Hudson Valley Architect Earns Living Future Accreditation
Juhee Lee-Hartford Deepens Firm’s Commitment to Regenerative Design
Juhee Lee-Hartford, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, CPHC, Founder and Principal of Hudson Valley architecture and design firm River Architects, has earned Living Future Accreditation (LFA) through the International Living Future Institute. Building on the firm’s proven commitment to Passive Building standards and Net Zero design, Lee-Hartford plans to lead her team in integrating Living Building Challenge standards to the firm’s daily practice.
Widely regarded as the built environment's most demanding sustainability standard, the Living Building Challenge provides a rigorous framework across seven performance categories including Place, Water, Energy, Health & Happiness, Materials, Equity, and Beauty.
For Lee-Hartford, Living Future is a natural evolution of the firm’s core mission: “For years our work has been guided by Passive Building principals, minimizing our environmental harm and shaping spaces that improve occupant health, comfort, and safety,” she explains. “Living Future takes this a step further, pushing us to interrogate how our buildings can truly give back.”
Under Juhee’s leadership, River Architects is nationally recognized for its expertise in Passive Building standards and Net Zero design, earning honors from programs including the NYSERDA Buildings of Excellence competition, Carbon Neutral Community Economic Development competition, and the AIA New York State Excelsior Award. Juhee also serves as a consultant for the New York State Department of State Downtown Revitalization Initiative program, providing guidance on implementing carbon-reduction strategies.
As River Architects continues to grow its portfolio of high-performance projects across the region, Lee-Hartford’s LFA credential positions the firm at the forefront of an industry shift from buildings that do less harm to buildings that actively restore.
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