Ashley Nored, IIDA, NCIDQ, LEED AP ID+C | Hennebery Eddy Architects 

One of the Member Award nominations submitted this year was not an Emerging Professional, nor an Industry partner, and not quite ready for the Legacy Award but their dedication, advocacy, and leadership of sustainable design measures led us to award them an Honorable Mention in Sustainable Leadership. Ashley Nored is an interior designer at Hennebery Eddy, and a former sustainability consultant at Green Building Services. Learn more about Ashley’s dedication to Sustainability by reading her nomination below. 

Sustainable Leader

A champion of “net-positive” design solutions with prior experience as a sustainability consultant, Ashley integrates creative sustainable design principles into each phase of the interior design process, synthesizing functional and technical requirements for Hennebery Eddy’s academic, civic, and cultural projects. 

In addition to her project leadership, Ashley consistently leads conversations and professional development in sustainable design through her leadership on Hennebery Eddy’s Net-positive committee. In this role, she advocates for early integration of sustainable design efforts into projects, including energy modeling, daylighting studies, and materials selection that prioritizes disclosure of material content and environmental impact, red list-free, local, and socially just materials.

Ashley oversees Hennebery Eddy’s AIA 2030 Challenge and Design Data Exchange tracking efforts, ensuring that all firm project data is entered into the database. In addition, she manages the aggregation of the firm’s data and oversees internal reporting to benchmark progress in designing for calculated energy reduction. As a result, Ashley’s knowledge, best practices, and guidance in sustainable design are sought after by colleagues for project work and individual professional development. Ashley has worked on more than 100 LEED projects and is skilled at generating solutions to create human-centered and safe environments that benefit end users. She facilitates eco-charettes for design teams, client staff, and stakeholders to collaboratively achieve high-performance goals while providing engaging, community-focused interior environments. In addition, she has been selected for several sustainability presentations (see “Enhanced Knowledge” section).

Enhanced Knowledge

Ashley has presented on both sustainability and interior design topics to industry peers and clients, demonstrating her thorough knowledge of technical details and broad design concepts. In her previous role as a sustainability consultant, she presented to the IIDA on environmental product declarations and product specification and transparency. She brought equally nuanced information to NeoCon in 2014 where her presentation “LEED v4: What to Expect with the New Certification Systems” provided early insights to the interior design profession.

During her time at Hennebery Eddy, Ashley’s presentations and workshop leadership have reflected her philosophy that good design is healthful design. From “Blue Sky Thinking in Big Sky Country,” where she presented the firm’s successful, aspirational approach to sustainable design in an academic setting, to her role as a panelist in AIA’s “2030 Commitment: Keeping your firm and team engaged,” Ashley consistently and clearly articulates how the value of forward-thinking, holistic, human-centric design as is essential for successfully improving the quality of life for building occupants and while honoring and protecting the natural environment. Ashley’s other recent presentations include co-leading a design charette and workshop for Library Journal’s design institute in Vancouver, WA., presenting at the Society for College and University Planners Pacific Region conference on her work with Rogue Community College, “Creating a Community College Campus for Student Success,” and leading a virtual project tour of the award-winning Robert M. Richmond Library and Museum for IIDA Oregon. Currently, Ashley is leading the creation of a client-facing guide for workplace interior design during COVID-19.

Ashley’s expertise and commitment to the industry is evident through the credentials she has earned and maintained: NCIDQ, LEED AP ID+C, and IIDA. In addition, Ashley is an active member of the Interior Design Collaborative – Oregon, the Oregon Library Association, and CREW Portland.

Support and Value

Ashley continually and unequivocally demonstrates value to her colleagues, clients, and aspiring designers. At Hennebery Eddy, Ashley is a leader among the interior design group, advocating for the team’s role within broader design efforts, and mentoring newer team members as they begin their careers.

Hennebery Eddy has consistently hosted student interior design interns and sustainable design interns. Ashley has played a key role in defining areas of focus and professional development for these design students, setting them up for career success during future employment. Her service-oriented, teaching mindset ensures that these interns learn while doing, and provides opportunities for discovery and exploration through energy modeling, data gathering, and design contributions to client projects. Ashley also works closely with sustainable design interns as they coordinate AIA 2030 project data gathering on behalf of the firm.

Finally, Ashley plays a critical role in marketing the firm’s sustainable design and interior design services. She leads the interior design business development efforts and is proactive in developing critical relationships with existing and prospective clients. During proposal development and interview work, Ashley clearly and calmly articulates the value of sustainable interior design and helps project team and selection committee members envision the possibilities and impact of a healthful, sensitively designed environment.

Community Involvement

Ashley has been proactive in seeking ways to build the reputation of the profession. For the Interior Design Collaborative – Oregon (IDC-Oregon), Ashley served as Marketing Chair from 2012 to 2013 and as Legislative Chair from 2011 to 2012. In these roles, she supported the advancement of the interior design profession through advocating for state commercial interior design legislation. Ashley worked closely with IDC-Oregon board members and lobbyists to write and revise bill language, attend bill hearings, host Capitol Days, and meet with State senators and representatives to educate legislators on the impact interior designers have on the health, safety, and welfare of the public.

For IIDA Oregon, Ashley served as Advocacy Chair from 2011 to 2012 and as Social Media Chair from 2016 to 2017. As Advocacy chair, Ashley bridged the gap of legislative efforts between IIDA Oregon and IDC-Oregon, ensuring that all IIDA members had current information and opportunities to participate in the latest advocacy efforts. As Social Media Chair, she created and shared digital content supporting IIDA’s events, fundraising efforts, and membership spotlights.