Sustainable.Design is not an afterthought or tick box exercise, it’s embedded in everything we do. Our research and learning informs our design work to achieve built environment climate goals. As leaders in our industry, we regularly collaborate with others and are committed to using our expertise to address the multiple challenges we face, whether it be the climate emergency or the housing crisis.

Research

Delivering Net Zero for 18 London boroughs

The Delivering Net Zero study provides an evidence base to support emerging planning policies for 18 London boroughs seeking to deliver net zero carbon development.

Journal

Plashet Road on site

We are very excited to be on site at Plashet Road - our first Passivhaus Certified and 100% affordable housing scheme!

Research

How to achieve net zero carbon homes

Project

Ashley Road, Haringey. Transforming a refuse depot site into much-needed new homes, designed to meet Passivhaus certification.

Thought

As signatories of RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge, Architects Declare and regular contributors to the Low Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI), we campaign to push for faster change on all our projects.
Irene Craik, Director

Journal

Islington net zero carbon pilot housing project given green light

We have secured planning permission for a pilot net zero carbon housing scheme for the London Borough of Islington, designed to deliver exemplar homes and help address the climate emergency.

Project

Melfield Gardens, Lewisham. An intergenerational development for older people and students designed to a Passivhaus standard.

Net Zero Carbon by 2050

Impact

We are striving to be a zero carbon practice well before 2050, but in the meantime, we are working hard to make the places and spaces we create as sustainable as possible.

Project

Carlton Dene, Westminster. A highly sustainable, flagship extra care scheme designed using HAPPI principles.

Journal

'Building Justice: Crisis Solutions' - Architects Declare event recap

The Architects Declare 'Building Justice' event was a great success, with over 70 people attending in-person at our London studio and a good online attendance for the livestream. Everyone came together to discuss how to tackle AD's most recent and arguably most challenging declaration point: Climate Justice.

Project

Ashley Road Depot's path to net zero

Alongside Haringey Council, we developed the environmental aspirations for Ashley Road Depot to deliver a low carbon neighbourhood. The scheme is aiming to deliver the LETI targets for net zero operational carbon and embodied carbon. We have produced this one-pager with Etude to be transparent about the targets we are aiming to achieve on this project at planning stage.

Journal

The foundations of good Passivhaus design and sustainable communities for people in later life

Clare Murray, Gillian Harrison and Irene Craik discussed two projects and the foundations of ultra-low energy design and social sustainability, reflecting on the unique considerations when designing for older residents.

Research

Path to zero carbon (LETI)

Impact

Passivhaus schemes

We have more than ten schemes seeking to achieve Passivhaus standards and/or certification. These range in scale from 32-272 homes and are up to 100% affordable.

Research

Towards Net Zero: A collaborative approach to decarbonising housing and increasing social value

Thought

In the face of the climate crisis, we are working with the Low Energy Transformation Initiative to address gaps in guidance and planning policy, moving many more buildings towards zero carbon.
Clare Murray, Head of Sustainability

Project

Vorley Road, Islington. A mixed use, net zero carbon and Passivhaus scheme.

Project

Melfield Gardens: net zero one-pager

Phoenix Community Housing, the client for Melfield Gardens in Lewisham, shared our ambition to put the project on a path to zero carbon. We have produced this one-pager with Etude to be transparent and celebrate targets we are aiming to achieve on this project at planning stage.

Post-occupancy evaluation (POE)

Loudoun Road post-occupancy evaluation

Project

Cranwood House, Haringey. An ultra-low energy, social housing scheme, located on a sensitive site.

Journal

'Designing our Future' sustainability series

We hope this series will continue to inspire us and make us want to push beyond the limits of local, regional and national policies – aspiring to make places that are truly liveable and which will help us and our clients to leave a lasting legacy for resilient communities.

Journal

Global Climate Strike 2022

We attended the Climate Strike march. Architects gathered alongside Architects Declare and Architects Climate Action Network (ACAN) at the Building Centre to march for the climate crisis.

Journal

Our Easi Guide to Passivhaus Design – en español!

We are pleased to share that our Easi Guide to Passivhaus Design, which we created alongside Etude, has been translated into Spanish. This was led by Plataforma de Edificación Passivhaus (PEP).

Research

Easi Guide to Passivhaus Design

Thought

As a Practice, we have shifted to designing all our housing projects to Passivhaus standard as the default. As design professionals we play a huge role in making possible rapid decarbonisation and moving towards zero carbon.
Gina Windley, Architect / Sustainability Designer

Project

Darwin House, Westminster. Creating age-friendly and general needs housing within a Grade II listed estate, designed to a Passivhaus standard.

Journal

COP26

In terms of the construction industry, we hope that the conference achieves climate action that sees the banning of fossil fuels as an energy source for all new developments and other existing buildings where possible. We hope to see new incentives, targets and financial investment in retrofit.

Research

How we will reach zero carbon

Journal

Built Environment Summit with RIBA and Architects Declare

Confronted by the hard truth that 38% of all global greenhouse gases is currently attributed to the built environment, the speakers called upon professionals to take the time to educate themselves and be part of the solution, rather than passive bystanders contributing to the problem.

Journal

Architects Declare Practice Guide

Architects Declare, a network of architectural practices committed to addressing the climate and biodiversity emergency, has developed a Practice Guide to help signatories convert their declaration into meaningful action and build momentum within their practice.

Research

Cost of Carbon: Achieving greater carbon reductions on site

Journal

Speaking about sustainable development at Education Estates

Victoria Turner spoke about retrofit and its role in creating facility transformation and resilience for school estates, as well as it playing a vital part of the jigsaw for reducing carbon emissions during a climate crisis.

Journal

Fridays for Future: we support the global climate strike

We support the Fridays for Future movement and the global climate strike which is raising awareness of climate justice and the Most Affected Peoples and Areas (MAPA) who are experiencing the worst impacts of the climate crisis.

Journal

LETI Client Guide for Net Zero Carbon Buildings

This document, created by the Low Energy Transformation Initiative, brings together resources in a useful guide and will help enable our clients, including developers, operators, contractors, owner occupiers and investors, to construct buildings that meet LETI performance objectives.

Research

Making SAP and RdSAP 11 fit for Net Zero

Journal

Supporting ‘Part Z’, a proposed amendment to the Building Regulations tackling embodied carbon

Building regulations could drive embodied carbon to the forefront of the design, specification and construction process. We welcome the proposed amendment to the Building Regulations under the name of 'Part Z', which demonstrates a mechanism for introducing embodied carbon into law.