Environmental Design Portfolio
As architects, landscape architects and urban designers, we create award winning buildings, living landscapes and thriving urban spaces, using inventive design to solve real life challenges. Each of our projects is different but the driving force behind every one is the desire to create something that is inherently both beautiful and useful.
Our holistic vision of sustainability seeks to create desirable places where people want to live, work, learn and play. Based on the guiding principle that environmental design cannot always be measured in CO2 emissions, we aim to minimise the impact of our buildings on the environment and those who occupy them. We champion passive design and site specific, localised solutions to reduce energy demand ahead of implementing technological fixes. We first design a building and its surroundings to take advantage of its natural benefits through orientation, general layout and form – focusing on the provision of
good daylight, ventilation, comfortable internal temperatures, simple building controls and high quality spaces – to promote the importance of happy and healthy occupants. By undertaking research after completion, we also endeavour to constantly learn from the performance of our buildings. This enables us to offer advice to our clients and users on the design implications in terms of quality, affordability and maintenance.
“Developments like this provide an ideal living environment and will save people a lot on their heating bills.� The Mayor of Camden, Councillor Heather Johnson
Loudoun Road Camden, London Origin Housing This scheme, providing 42 affordable homes, incorporates the Passivhaus principles of using high levels of insulation, maximising solar gains, creating excellent airtightness and ensuring good indoor air quality by means of a ventilation system with heat recovery. This strategy achieved a 54% reduction in carbon emissions through building fabric improvements and the installation of solar thermal panels. We returned post-completion to evaluate and monitor the performance of homes in-use, providing lessons learned for future projects.
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High fabric efficiency U-values as-built : walls - 0.1-0.15 W/m2.K floor - 0.15 W/m2.K roof - 0.15 W/m2.K windows - 0.87 W/m2.K doors - 0.9 W/m2.K High airtightness - as built: air permeability - 0.65-1.87 m3/h.m2 @50Pa air change rate - 0.57-0.59 h-1 @50Pa
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Natural ventilation - through openable windows for purge ventilation in summer.
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Solar shading - horizontal brise soleil over exposed south facing windows, vertical shading on the west.
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Daylight maximised - with average daylight factors of ≼2% in kitchens and ≼1.5% living, dining and home office areas.
Summer sun - dwellings shaded by balconies and brise soleil
Winter sun - low level increasing solar gains for warmth
Detailed locations of airtightness barriers Precast concrete slabs spanning over balconies Reduced thermal bridges Highly insulated walls - to meet u-values of 0.1-0.15W/m2.K
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Centralised gas fired boilers - supplying heating and hot water to dwellings.
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Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery - containing a heater battery with heat supplied by centralised system.
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Solar thermal array - providing centralised system with hot water from a renewable source.
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Biodiverse roof - increasing local ecology.
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Acoustic insulation - insulating dwellings 5dB beyond Building Regulation requirements.
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Low heating demand - 69% of dwellings measured in use have a heating demand of ≤15 kWh/m2.yr
This project encloses an existing service yard as an undercroft to create a new public space at the heart of UCL’s Bloomsbury campus. In combination with the terrace, the refectory exceeded a BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’ with continued aspirations to meet ‘Excellent’ in final certification. A bespoke environmental specification was also developed with UCL’s sustainability team, which provided objectives for carbon emissions reductions, water efficiency, responsible sourcing of materials, health and wellbeing, local air quality, stakeholder engagement, ecology and heritage.
“It is a fabulous space developed for our staff, students and visitors and will benefit and inspire our entire academic community for generations to come.� Andrew Grainger, Director, UCL Estates
Wilkins Terrace, UCL Camden, London University College London
Views and ventilation - window and door openings can be more readily used for natural ventilation, due to reduced noise and air pollution. Ecology and biodiversity - a mixture of classic hornbeam and fruiting trees. Fruits, nectar bearing flowers, nesting opportunities and shelter provide an enhanced offer to wildlife. Culinary herbs, scented plants and climbing plants with flowers. Planting and seating - in the north east portion of the yard, receiving most sunlight.
Health and wellbeing provision of drinking water fountains, outdoor seating, fruit trees and herbs. Reduced surface water runoff - rainwater attenuation tanks and sustainable urban drainage features such as terrace level planters. Enhanced social sustainability - new connection routes and space for events. Service yard - located under the terrace to improve local air quality for all rooms facing the courtyard.
FSC hardwood – all moveable furniture elements including benching, stools and the pop-up bar are responsibly sourced timber.
Portland stone - for durability, longevity, responsible sourcing and suitability in a listed setting.
Responsibly-sourced materials - UK-sourced brick, Portland stone and planting provides guaranteed ethical sourcing and resource management.
Heavily fossilised stone - typically seen as a by-product due to its characteristic texture, however, this was seen as an aesthetic advantage and way to reduce waste for this project.
London yellow stock brick the locally sourced brick, made in Kent, has been matched to the historic neighbouring façade.
Lowering external local temperature - light coloured surfaces and key planting facilitates evapotranspiration and ground shading.
Colston Hall Bristol Bristol City Council The first phase of this large, complex project delivered a new foyer building, featuring a naturally ventilated informal performance space at its centre and a range of other flexible spaces to support education, outreach and conference programmes. Phase two involves sensitively restoring the listed building and second Victorian hall, refurbishing backstage areas and creating new spaces for learning and creativity. The scheme also features an urban wind turbine and extensive roof mounted solar array to provide energy for the building in-use. Phase two is set to achieve a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating.
“The transformation will touch tens of thousands of lives. Our audiences and the children that we educate will benefit immensely from the new facilities. We’ll also boost the Bristol economy by tens of millions of pounds each year.” Louise Mitchell, Chief Executive, Bristol Music Trust
Working within the constraints of a tight urban plot, this scheme comprises 60 extra care homes alongside integrated communal space. Our brief demanded a push beyond standard levels of sustainability, but with the overarching requirement to keep the building comfortable and simple for staff and residents to operate. As such, the design features passive, fabric first measures that are not dependent on the actions of residents for their effectiveness or require regular and costly maintenance. Each home meets Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4, with the principles of energy reduction, improvements to health and wellbeing and increased biodiversity ensuring significant benefits to residents.
“I never expected it to be as lovely as it is. My friends have all told me how lucky I am, and how they wish they were moving in too!� Beryl Goodhew, resident
Hazelhurst Court Lewisham, London Phoenix Community Housing
Solar shading on the south
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Top hung outward opening for background vent
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Natural cross ventilation
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External shading
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Generous areas of glazing
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Highly insulated building fabric
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Decorative window screen
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Circulation corridor for activity
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Room height to depth ratio
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Light and airy corridors and rooms
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Heavyweight construction
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The form is this 70 unit dementia care home was discussed with the client and user groups at an early stage to promote health and wellbeing, whilst reducing energy consumption and relying on mechanical systems. Utilising passive design techniques allows natural daylight, cross ventilation, good thermal comfort and views of nature, with an overarching goal to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating and a significant reduction in CO2 emissions.
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Coppice Wood Enfield, London London Borough of Enfield
With increasing numbers of staff and students requiring improved facilities, our design fully integrates a Grade II listed former Union Headquarters and the adjacent mid-20th century Gideon Schreier Wing. A new naturally ventilated atrium between the two buildings provides access to all levels and a welcoming, legible heart to the faculty. We have also added multi-purpose teaching/seminar spaces on the lowest floors, with new offices and support spaces on those above. Portland stone unites the street façade and references the predominantly Georgian context. On completion, the building achieved a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating.
Faculty of Laws, UCL Camden, London University College London
Heating Infrastructure Project, University of Liverpool Liverpool University of Liverpool Energy Company This project rationalises the university’s heating infrastructure by constructing a new energy centre in place of various remote boiler houses. Thanks to an innovative patterned and ventilated cladding system of specially formed trapezoidal aluminium ‘scales’, the colour and appearance of the building adjusts according to the quality and direction of the light. The chevron pitched roofs are designed for the retrofitting of photovoltaic panels, whilst also reflecting the varied roofscape of the campus’ historic core.
“Importantly this project is more than a clever architectural enclosure. The energy generated within provides much of the needs of Liverpool University’s Estate. This project is a very complete tale of making new, repairing old and conserving resources.” RIBA Awards judge
Post-occupancy in practice We believe that buildings should enhance the quality of life for their users by being inspiring places to inhabit. We also feel that the environmental impact of design should be viewed over its lifetime, which includes considering future maintenance and replacement costs. In support of this, we carry out postoccupancy evaluations to monitor, learn from and continually improve the design of our buildings – targeting specific projects and tailoring the focus to the relevant aspects of design and construction.
The heating system in your home
Ventilating your home There are two modes of ventilation in your home background and purge ventilation.
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How warm is your home?
Purge ventilation Openable windows have been provided for purge ventilation to supply bursts of fresh air to rapidly cool or renew the indoor air. Opening windows in summer
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Same wall
Least effective
Which way your home faces and how many external walls and windows face the sun If your home faces east, south or west, the sun will help to warm your home in winter. If your home
Warm, moist air is extracted from kitchens and bathrooms.
then itairwill Fresh air isfaces north Stale moist is be cooler in summer and pulled in need a little extracted more heating in winter.
2. The MVHR has a heat exchanger inside to retain the warmth and filters to clean dust out of the air. 3. Cool fresh air is brought in and collects the heat off of the extracted air. 4. Fresh pre-warmed air is supplied to the home.
Warm moist air is extracted from kitchens and bathrooms
Boiler
Hot water
For south and west facing windows, be sure to close your blinds or curtains promptly in summer if you do not want your home to get too warm. It is likely that only a little bit of sunshine in the homes will warm them up quite quickly. Once the heat is in it will be harder to remove it. Fresh air is
The heated towel rail is not connected to the boiler, it is electrically heated. It has a switch on the wall outside the bathroom to turn et it on and off. Union Stre Try not to use it as a heating source, but as a method to dry towels. It is less efficient than the underfloor heating system.
brought in and pre-heated by the air being extracted How many neighbouring homes there are around
your home
Room 2 thermostat
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Underfloor heating can be slower than radiators to heat up a room. It will also take time to cool down after it is switched off (up to an hour each). It may take time to adjust your routine and consciously pre-empt the most comfortable temperature. Try turning the heating on before the room gets too cold and avoid setting the thermostat too high, this will turn the heating off before the room gets too hot. The underfloor heating operates at a lower temperature than radiators and so is More unlikely to feel hot to the touch. When on, the floor should feel comfortably warm exposed underfoot. homes
Neighbouring homes will keep your home warm, by preventing some of the heat being lost.
High airtightness
A mid-floor home with neighbours either side is surrounded on four sides and so loses comparatively little heat. This means you may use less heating in the winter to keep warm. It can also mean the home can be warmer than desired if the neighbours have their heating on, when you have turned yours off.
Room 1 thermostat
Heating tips
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MVHR
A top floor home on the end of the block is only surrounded on two sides and so loses more heat though the exposed walls and roof. This means you may use more heating in the winter than mid-floor homes.
Heating
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For some, this may mean opening your front door and windows in the corridor, together with windows on the opposite side of your home.
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Heating system
A gas boiler provides heating and hot water in your home. The boiler is connected to the taps to provide How much heat is retained, gained or lost by your home is defined by the following: hot water and the underfloor heating pipes to provide space heating. How much insulation there is in the walls, floors The insulation To control the heating, thermostats and roof to keepventilation the heat in Cross keeps the heat have been provided to set the Mosthave effective in, like a jacket Your new homes plenty of insulation to keep temperature for each room. To turn keeps you warm. you warm. They are also reasonably airtight to the heating on just turn the dial to the prevent draughts. Good seals temperature you would like the room reduce draughts to be. Because the insulation is keeping the heat in, any and heat loss by heat generated in the home e.g. body heat, cooking, air leaks. and turning the heating on will contribute to the Heated towel rail warmth of the home.
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To make the most of your natural ventilation in summer, try to open windows and doors on opposite sides of your home. This is called cross ventilation and is the most effective way to get a good airflow through your home.
Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) Because the home has high airtightness, the system provides background ventilation operating as follows:
All homes have been provided with a heating system as follows:
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Background ventilation The mechanical ventilation provides the background ventilation, ensuring a constant rate of ventilation throughout the day and across the seasons.
ON/OFF
will lose slightly
Asmore yourheat home is well insulated and has a mechanical ventilation system helping to keep the heat in, it is unlikely that your underfloor heating will need to be on constantly. Less exposed homes share heat with neighbours
Resident training Our post-occupancy research has highlighted that residents benefit from training when moving into homes, where complex building services are installed in addition to passive design measures. We offer good practice guidance training for the use of the heating, hot water, ventilation and lighting systems within homes. This is designed to build on the handover provided by the contractor and go beyond the basic operation of equipment – covering efficient use for low energy bills, settings for enhanced thermal comfort and creating a healthy internal environment.
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