Designing for a climate emergency

We are on a mission to demystify sustainable design and make it effortless; collectively we can combat the climate and biodiversity crisis. Our whole life design approach reduces carbon emissions over the lifecycle of a building and creates healthier, happier environments

We have been pioneers in sustainable design since the practice was founded. Did you know we are working on the UK’s largest Passivhaus development and first certified hospital? And we created an award-winning open-source tool for architects, designers, and clients to achieve zero carbon emissions at every stage in a building lifecycle? We also contributed to the industry-led sustainability guidelines in the UK.

We strive to make a real contribution to resolving our climate and biodiversity crisis for future generations through a curated range of services and evidence-based design. We constantly strive to do better and are strong advocates of Post Occupancy Evaluation to close the feedback loop.

Unless we all start treating Net Zero as the new normal, the condition on our planet is only heading in one direction says Head of Sustainability Louisa Bowles.

Whole Life Carbon analysis

The key carbon emissions from the built environment are from energy in-use and embodied carbon from materials. When measured together, and over the whole lifecycle of the building, that’s Whole Life Carbon (WLC) analysis. We believe measuring WLC is the best way to ensure the right decisions are made at design stage to reduce carbon emissions and be able to target net zero carbon performance.

Net Zero Hotel

We carried out comparative whole life carbon analyses using speculative typologies to design a concept for the UK’s first net zero hotel and co-working space, which is flexible enough to be rolled out internationally.

Solihull Interchange

Upgrading the existing 1938 station into an integrated transport hub, which will serve as a gateway into the town centre and create sustainable travel opportunities.

Uno, Golden Lane

An existing office building is being transformed into a net zero operational carbon and BREEAM Outstanding one, which meets London Plan cycle parking requirements and commits to a consolidated delivery and servicing strategy.

GSK Life Sciences Campus

The campus builds on Stevenage’s reputation as a leading life-sciences and pharmaceutical hub, providing a new breed of research and technology facilities next to GSK’s established headquarters and the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst.

We want to demystify science and make it more accessible to everyone, blurring the boundaries between science and nature. So the campus will be open, welcoming in the public. Buildings and landscaping have been designed to encourage the wider community to come in and explore. This allows tenants to put science on show, interacting with communities outside the campus. By rebuilding the relationship between people and nature through the design, health and wellbeing will be planted firmly at the heart of the development.

Social collisions are the bedrock of innovation. These encounters will be stimulated by shared places of exchange, both within buildings and outdoors. Spaces have been designed to enhance the experience of their users and to encourage the adoption of healthy and sustainable lifestyle choices taking into consideration personal carbon footprints, waste and the careful use of resources.

GSK has been an exciting project on sustainability front. We got involved right at the beginning and produced sustainability vision for the masterplan along with our design team ensuring key environmental principles were embedded in the overall design approach and thinking. The amalgamation of science and nature on this project reflects our commitment to our priorities as designers.

Sustainability vision embedded at masterplan and building scale

Locating the right green infrastructure for the project in the right environmental location

Ensuring analysis at the building level maximises passive design opportunities

55 Great Suffolk Street

In a UK first, 55 Great Suffolk Street and its neighbour, the Roots in the Sky development, will use 139 tonnes of steel reclaimed from a demolished office building in the City of London: a process five times less carbon intensive than the recycling-by-smelting alternative.

Printworks

The centre piece of British Land’s Canada Water Masterplan, the project will re-purpose the Harmsworth Quay Printworks to provide an innovative mixed-use destination. Embodied carbon and waste is minimised by retaining existing structure and fabric. A salvage list identifies building elements for reuse. For example, some trusses are to be upcycled into a play structure while key fittings are to be stored and re-purposed around the new proposal. Design will be long life, loose fit and for future disassembly.

Canada Water Modular Campus (1&2)

Two new buildings are provided on the Canada Water Masterplan for TEDI-London’s University campus, and research life sciences purposes. The off-site manufactured, volumetric modular structure allowed rapid on-site assembly, lower vehicle movements, zero waste-to-landfill with decreased noise, dust and disruption to neighbours. The second phase utilised pre-loved modules, wall and window components. The buildings will be used for ten years are built for intermediary use before disassembly to continue their life elsewhere.

Circular Economy

Facilitating retrofit and buildings as resource banks for re-use

We annually award funding to enable research. This year architectural technologist Matthew Morris will be building on his substantial experience working with organisations including ACAN and the UKGBC, developing industry guidance and aligned metrics and terminology.

His intent is to develop a method for quantifying and assessing the quality and physical properties of material within existing buildings in order to facilitate greater awareness of retrofit-first and buildings as resource banks.

Low energy

We believe that low energy design is exciting, ensures high quality workmanship and can be delivered without compromising creativity.

Exterior CGI showing children's play area with climbing walls, obstacles, and other interactive objects.

Cambridge Children’s Hospital

Net Zero Carbon is a key driver for the NHS and for the Cambridge Children’s Hospital. The collaborative team pursuit of Passivhaus performance between Hawkins\Brown, Ramboll and our client has ensured the complex clinical brief has been developed alongside the low energy systems design and facade development. The Passivhaus Institut have been involved during the recent design stage, developing the performance perameters and reaching consensus about issues such as window design and ventilation requirements. In-house tools and scripts have been used to parametrically optimise the facade and detailed embodied carbon studies enabled the team to refine the MMC approach.

Passivhaus not only minimises energy in-use but enhances internal comfort, critical for a healing environment. Mental and physical health services are arranged alongside biomedical research facilities and restorative spaces for wellbeing as well as treatment; this hospital will be the first in the world to treat the whole child, not just their illness.