The History

The Big Green Commute began in 2000 when ZGF staff decided to throw down the gauntlet with a one-day intra-office competition to test the sustainable chops of each ZGF office and to determine which office was the greenest of them all. Today, the internal competition has expanded from a one-day contest to a week-long heated battle with ZGF offices in Washington, DC, Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, New York City, and Vancouver, BC competing to win bragging rights and a coveted trophy. Knees have been scraped, tears have been shed, and ZGFers have been stranded at bus shelters experimenting with new commuting strategies. In 2010, ZGF’s Washington, DC office began a community version of the Big Green Commute, inviting local companies and firms to participate in an external competition to inspire and promote green commuting in the community and region. Since then, the DC-region Big Green Commute has continued to expand—reaching its highest participation levels to date in 2019!

Previous Winners

2019

Small Office(5-20 Employees)
  1. Maurice Walters Architect
  2. ISTUDIO Architects
  3. Landscape Architecture Bureau
Medium Office(21-60 Employees)
  1. Walter P Moore
  2. Arup
  3. Wiencek Associates
Large Office(61+ Employees)
  1. Perkins Eastman
  2. Simpson Gumpertz and Hegar
  3. HKS

2018

Small Office(5-20 Employees)
  1. Landscape Architecture Bureau
  2. Fehr & Peers DC
  3. Soto Architecture and Urban Design
Medium Office(21-60 Employees)
  1. Walter P Moore
  2. Eric Colbert & associates
  3. Studio 3877
Large Office(61+ Employees)
  1. Urban Land Institute
  2. Simpson Gumpertz and Hegar
  3. Perkins Eastman

2017

Small Office(5-20 Employees)
  1. HR&A Advisors
  2. Maurice Walters Architects
  3. Coalition for Smarter Growth
Medium Office(21-60 Employees)
  1. Grantmakers for Effective Organizations
  2. Eric Colbert & Associates
  3. Simpson Gumpertz & Heger
Large Office(61+ Employees)
  1. Urban Land Institute
  2. Gensler
  3. Perkins Eastman

2016

Small Office(5-20 Employees)
  1. openbox9
  2. Maurice Walters Architects
  3. Landscape Architecture Bureau
Medium Office(21-60 Employees)
  1. Grantmakers for Effective Organizations
  2. Skidmore Owings and Merrill
  3. HKS
Large Office(61+ Employees)
  1. Perkins Eastman
  2. Shalom Baranes Associates, PC
  3. Hickok Cole

2015

Small Office(5-20 Employees)
  1. Maurice Walters Architect
  2. Coalition for Smarter Growth
  3. Verified Carbon Standard
Medium Office(21-60 Employees)
  1. Skidmore Owings & Merrill
  2. OTJ Architects
  3. Simpson Gumpertz & Heger
Large Office(61+ Employees)
  1. RTKL Associates
  2. Shalom Baranes Associates
  3. USGBC

2014

Small Office(5-20 Employees)
  1. Maurice Walters Architect
  2. Verified Carbon Standard
  3. Coalition for Smarter Growth
Medium Office(21-60 Employees)
  1. Robert Silman Associates
  2. Skidmore Owings & Merrill
  3. David M. Schwarz Architects, Inc.
Large Office(61+ Employees)
  1. RTKL Associates
  2. WDG Architecture
  3. URS

2013

Small Office(5-20 Employees)
  1. Maurice Walters Architect
  2. Grantmakers for Effective Organizations
  3. Wnuk Spurlock Architecture / NK Architects
Medium Office(21-60 Employees)
  1. Community IT Innovators
  2. ZGF Architects
  3. Skidmore Owings and Merrill
Large Office(61+ Employees)
  1. RTKL Associates
  2. OTJ Architects
  3. Shalom Baranes Associates

2012

Small Office(5-20 Employees)
  1. Envision
  2. Wnuk Spurlock Architecture
  3. KGP Design Studio
Medium Office(21-60 Employees)
  1. ZGF Architects
  2. SOM
  3. KCCT
Large Office(61+ Employees)
  1. Hickock Cole
  2. USGBC
  3. OTJ Architects

2011

Small Office(5-20 Employees)
  1. Wnuk Spurlock Architecture
  2. Bell Architects
  3. Envision
Medium Office(21-60 Employees)
  1. David M Schwarz Architects
  2. ZGF Architects
  3. KCCT
Large Office(61+ Employees)
  1. Gensler
  2. USGBC
  3. RTKL

2010

  1. Wnuk Spurlock Architecture
  2. Wiencek + Associates [DC Office]
  3. Envision

BGC’s inaugural year!!