We are transforming buildings into climate justice solutions.
Buildings are an intrinsic part of our housing, energy, and climate change challenges. IMT leads the way on strategies to make buildings healthier, more efficient, more affordable, and more resilient to severe weather.
Our unique approach combines technical knowledge with community-created solutions that create a world where buildings positively transform people’s physical, social, and economic well-being.
IMT provides both both free and fee-for-service options through the offerings below.
Government Engagement
Federal, state, and local governments have long sought IMT’s expertise to design, adopt, and implement building performance policies that support building occupants and the communities around them. Our programs help design and implement policies, bolster energy code efficacy and adoption, and facilitate strong relationships between utilities, policymakers, and community members.
- Building performance policies, such as building performance standards, and building energy benchmarking, are a central focus and area of expertise for IMT. We provide technical and strategic support throughout the process and in collaboration with key stakeholders. Expertise: model ordinances, rulemaking and regulations, legal risk
- IMT manages the National Building Performance Standards Coalition which encourages jurisdictions to commit to building performance policies. Expertise: Federal and local alignment, peer learning, educational workshops
- Our Building Energy Codes team advocates for the creation and adoption of strong energy codes that will ensure long-term affordability and resilience to extreme weather. Expertise: code gap analysis, adoption and alignment, workforce engagement and training, community-centered codes.
- Our utility strategy includes engaging community-based organizations in utility decision-making, coordinating building policies with utility incentives and strategies, and enabling access to energy data. Expertise: regulatory testimony, utility program design, utility attribution, data access reform, grid integration.
Community Engagement
To achieve equitable outcomes at the intersection of building policies and community-driven planning, IMT partners with frontline communities (those affected first and worst by today’s climate crisis) in all our programs, and throughout our strategic planning. In addition, we have specific programs dedicated to partnering with and providing support to community-based organizations.
- We support the creation and operation of Community Accountability Boards (CABs) so frontline communities and residents can have ownership over decisions related to building performance standards policies.
- We transform complex technical language, policy documents, and program requirements into accessible formats for community-based organizations and the communities they serve.
- We design and facilitate cohorts of peer jurisdictions, community-based organizations, or mixed networks to build shared learning and field-wide coordination. Each cohort is designed for mutual, not top-down, exchange. Topics may include community-centered policy design, anti-displacement strategies, or equity in decarbonization.
- We map the ecosystem of stakeholders—government agencies, community connectors, informal leaders, and trusted institutions—to inform strategic engagement. This facilitates authentic collaborations rather than transactional input.
Real Estate Engagement
IMT’s long history of collaboration with the real estate and buildings sector has given us an understanding of the challenges companies face in improving the performance of buildings. Our programs offer critical services to the full spectrum of commercial real estate stakeholders, from owners and managers, to design and construction professionals.
- Building Innovation Hub We map the ecosystem of stakeholders—government agencies, community connectors, informal leaders, and trusted institutions—to inform strategic engagement. This service helps identify not just who to engage, but how and why—crucial for governments, funders, and other partners seeking authentic collaborations over transactional input. Download the Hub factsheet.
- Building Performance Partnership is a network of place-based high-performance building hubs that enable affordable, effective building decarbonization. It supports real estate professionals, nonprofits, residents and governments. IMT and the Building Energy Exchange in New York City. Download the BPP factsheet.
- Corporate Engagement Opportunities (CEO) provides reliable policy information and tracking to help building and portfolio owners better manage compliance while reducing non-compliance risk. Solutions include tracking tools, monthly calls and newsletters to stay on top of critical building performance updates, and API access to our Energy Policy Database.
- Green Lease Leaders sets the standard for high performance lease language and provides guidance and recognition for companies who meet these best practices. Created in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, more than 200 Green Lease Leaders winners now cover over 9 billion square feet of real estate globally. Download the GLL factsheet.
- VHE HVAC is an innovative, whole buildings approach to dramatically lowering energy and improving air quality. IMT has a number of demonstration sites through partnerships with Budderfly, ComEd, New York State Energy Research and Development and the Department of Defense. Download our VHE HVAC factsheet.
