Who we are
“We take the long view in the work of our company.”
About
BEAM Construction Associates, Inc., is a design/build company that offers comprehensive design and construction services. These include site selection and design development, architectural drafting, project management, and finished construction.
Our design practices and construction methods reflect our belief that energy- and resource- efficient housing, built to the highest standards, is more important than ever. In building and design, our first priority is to conserve - whether it be resources, land or energy; our next is to produce - build structures that are resource efficient, on conserved land, utilizing energy efficient systems. We are committed to powering our buildings with onsite resources through the use of renewable energy technologies. BEAM also specializes in deep energy retrofits on existing buildings, successfully converting older housing stock into viable homes for the energy realities of the 21st century.
Our projects are built to the highest design, construction, and code standards.
Our hiring policy:
BEAM Construction Associates, Inc. hires, promotes, and makes work assignments on the basis of employee qualifications without regard to race, sex, religion, age, marital status, sexual orientation, or physical abilities. However, certain positions require physical capabilities that must be met by the applicant/employee. Discriminatory behavior by anyone at BEAM is not tolerated.
What are we talking about?
Energy and Resource Efficiency - What do we mean by this? Here we get into the philosophy and values that BEAM brings to the table ... we believe we are ethically obligated to take the long view in the work of our company. Looking ahead into the not-so-distant future, we see a world with a vastly different energy economy, where demand will be significantly greater for all of the resources needed to build and maintain our homes. We do not see that the prevailing norms are sustainable; i.e. compatible with the constraints placed upon us by the biosystems that sustain us.
Fundamentally, we do not believe that the status quo in building design and construction is sustainable.
Given these projections, we see great opportunities to redefine many of the criteria we use to measure the success of our designs and construction. Clearly our houses must fulfill the basic requirements of shelter, as well as be enduring, healthy, attractive, and in some manner, feed our souls - all things that have been used to judge the quality of our homes for generations. Beyond this, though, we need buildings in which the energy loads are minimized, the energy required to power them is harvested on-site to the greatest extent possible, and the materials used to construct them are chosen with an eye to reducing the embodied energy of the structure. When we do all of these things, we will have a building that fits our definition of "sustainable". Does this mean our work will have no impact on the greater world? Clearly, this is not possible. But this impact should not diminish the ability of our children to meet their own needs at some future time.