Sustainability

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.