive house developments. He will be at the helm of Henderson’s long-running efforts to design buildings that are healthy, sustainable, and resilient. Alessi will also lead efforts to support Henderson’s sustainability-focused clients on their path to net zero.
“Brian is an invaluable addition to our technical leadership team as we continue to push ourselves to 
expand our services to meet our climate goals,” said Dustin Schafer, chief technical officer at Henderson. “We’re committed to delivering work that is good for people and good for the planet. Brian is a longtime advocate of this approach. His holistic design process and multidisciplinary approach will help ensure we remain at the forefront of implementing innovative, cost-effective sustainability strategies for our clients.”
Henderson’s design process aligns with standards set forth by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and each project is analyzed for its potential environmental impact, including CO2 emissions, landfill waste, and water and energy consumption. Henderson has more than 125 LEED-Accredited professionals on staff and the firm has completed more than 500 LEED projects, including the Golden 1 Center and practice facility in Sacramento, Calif., which was the first LEED Platinum and entirely solar-powered arena in the world.
“I collaborated with Henderson in the past as a consultant and appreciated how receptive the company is to adopting sustainable solutions,” Alessi said. “I believe sustainability is a beautiful blend of design, equity, and social good, and my role is to ensure the building systems we create nurture our environment now and for future generations. I’m excited to bring this vision and my expertise to the Henderson team.”
