Sustainability Series - Blog 3 How do you become more sustainable?

— 05 Jun 2025

So far, in our bite-size sustainability series we have looked at the effect of site constraints and client priorities on a project and how we adopt strategies and design principles to respond. Now we look at possible approaches to meet the aims of stakeholders.

Definitions and ways to achieve sustainability vary hugely between individuals. Ultimately it comes down to how you want to live your life, the ethical choices you make balanced with capital expenditure, source and type of materials, and running costs.

There are a number of approaches, which can be functional and visually unobtrusive, and we have the experience to advise on the impact of each choice.

• Embodied carbon and life cycle of buildings
• Review your (clients) aspirations for Passivhaus building eg. no input energy needed for heating;
• Use Passivhaus / retrofit principles wherever possible (with or without formal calculations)
• Effective energy generation and storage close to the point of consumption if possible.
• Effective controls that achieve background heating levels to avoid condensation plus localised heating to the areas you are using when you are using them.
• Effective insulation
• Optimise energy use while still achieving a comfortable and attractive place to live / work, eg. (woodburners in combination with a mechanical ventilation heat recovery system retain the heat in the building and you get the comfort and heat of a real fire)

There are many options available, and we can give you guidance to help you decide on how best to approach your project.