{"id":307,"date":"2024-05-16T20:57:09","date_gmt":"2024-05-16T20:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev2-perkinseastmanthenarrative.dreamhosters.com\/summer2024\/?page_id=307"},"modified":"2025-06-11T18:58:02","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T18:58:02","slug":"walk-the-talk","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/perkinseastmanthenarrative.com\/summer2025\/studio-stories\/walk-the-talk\/","title":{"rendered":"Walk the Talk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Walk<\/span> the <\/span>\nTalk<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Just public disclosure tool helps the practice live up to its ethos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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BY JENNICA DEELY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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\u2019s 17 US studios, became one of only eight large AEC firms in the world to achieve the Just label<\/a> designation. The label, administered by the nonprofit International Living Future Institute<\/a>, known as Living Future, is a transparency framework for \u201csocial justice indicators\u201d\u2014akin to a nutrition label\u2014that enables the practice to establish, review, and refine its policies on diversity, health, supply chain, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis milestone is not the end goal but a significant step on our journey,\u201d says Koray Aysin, Perkins Eastman\u2019s 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. \u201cWhat we really wanted to understand was, \u2018Are we actually fulfilling the commitments that we\u2019re talking about out loud in our day-to-day practices?\u2019\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhat we really wanted to understand was, \u2018Are we actually fulfilling the commitments that we\u2019re talking about out loud in our day-to-day practices?\u2019\u2009\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014EMILY PIERSON-BROWN<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Associate Principal, PEople Culture Manager<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

The data collection process led to significant updates to Perkins Eastman\u2019s 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. \u201cThe Just label simplifies our response when pursuing projects,\u201d says Nick Leahy, co-CEO and executive director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DIAGRAM \u00a9 PERKINS EASTMAN<\/figcaption>\n\n\n\n
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While the label acknowledges existing policies, it also highlights areas for growth. For example, Perkins Eastman\u2019s 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\u2019s next update in 2026. At the same time, measures that perform at the label\u2019s maximum level, such as Gender Diversity, continue to be a focus for the firm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Securing the label for the practice\u2019s US studios \u201creflects our belief that transparency and continuous improvement are essential to creating a positive impact,\u201d 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<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Clients Are Asking<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n