Every year on 22nd April, Earth Day celebrates the achievements of the environmental movement and raises awareness of the need to prioritise sustainability and protect Earth’s natural resources for future generations.
Uniting people across the world, it’s a day that recognises the importance of protecting our planet and moving towards a healthy, sustainable environment.
Sustainability is vital. Though the challenge is great and complex, there are myriad ways for us all to play our part and contribute towards a better, greener future.
For us, the opportunity lies in the way we conduct our work in design and construction.
We place high importance on carrying out all stages of our work in a sustainable way. We are committed to complying with legislative and regulatory requirements, providing training for staff, and setting targets to continually improve our environmental performance.
As part of our Environmental Strategy, we consider all aspects of a project to minimise its impact on the environment and prioritise sustainability. Labour and materials are sourced locally, thus supporting and aiding our local economy whilst also reducing our carbon footprint. Existing resources are recycled where possible.
We assess the existing energy performance certificate (EPC) rating for the properties we work on, and review what energy efficiency improvements can be made considering life cycle costing, whole life costing and relevant pay back periods.
As BREEAM-accredited professionals, our architects design into projects improved levels of carbon reduction through active systems, passive design, local sourcing, responsible specifications and materials and adoption of modern methods of construction (MMC) with reduced embodied carbon energy.
Our focus on sustainability also extends to the office, from simple actions such as turning off the lights and adjusting the thermostat, to subscribing to a supplier offering zero carbon electricity and investing in two electric vehicles to cut our transport emissions.
With the effects of climate change becoming more evident each day, moving towards greener ways of living and working is more important than ever. But with this increasing urgency, there seems to be more awareness, action, and hope that change is possible.
What would a positive change for the environment look like for you or your organisation?
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