We have established the following five principles of sustainability to inform all project briefs:
- Carbon
- Environment
- Community & Place
- Health & Wellbeing
- Circular Economy
We create buildings that consider the climate, biodiversity and people’s wellness to promote an inclusive, healthy, and stimulating built environment.
We have a history of repurposing buildings and celebrating their character through reuse. Whether retrofit or new build, we interrogate our designs to minimise carbon and ensure the building is flexible, adaptable, and robust.
From feasibility to completion, we use clear metrics and communication to ensure legible reporting against embodied and operational carbon, health and wellbeing and adaptability. These metrics are drawn from Passivhaus, Leti, BCO and BREEAM.
40% of carbon emissions worldwide originate from the construction and occupation of buildings.
We advocate reuse of existing buildings wherever possible, celebrating the character of a building and place and capturing the embodied carbon.
Whether reuse or new build, we work with our clients to make conscious choices that minimise carbon and prioritising the use of recycled, low-carbon materials. Our in-house specialists embed passive design principles from the outset aiming to reduce operational carbon, as much as possible.
Image: At Colmore Row we are retaining at least 64.6% of the existing heritage building, and the project is set to achieve LETI B minimum for upfront embodied carbon on construction.
White Lion Street, our 70,000 sqft workplace project in Islington met the NetZero2050 Challenge. Photo: Tim Crocker.
The built environment must protect our planet from pollution, resource depletion and ecological harm. Our designs carefully consider materials and their supply chains and construction methods to mitigate air, water, or soil pollution.
We look for opportunities to add green spaces to all our projects, to help reverse biodiversity loss, and to create productive well-focused landscapes for people to use and enjoy. Water conservation is now critical, and we look to integrate on-site harvesting, recycling of potable water and stormwater attenuation to reduce both use of water and discharge.
At Station Quarter in Peterborough, we’re overseeing the strategic plot development for the two new neighbourhoods, ensuring the architecture, infrastructure, and public space work seamlessly together to deliver a coherent and welcoming gateway to the city.
We are working with the protected woodland at New Road, sensitively embedding 9 homes using timber frames and cladding, and Lowie bricks, which absorb and store atmospheric CO2.
Placemaking is central to our approach and begins with getting to know the area and those who live or work there to create safe, healthy, characterful places that acknowledge context and celebrate local identity.
We explore opportunities to create a variety of uses that deliver more interesting and economically stimulating places that foster inclusive and resilient communities.
We’re committed to social equity and passionate about improving access into our profession. As a result, we set up Build The Way a traineeship providing an alternative route into our profession.
At Copthall Pavillion we worked with POoR Collective and the community to transform the existing structure into a bold, interactive landmark for the area. Photos: Luke O'Donovan.
At Moorfoot, Sheffield, GPAD has worked in collaboration with the city council, stakeholders, and design teams to propose 1,450 new homes, biodiverse landscape and a curated mix of retail and public-facing uses. At the heart of the scheme, the reimagined Moorfoot building will act as a civic anchor fronting onto a major new destination space: Fitzwilliam Square.
We design for the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of the people who occupy and interact with our buildings and spaces.
We consider their response to daylight and darkness, fresh air, views, thermal comfort, acoustics, and to the smell and tactility of healthy materials.
We encourage active circulation and direct access to the outdoors, as well as connections to nature, places to exercise and growing spaces to support healthier lifestyles. We understand the importance of convivial spaces for socialising and community building.
At All Saints Passage, a 17 home building in Wandsworth, each apartment has been allocated a micro allotment, providing space for residents to plant seeds, grow vegetables, and connect with nature, enhancing wellbeing. Photos: Tim Crocker.
At Freemen’s School dining hall we created a healthy and comfortable environment by incorporating calm colours, low-VOC finishes, warm timber elements and maximised daylight. A sculptural wood-wool acoustic ceiling also improves comfort and concentration, transforming a noisy institutional hall into a calmer, more inclusive and adaptable shared space.
Designing ‘long life, loose fit’ schemes, we focus on maximum space utilisation, quality and flexibility. By selecting durable products and materials that allow for future adaption and reuse, we design homes and workplaces that retain their value. We look for opportunities to use recycled and low carbon materials and promote the use of renewable and biobased materials.
Upfront we consider the future disassembly of a building to understand opportunities for future recovery and reuse of materials and key components.
The material selection for Fenchurch Street's interior design prioritises natural and recycled materials, including cork and bio-based wall linings, timber flooring, and 100% recycled plastic panels. Photo: Sophie Percival.
At Worship Street we worked with the three existing building’s materials, retaining, exposing, and making good to allow the existing fabric to form part of the building’s aesthetic. Photo: Tim Crocker.
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ALASDAIR BROWNLOW
SENIOR ARCHITECT
