sustainable project development, sustainability research, ecological architecture, green architecture, green development, integrated development, integrated design, urban agriculture, people planet profit architecture, Symbiosis in Design, sustainable community design, environmental consultancy, design consultancy.
Systems design, life cycle analysis, GIS (Geographical Information systems), urban planning, sustainable urban planning, innovative sustainable architecture. We perform lifecycle consulting, carbin footprinting, life cycle analysis, ecological consulting, corporate social responsibility consulting (CSR) and many more sustainability services.
“Except’s people storm the gates of heaven, work extremely hard and invest unbelievable
amounts of energy into solving your problem, making it their own and getting to the bottom
of it.”
- Bart Verhagen, Development Manager,
Estrade / Vestia Housing Corporation
We are Except: integrated sustainability strategists, innovators,
and designers.
Our clients are those that wish to lead the way in sustainable development. They rely on us for our integrated approach, innovation capacity, experienced scientists and designers, and our network of partners. Our clients look to us to make sustainability understandable, realistic, exciting, and profitable.
Whether we're solving problems in energy management, business strategy, building design, agriculture, product development, or social programming, we strive to develop cutting edge solutions and new ways of thinking.
Who are we?
Except is a decentralized, cell structured organization, working on four continents, with about 50 scientists, engineers, designers, planners, ecologists, programmers, and managers, amongst others.
We pride ourselves on having a mix of specialists as well as generalists, each working under our central system-thinking method, Symbiosis in Development.
Network
In addition to our in-house expertise, we draw on our network of partners at research institutes and companies worldwide. With these partners we deliver projects from concept to execution, assuring quality along the way.
Our Clients Our clients range from governments to corporations. We have advised both local and national governments in Europe, Asia, and the United States and companies ranging from small chemical manufacturers to architecture offices to multinational banks.
History
Except was founded in 1999 as a design and research firm that merges environmental theories with research and design. Since then, Except has developed itself as a full service organization in innovation and sustainability strategy.
During its first decade of operations, Except has developed internationally recognized projects such as prioneering assessment tools, algae farms, vertical agriculture, new CSR strategies for business, indicator development and software, the world's largest ecological roof park, and many more.
At the end of the 90s Except developed the vision of building the foundation for a sustainable future. We designed a new company model built specifically to suit this task. In the first decade of the new millenium we developed new knowledge and increased the effectiveness of our approach. Since 2005, Except works with its global network of partners. In 2008, Except's headquarters moved to Rotterdam. In 2010, Except's USA office opened in New Haven, Connecticut.
“Except is a couple of years ahead of other organizations... they are one of the pioneers in
this area.”
- Paul van de Sande, Sustainability Program Manager, City Government of Roosendaal
“If you want to know where the future of integrated sustainable area development is heading, take a look at [Except's] Schiebroek-Zuid project.”
- Marion Bakker, Advisor Area Development, NL Agency, Government of the Netherlands.
