Designing for people, places and the planet

We aim to optimise the potential of sites, looking at densification and efficient planning to ensure we create compact cities while conserving green space to support biodiversity and ecological systems. We recognise the benefits of inviting nature into our urban areas and what it brings to both inhabitants and communities.

We add community value to our projects by designing for social and demographic diversity, incorporating a sustainable mix of uses, creating a strong sense of place and working with local businesses to bring employment opportunities and an enhanced urban experience.

We design for physical and mental well-being; optimising lighting, acoustics and air quality while integrating nature and biophilic design into our buildings. Creating spaces for activity and interaction that support community and inclusion and ensures accessibility for all.

Our Transportation team is helping to change how we move people and goods, adapting the best existing solutions and anticipating future innovations. Our masterplans prioritise public transport, 15-minute living and active travel for efficient, safe and people-friendly urban environments.

We employ SuDS and Sponge City permeability principles in our proposals, creating wetland landscapes and recreational elements to help mitigate flooding and reconnect people with water. We reduce water waste by re-using grey water for irrigation and washing and specifying efficient fixtures to lower water consumption.

Reducing embodied carbon in our projects is one of the key challenges for the built environment. We aim to refurbish, adapt and repurpose buildings where feasible. By designing lighter structures and carefully reviewing material choices we can lower the carbon footprint of our buildings.

We design to reduce energy demands, adopting a fabric-first approach to reduce unwanted losses, using natural ventilation to keep cool and shading to reduce overheating. Environmental modeling software helps us to understand and reduce operational carbon emissions from the earliest project stages.

Our operational and embodied carbon modelling helps us identify the best ways to reduce lifetime emissions and deliver a truly net zero development. We promote off-site prefabrication, which is highly efficient and minimises waste, and design for low maintenance and future adaptability.