The Sustainability Report & Matrix was the BNIM design team's response to setting sustainability goals for a proposed headquarters for the David & Lucile Packard Foundation workplace in Los Altos, California— a 90,000 square foot office facility that would consolidate the client's staff and resources to one location. Six levels of design were measured with regard to the USGBC's Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) rating system were measured: (1) the Market Building; (2) LEED Certified; (3) LEED Silver; (4) LEED Gold; (5) LEED Platinum; and (6) the Living Building (zero negative impact on the environment). The design team found the Living Building (zero negative impact on the environment) to be very compelling, bringing the issue of true replicability to the fore.

This tool, which can evolve with the development of new technologies and the variables of each given context, reflects the need for a new design approach. Design in the third millennium requires a more holistic understanding of energy conservation, consumption, generation and cost. The matrix and report addresses land and water consumption, looks at the impact of buildings through the next one hundred years rather than the next twenty, and considers more carefully the source of materials, manufacturing processes, and transportation requirements. This tool explains the financial cost of carrying through on sustainable strategies and the environmental and societal costs of not doing so. It helps the construction industry view the global perspective more clearly and to be more confident and encouraged in its own sustainable choices.