Walk the Talk

The Just public disclosure tool helps the practice live up to its ethos.

BY JENNICA DEELY

Corporate websites are awash in language about DEI commitments, but measurable, meaningful results require more than clever wordsmithery. This is where the Just label comes into play. In 2024, Perkins Eastman Architects, specifically the practice’s 17 US studios, became one of only eight large AEC firms in the world to achieve the Just label designation. The label, administered by the nonprofit International Living Future Institute, known as Living Future, is a transparency framework for “social justice indicators”—akin to a nutrition label—that enables the practice to establish, review, and refine its policies on diversity, health, supply chain, and more.

“This milestone is not the end goal but a significant step on our journey,” says Koray Aysin, Perkins Eastman’s leader of corporate sustainability. The effort began in 2021 as a pilot project in the Washington, DC, studio and expanded nationwide after that location earned the label in 2022. PEople Culture Manager Emily Pierson-Brown led the nationwide effort to gather qualitative data, distributing engagement surveys and visiting every US studio. “What we really wanted to understand was, ‘Are we actually fulfilling the commitments that we’re talking about out loud in our day-to-day practices?’” she says.

“What we really wanted to understand was, ‘Are we actually fulfilling the commitments that we’re talking about out loud in our day-to-day practices?’ ”

—EMILY PIERSON-BROWN

Associate Principal, PEople Culture Manager

The data collection process led to significant updates to Perkins Eastman’s employee handbook, incorporating enhanced policies on benefits, compensation, diversity, and environmental quality. The label, displayed on the Living Future and Perkins Eastman websites, requires public transparency. Increasingly, requests for proposals require transparency, too, as potential clients seek information about policies on DEI, health, and sustainability. “The Just label simplifies our response when pursuing projects,” says Nick Leahy, co-CEO and executive director.

DIAGRAM © PERKINS EASTMAN

While the label acknowledges existing policies, it also highlights areas for growth. For example, Perkins Eastman’s Ethnic Diversity, Inclusion, and Equitable Purchasing indicators currently meet baseline standards, but more progress is needed. Improvements, now underway, will be evaluated during the label’s next update in 2026. At the same time, measures that perform at the label’s maximum level, such as Gender Diversity, continue to be a focus for the firm.

Securing the label for the practice’s US studios “reflects our belief that transparency and continuous improvement are essential to creating a positive impact,” Leahy says. In addition to updating its current label, Perkins Eastman is committed to expanding its Just efforts globally, one studio at a time, and embedding its values-driven culture deeper into its design philosophy. N

Clients Are Asking

  • Does your firm have diversity and inclusion policies?
  • Does your firm have any external sustainability certifications (DJSI, GRI, GBB, Green C, Certified B Corporation, Green America, Green Plus)?
  • Does your firm have any external ratings, certifications, or awards related to diversity, inclusion, or employee engagement such as GPTW or Just?
  • Does your company produce an annual corporate responsibility report?