Parkhill, Smith and Cooper

Parkhill, Smith and Cooper 

Located in the HUB city is a company by the name of Parkhill, Smith and Cooper (PSC). Parkhill, Smith and Cooper are the first company in Lubbock to be a LEED certified. Parkhill, Smith and Cooper are full-service design firm. Not only does the company offer many different services, the company cares about the environment, and the impact that the company makes on the environment.

While visiting Parkhill, Smith and Cooper we learned that the company has a garden on the roof. The garden on the roof acts as an insulator. Soil is a very good insulator because it retains heat very well.  However, it was not just soil that does all of the work. The roof had many different layers to create insulation. By using soil instead of insulation, PSC was cutting back on the use of products that are not good for the planet. The garden on the roof was my favorite part about the field trip. Another thing that Dr. Gaines told us was that PSC had waterless urinals. I was not able to see the urinal, and I was too nervous to ask to see them. However, the use of waterless urinals allows the company to cut back on the amount of water they consume, which in turn lowers their bill.  

Having a building that is LEED certified has many benefits. The benefit that I found the most interesting was the fact that the employees at Parkhill, Smith and Cooper do not take as many sick days. The reason why is because the building does not have any harsh chemicals floating through the air. All of the materials used in the building are eco-friendly. Another benefit to being LEED certified is that people who are staying in hospitals tend to recover faster when they have natural light. At Parkhill, Smith and Cooper had tons of natural light throughout the space. Each office had at least 2 windows, the conference rooms had multiple windows, and in the design space had skylights. The windows are Parkhill, Smith and Cooper may have not been used for a speedy recovery, but they allow workers to be more productive and feel happy in a space.        

 Being a green is very important these days. The impact that it has on people proves this theory true. Parkhill, Smith and Cooper being the first company is Lubbock is proof that we are interested in making a small difference in the environment. If Parkhill, Smith, and Cooper can create a LEED certified building, then more companies should follow suit and become LEED certified.