Resources
Ideas worth sharing. Insights worth exploring.
We’re passionate about exploring new ideas and pushing boundaries. Our resources hub is where we share insights, research, and practical tools. Our goal is simple: to make knowledge accessible and spark conversations that drive progress. Whether you’re a client, a peer, or a student, we hope you find something useful here.
Nourishing Neighbourhoods: An approach to designing healthy living together
We have collaborated with Max Fordham and The BBP Research Group at the University of Cambridge to bridge the gap between academia and practical design strategies.
This research report explores the relationship between neighbourhood design and public health. We combine an extensive literature review with case studies and resident interviews to create a methodology for designing healthy neighbourhoods, which has informed our design for the Future Phases of Eddington, North West Cambridge.
Read the report here.
Read the full literature review here.
Carbon Emission Reduction Plan 2025
Hawkins\Brown has assessed its Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions since 2019, progressively expanding both the scope and accuracy of the assessment. This report covers the financial year 2023-2024. In 2023, we registered our baseline emissions from financial year 2021-2022 with the Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi). Additionally, we committed to reducing our Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 90% by 2030 and to meeting a 1.5°C trajectory for total emissions by 2050 or earlier.
Download our FY25 Carbon Emissions Report and Action Plan here.
H\B:ERT Emissions reduction tool
H\B:ERT is an easy-to-use open-source Revit-based tool that enables design teams to quickly analyse and clearly visualise the embodied carbon emissions of different building components and construction material options at any time during the design process.
We worked in partnership with the UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering (IEDE), through their Engineering Doctorate program, to create the award-winning Hawkins\Brown: Emission Reduction Tool. The tool was developed as part of research titled ‘Refurbish or Replace – the life cycle performance of existing buildings and their replacements’ by Dr Yair Schwartz, Research Associate at The Bartlett, UCL. H\B:ERT works by measuring the volume of all materials tagged in the Revit model. It then applies embodied carbon data to that material, broken down into life cycle stages (product, construction, use stage and end of life) in line with BS EN 15978:2011.
H\B:ERT V1 (V1.1.6) aligns with the RICS and RIBA guidance and currently uses the Circular Ecology ICE database, but can use alternative data where available.
H\B:ERT is compatible with Revit 2018 – Revit 2024. Download the new updated toolkit with installer below.
H\B:ERT V2 & VERT
Our open-source H\B:ERT V1 tool spawned an in-house version V2, that we use for our embodied and whole life carbon consultancy. It won both the AJ100 Best Use of Technology and the RIBA Research Award, in 2020 and now, the evolution continues.
H\B:ERT v2 has evolved into VERT, a commercial Whole Life Carbon tool designed to support projects from inception to completion. VERT stands for Visionary Emissions Reduction Tool, derived from the Latin word “vertere,” which means “to change.” Our goal is to give non-experts access to Whole Life Carbon data, empowering them to make informed, long-term decisions about their design work or portfolios.
VERT also visualises the emission reduction benefits of retrofit, from light modifications to deep interventions, compared to demolition and new build. This feature helps users assess the impact even before design work begins.
You can find out more here