We have defined a framework of five themes which we explore within designs, this offers our clients a holistic approach to sustainable design principles, enabling their projects to co-ordinate with multiple sustainability accreditations.

Embodied Carbon

Reducing the initial impact of the building during construction.

Re-use & Recycle

Re-use of existing structures and recycled content and reusability of specified materials.

Renewables

Reducing reliance on the grid by generating onsite clean green energy.

Low Energy

Lowering energy demand, reducing on-going energy costs.

Wellbeing & Ecology

Providing a healthy environment for building users and the local eco-system.

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Efficient Design

• Simplified building form reduces material use.
• Consolidating the brief providing multifunctional spaces, creating embodied carbon, heating and material cost savings.
• Self finishing systems reduce applied internal finishes.

Lean Construction

• Lightweight timber frame structures reduce foundations.
• Smaller structural spans reduce steel quantities.
• Modular off-site construction can reduce material use.

Low Carbon Materials

• Engineered Timber CLT & Glulam frames can make a large reduction in embodied carbon.
• Low cement and recycled aggregate concretes.
• Optimisation of building facade and efficient use of high carbon materials such as aluminium.
• Sourcing local materials reduces transport emissions.

High Quality & Reduced Waste

• Designing grids and modules to standard board or unit sizes reduces offcuts and customisation costs.
• Robust quality finishes require less frequent replacement.

Onsite Energy Generation

• Photovoltaics provide cost efficient and flexible on-site generation.
• Solar thermal hot water, is a low tech system for direct water heating.
• Reducing demand through low energy design enable renewables to supply a greater percentage of a building’s demand.

Energy Storage and Resilience

• Battery Storage enables greater utilisation of on site renewable energy.
• Thermal mass acts as a heat store to reduce heating and cooling demands.
• Design of all electric building systems limit use of natural gas and primes development for low/zero carbon energy supply.

Water Conservation

• Waste water capture and recycling.
• Rainwater harvesting.
• Sustainable Urban Drainage for rainwater management, retention and biodiversity opportunities.
• Low water use fittings.

Environmental Concept Design

• Optimising building orientation, glazing ratios, and facade shading to control solar gain and overheating.
• Building with an efficient ‘form factor’, with less surface area, reduces insulation thicknesses and costs.
• Optimised natural ventilation is especially important to avoid summer overheating e.g cross ventilation and stack effect.

Fabric First

• High levels of external building envelope Insulation.
• Improved Airtightness reduced heat and energy losses.
• Consideration of triple glazing and solar/thermal glass coatings.
• Reduced thermal bridging maintains insulation integrity.

Low Energy Building Systems

• Air/ ground/ water source heat pumps.
• Low temperature heating and cooling, e.g underfloor heating and chilled beams.
• Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR).
• Motion activated lighting (PIR) and low energy LED fittings.
• Waste water heat recovery systems.

Monitoring & Improvement

• Post Occupancy Evaluation, is learning from completed projects to inform improvements and future developments.

Biodiversity

• Green roofs and planting opportunities for biodiversity net gain.
• Design layouts to retain existing trees and natural assets.
• Opportunities to integrate new nesting, roosting and insect habitats within the architecture and landscape design.

Design for Health

• Designing interiors with good natural daylighting improves mental and physical health.
• ‘Biophilic’ design promoting natural materials, finishes and forms.
• Promoting support for healthy Active Travel, walking and cycling.
• Providing spaces dedicated to personal support and contemplation can improve mental health.
• Design for acoustic comfort and to mitigate unwanted noise.
• Improving air quality through careful location of intakes, consideration of filters and low VOC products.
• User control over comfort, of lighting, ventilation and heat.
• Consider and enable a diversity of users by integrating accessible and inclusive design solutions.

Low Impact Materials

• Consideration of ethical and ecological implications of product selection in addition to embodied carbon.

Existing Buildings

• Refurbishing or re-purposing existing buildings provides carbon and potential cost savings over building new.
• Retaining existing structural elements, reduces the need for new steel and concrete.

Long life, loose fit

• Designing regular structural grids to support future adaptability.
• Designing partitions for disassembly and reconfiguration enables future adaptability.

Disassembly

• Using mechanical fixings rather than adhesive allows easier re-use and repair.
• Reducing coatings improves materials recyclability.

Recycled Materials

• Re-using existing materials on site reduces use of virgin materials and transportation. e.g demolition/excavation arisings.
• Using recycled products can reduce embodied carbon and waste to landfill. e.g recycled plastic bench seating.