New Homes Take Trees. Local Design Company Plants Thousands.

It takes a lot of trees to build a new home.

And that’s not counting the ones that are cleared, making way for construction.

Architectural Designs plays a big role in new houses. The family-owned $20 million company — relocated from Westport to Wilton and then, last year, to Fairfield — offers over 30,000 pre-drawn house plans from more than 200 architects and designers, to homeowners and builders who lack the time or budget to create one themselves.

They add several plans a day to their website, and sell thousands a year.

That’s a lot of chopped-down trees. But Architectural Designs is planting far more.

They’ve partnered with Ecologi, a company that helps businesses and individuals reduce their carbon footprint through a tree-planting service.

The 2 firms joined forces last month. In those few weeks, over 21,000 trees have been planted on their behalf, in the US, Britain, Nicaragua, Madagascar, Mozambique Kenya and Australia.

Architectural Designs estimates they’ll plant over 100,000 trees each year. That’s a lot of wood. A lot fewer carbon emissions.

One more benefit: a lot of jobs created across the globe.

Jon Davis — a 1985 Staples High School graduate, Architectural Designs CEO, and son of former head Joel Davis, the longtime Westporter who kept what was then a design magazine when he sold his Davis Publications business in the 1980s — explains how the program works.

For every home plan purchased from Architectural Designs, Ecologi will plant 10 trees. They’ll also plant 5 for every garage, shed or pool house plan — and 1 just for buying a cost estimate.

The program launched quietly. On Friday — Arbor Day — Architectural Designs will roll out a website counter.

Clients can watch the number of trees planted rapidly — perhaps with satisfaction, from the comfort of their new Architectural Designs-designed home.