This is the first consideration for a sustainable design. Buildings respond to their site and orientation and therefore we aim to utilise natural energy (e.g. solar gain and prevailing wind). Buildings should also react to local topography with the location of the building having considerable ramifications with regards transport, distance to local amenities and employment. The ideal scenario for this being a live/work unit.

Solar radiation is utilised with large areas of glazing to passively heat the property. The pitch (or azimuth) of the sun alters relative to the seasons. This is taken into account, when designing glazing. Solar shades can protect the building from the summer sun whilst allowing it to benefit from the solar gains during the winter months. Solar shades can even take the form of deciduous trees or climbers.

We install high levels of insulation in our buildings to make full use of natural energy such as passive solar gains. The better we insulate, the more benefits we can receive from free energy that is available. There are two forms of insulation natural and petrochemical. The later has obvious negative connotations, but we would prefer to see the remaining oil reserves used to save C02 in preference to releasing it.

Heavy construction materials or ‘thermal mass’ can help a building achieve a low carbon standard and facilitate a comfortable internal environment. Heavy mass construction is used to absorb peak heating gains which are then emitted during cooler periods when required. This time lag means less energy is needed for ventilation and heating. Traditional buildings in hot climates use heavy mass with reflective coatings; we follow their example.

Ventilation can be broken in to two methodologies; mechanical and passive. Mechanical ventilation can be very efficient when used with heat recovery. This technology encourages sealed system buildings, see Passivhaus. Passive ventilation utilises the buoyancy of air and / or building form to draw warm and polluted air aware from the buildings inhabitants. This technology is applicable to breathable buildings.

We design buildings which require less energy from artificial lighting, by maximising the penetration of natural light throughout a building. Natural daylight contributes to the health and wellbeing of inhabitants. It is also very important to appreciate the potential negative impact a large building can have on your adjacent neighbors. Solar analysis is employed to reduce the impact our designs have on other properties.

Buildings use substantial energy in their use, however there are other factors to consider, such as the energy required going into the manufacture of the building and even the disposal of the building at the end of its life span. Poorly insulated properties tend to use somewhere in the region of 20% of the building's total life cycle energy in its construction. New low carbon buildings can use up to 50%!

Water conservation is becoming recognised as mainstream green, with many people installing water butts to water their garden. There are many ways to reduce your water usage. Rainwater harvesting can collect water from a roof for use in flushing toilets. The key to all water conservation methods is to analysis the embodied energy of the equipment to be installed. Sometimes water savings can increase C02 emissions.

The key to energy conservation is user awareness and interaction. Automated systems like occupancy sensors can control heating and lighting to adapt to your usage. Monitoring tools such as smart meters will let you know when your using your building inefficiently. These tools address behavior rather than adapt to it. Like making the user open the blinds before switching the light on.

Often a key component in low carbon buildings, renewable energies include solar, wind & tidal power. Generation of power on site or locally is extremely important part of moving away from fossil fuel usage. Recent studies have shown photovoltaic to be the most practical way to reduce carbon emissions through micro-generation. Each site, however, should be taken on its own merit to avoid the use of eco-bling.

The “Code” is the communities and local government initiative to drive the construction industry towards low carbon. It covers a wide spectrum of topics to provide a certification for each dwelling. Now all new buildings to have a certificate, and this will help buyers of new homes understand exactly what they are buying. The mandatory elements of the “Code” are to lead building regulations in the future.

Passivhaus is the globally recognised eco-build standard. As the name suggests, the standard uses passive gains from solar radiation. To maximise these gains the building is sealed air tight and MHVR equipment is used to regulate internal temperature. The magic number for achieving passivhaus is 15 kWh/m2/yr in heating or cooling demand. This is not zero carbon but it is the tried and tested low carbon building method.