When I founded Allen Construction almost 40 years ago, it was an opportunity to create a company around my own closely held values and passion for sustainable building.
What began as a personal conviction and desire to see a better way to build has truly become a collective effort across Allen Construction, and this companywide commitment is now an inspiration and journey that we are all on together. My hope is that as a community of clients, architects, trade partners and technical experts, we are able to continue to push the boundaries on sustainability and learn from one another in the process.
The early days of passive solar designs and focus on water conservation have evolved into our more recent push to take a far more holistic approach to sustainable building. We have created our five pillars of sustainability to provide a framework for better building, and we are committed to partnering with others to do this together. We are grateful to be part of a community that deeply cares about our environment, and we look forward to our continued collaboration and partnership.
Founder & Chairman of the Board
Dennis Allen’s home, built by Allen Construction, and designed by Thompson Naylor Architects achieved LEED Platinum, USGBC’s highest rating. This home is part of a three-unit all-electric, net zero condominium project built around a community garden.
We recently became a 100% fully employee-owned ESOP company, which marked one of the company’s biggest milestones in its forty-year history. While our journey of employee-ownership began long ago, with interim milestones including recognition as the Western States ESOP Company of the Year in 2017 and 51% employee-ownership in 2020, the latest move to 100% is a significant commitment that cements our corporate structure around employee engagement and buy-in across the organization.
Sustainability continues to be part of our DNA and a major reason for our existence as a company. When our founder, Dennis Allen, started the company in 1983, it was with the intention of finding more sustainable ways to build. That has blossomed over the years into a pioneering spirit around green building that is carried throughout the organization. Our performance reviews formally incorporate social and environmental issues for all employees and our stated ten-year target as a company driven by sustainability and employee goals instead of more common metrics around profit.
This year was also dedicated to incorporating our five pillars of sustainability across the company, which ultimately serves as the foundation for our efforts around sustainable building practices and company operations.
While Allen’s five pillars of sustainability are centered around our building projects, we have also focused on our company operations as a major driver of our commitment to a companywide sustainability approach and mindset.
Here are some of the key areas where we see this in action:
■ Awarded Innovator Certification with the Santa Barbara County Green Business Program
■ Recycling program for paper, cardboard, plastic, and composting
■ Low-flow faucets, taps, toilets and urinals
■ Employee incentives for use of public transportation, carpooling, or biking to work
■ Hybrid/Remote office positions to reduce commuting carbon emissions
■ Environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) policy in place for cleaning products, office supplies and paper
■ Free usage of electric vehicle charging stations at company headquarters
■ Motion sensing lights and smart thermostat controls
■ Completed internal Business Impact Assessment to start process for becoming a B Corp
■ Company electric bike for alternative transportation
■ Drought tolerant landscaping
Nothing matters more to our success and vision as a company than our employee-owners, and we believe you’ll see that sense of commitment and satisfaction from our team members on project sites, at the office, and in the community.
100
percent employee-owned
100 40 20 15
percent of FT employees eligible for healthcare, vision, and dental insurance
years as a company serving the Santa Barbara region
percent of employee-owners are women (compared to industry average of 11%)
people with more than a decade at Allen
Core values are at the heart of who we are as a company. We use these to hold one another accountable and cultivate a team that enjoys working and growing together. Each year, all employees vote on winners for each core value, and we celebrate this together as part of who we are as a culture-driven company.
We are a company of employee-owners who collaborate and show respect for one another, our clients and our partners. We start by helping and we look out for others.
We are a team that is positive and encouraging. We act without arrogance and have confidence without attitude.
We desire to improve and try new things. We have a growth mindset, take initiative, and push ourselves to be leaders in sustainability.
We are accountable, dependable, and committed. We follow through, go the extra mile, and do quality work.
Allen Construction developed our five pillars of sustainability in an attempt to simplify a complex and evolving subject down to a clear platform. Our goal with this platform is to encourage architects, designers, builders, and homeowners to collaborate at the forefront of the design process with a guide that offers easier understanding and communication around how to make decisions that reduce building and operational greenhouse gas emissions and promote healthy living conditions for occupants.
Reducing operational carbon (occupant usage) by designing or converting home systems to all-electric and offsetting with solar when possible.
Reducing embodied carbon (carbon generated from mining, manufacturing, & transporting) through thoughtful design and selection of low carbon or carbon sequestering materials that make up the home.
Enabling a home to withstand natural disasters and support occupants during blackouts.
Designing homes and landscapes with the highest energy and water efficient strategies.
Promoting healthy air quality inside the home and reducing sound pollution.
LEED Platinum modern beach house designed by Turturro Design Studio and Alliance Design Group. This home exceeded California energy code by 56% due to its high performance shell, 5.1 kilowatt photovoltaic system, and a solar hydronic system to preheat water for domestic use and radiant heating.
The built environment accounts for almost 40 percent of gross annual carbon emissions worldwide. We believe it is our responsibility to discuss alternatives that can reduce this impact. Here are the accomplishments from our projects over the last year that resulted from these discussions and collaborations with architects, engineers, and homeowners.
4 Electric heat pump HVAC systems
4
3 All-electric homes
2
1
Induction cooktops and electric fireplaces were used in these homes to replace gas-burning options.
LEED Platinum modern farmhouse designed by Thompson Naylor Architects, Jessica Risko Smith Interior Design, and Evergreen Landscape Architects. The home features a 1,250 gallon rain water cistern, landscapes fed by grey water, 6.4 kilowatt photovoltaic system, solar thermal water heating, high performance insulation and air sealing, low or zero VOC finishes, and whole house ventilation.
Off-grid solar PV and battery system installed and approved by SCE
3 Homes sealed below 1.5 air changes per hour (ACH) 1 Home exceeded code requirement insulation R values
Whole home greywater system installed
Each year, we celebrate the work of fellow employees who continue to pioneer sustainable building projects and operations. We center this around Allen’s five pillars of sustainability, which allows us to continually push to improve in each of these areas. This past year’s awards included more than 30 nominations from inside the company, with the following winners selected for each category.
Preston and Joe managed the construction and coordination of all components on an allelectric, net zero home, including a solar PV system, electric heat pump heating and cooling, electric heat pump water heating, electric heat pump spa heating, and electric appliances. They worked hand in hand with local trade partners to help source the equipment and organize trainings and certifications for proper installation.
Tanner organized and led the de-construction and reuse of salvaged materials and appliances that come from our projects. He coordinated the reuse of these materials with project leads and community members in an effort to reduce the total embodied carbon in materials that make up our homes from the sourcing, manufacturing, and transportation sectors before they arrive on site.
Joe Beazley Preston Taylor Tanner Davis
Steve worked hand in hand with our electrician to develop a three-tier critical load diagram, powered by four back up batteries to ensure lighting, wifi, kitchen appliances, and hot water are usable in power shutoff or blackout situations. He additionally managed the final inspection of a self-generation permit which allows the home to continue sending solar power back to the home even during periods when the SCE grid is shut off.
Preston coordinated and implemented leak detection and greywater solutions, including the installation of a leak detection water meter with automatic shutoff, and connecting three showers, a tub, and laundry to flow to sub-surface mulch basins in the property’s landscaping. An overflow three-way valve was installed per code to run to the sewer, if needed. Estimates predict savings/reuse of over 32,000 gallons of water per year.
Paul and Duncan used materials and equipment to create a tighter building envelope, sound reduction, and mechanical ventilation to promote consistent and filtered occupant fresh air. Their efforts included air sealing exterior walls and ceilings, filling interior walls, coordinating the design and installation of energy recovery ventilation systems (ERVs), and working with our custom steel door and window fabricator to improve standard waterproofing details.
Steve Johnson Paul Pitrone Duncan Brown Preston Taylor