"Knight has long been at the forefront of  innovative design throughout the City and State,"

Jim Wolfe,
President and CEO

John Albrecht heads  Knight's green practice

To support the continued growth of Knight’s sustainable design portfolio, Director of Sustainable Design John Albrecht, AIA, LEED AP joined the firm in the spring of 2007. Mr. Albrecht leads the firm’s sustainable design efforts in both its architectural and engineering practices, ensuring that Knight’s commitment to sustainability is met in every project.

With 27 years experience with the City of Chicago, John’s experience includes a variety of municipal projects such as police and fire stations, libraries, transit facilities, pedways, streetscaping, bridges, land acquisition and CHA projects.

John was also instrumental in developing the City's green building guidelines and LEED initiatives. He served on the City’s “green team," which initiated the City’s LEED Pilot Project program and the “Chicago Standard.” John was the City’s first LEED Accredited Professional and conducts regular LEED study sessions for the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

In addition, John has served as a board member of the USGBC Chicago Chapter and is a USGBC Heartland Regional Representative. He is on both the USGBC Government Core Committee and the GreenBuild 2007 Host Committee. John is a licensed architect in Illinois and Minnesota and a member of AIA, CSI, ALA and NCARB.

"Knight has long been at the forefront of  innovative design throughout the City and state," said Knight President and CEO Jim Wolfe.  "It was only natural for us to develop a strong sustainable design practice." 

Long an advocate of environmental stewardship,  Knight achieved its first LEED Certified project with the renovation of the historic Chicago Marine Safety Station, completed in 2005. The Marine Safety Station project introduced sustainable design practices, including a geothermal energy alternative and the use of recycled and locally produced materials, into an existing building, without compromising the building’s historical significance or its intended purpose.

The LEED Certified Chicago Marine Safety Station uses sustainable technologies in an attractive and working facility located on the City's Lakefront.

Today, Knight is providing design services to the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County for the Blackwell Fleet Maintenance Facility, which is being designed for LEED Silver Certification. Prior to the design of the Blackwell facility, Knight conducted a comprehensive needs assessment and planning study, which recommended the Forest Preserve District seek LEED certification in the development of a centralized Fleet and Grounds Maintenance Facility.  

The high-performance green plaza building at Plaza 9 includes multiple sustainable  design strategies.

But sustainable design reaches beyond buildings. Since 2005 Knight has served as Project Manger for the City of Chicago’s nationally recognized, award-winning Green Alley Program. With approximately 1,900 miles of alleys, Chicago has more alleys than any other city in the world. The City sought to optimize this important public alley network as a means of improving the environment through the development of sustainable infrastructure. 

The Program tests specific green technologies, including lighting and the use of permeable pavement, high albedo pavement and sustainable materials, in real world situations at five alleys across the City. It also engages local residents and businesses in the effort to develop green infrastructure by educating them about sustainable initiatives that they can undertake in their own backyards.

Knight's green work has received multiple honors including an Association of Licensed Architects 2007 Design Award for the Chicago Marine Safety Station and several awards for the Green Alley Program as described below.