Sustainable design is not just for new builds

You can make your renovation or extension greener without breaking the bank

 

Environmental efficiency matters more and more to my clients - it's an increasingly important factor of design. As energy costs rise, the cost of running leaky, cold and uninsulated buildings becomes untenable financially. We are culturally becoming more aware of the need to protect our planet for future generations. We need to consider also the energy used in creating the materials used in our buildings as well as the energy used to heat them.

The media spotlight is on architects and constructors working on new buildings. The government is currently consulting on a significant increase to the standards required for the environmental impact of new buildings. The levels required of new housebuilders are critical to meeting the proposed targets.  

 

However, existing buildings make up a much bigger proportion of the impact on energy use. As an architect who works more often on improving and renovating existing buildings, it's harder to incorporate energy efficient solutions. More and more clients are prepared to invest more to provide a more energy efficient solution, but the sector is less highly evolved and sadly, people often find the costs prohibitive.

 

I was heartened by an article I read in The Times newspaper last week (‘Villagers warm to absolute zero' Sat 9 January 2021). It reports on a village in Cambridgeshire where the inhabitants have worked together to provide a shared network, allowing all villagers to run their homes on zero-carbon heating rather than expensive and pollution oil from domestic tanks. 

The system is based around a combination of a ground source heat pump system which uses the naturally occurring warmth in the land, with air source heat pumps and a solar array. By clubbing together and using government grants and subsidies, they have achieved an efficient and environment-positive result that would have been impossible to fund individually .

 

This scheme would not be possible for every community, but it is great to see people working together for the good of the environment. We can't all make such grand gestures, but every little helps. By looking at opportunities within our smaller refurbishment projects for additional insulation, better orientation of windows, the quantity of glazing, and sourcing products from environmentally sound builders merchants and manufacturers, we can all do a little to help. It could even be as simple as making space to allow easy recycling. Every little step takes us further on the journey towards carbon neutrality.

 

As part of a continued drive by the architectural profession, all Chartered Architects are challenged to produce new zero-carbon buildings by 2030 and Climate Literacy is becoming a mandatory competence for our practice. 

I've been doing my homework and I've got lots of ideas about ways to build more sustainably, whatever your budget or ambition. Anne Owen Architects can support you to make informed choices with your designs and in the process, work to a more sustainable future for all of us.

Get in touch with studio@annethearchitect.co.uk if you have a building project that needs some sustainable design expertise - I'm always happy to advise.