Sustainability & Carbon Management
As we play a significant part in the essential drive to reduce global CO2 emissions, we can also design places which can be intensely used… in a safe way.
As cities become used with greater intensity, the buildings and neighbourhoods within those cities need to be designed to minimise pollution and carbon emissions. Part of the battle is to use energy which is created from renewable sources including wind, sun and water, but the other part is to design energy efficient buildings and masterplans that encourage compact and therefore sustainable urban development which includes green open space and biodiversity.
The early development of a brief for a site and the subsequent concept which emerges from that brief can either assist the ability of a project to achieve credible and necessary sustainable credentials or put it on its back foot, potentially leaving it as an also ran.
The UK has committed to be net-zero by 2050 so the design of buildings today needs to be such that that ambition is achievable. In reality we need to aim to achieve net zero buildings in a shorter timescale, ideally by 2030.
The Flanagan Lawrence Approach
Flanagan Lawrence recognises that sustainability and building performance is an integral part of good architecture and works hard to make the best use of the opportunities presented by each project. The urgency of the current climate emergency has placed an added responsibility onto the development team, requiring it to deliver designs which will help to secure the future of the planet, whilst creating environments which are attractive for people to live in.
“Long life, loose fit” has never been a more appropriate mantra for building design today as we strive to minimise the impact of development on our environment.
Flanagan Lawrence are working with the design team to set carbon performance targets for all current projects.
Our design approach not only targets the direct construction and operational carbon impacts of the environments we design, but considers ways to encourage more ecological, minimum resource use, and carbon positive lifestyles and consumption.
We are establishing design processes for client carbon targets to be demonstrated at each project work stage, incorporating them into specifications, delivering them on site, and monitoring them in use.
Our ambition on every project is to create positive social and environmental outcomes: improving the functional use of land for local communities, balanced with improvements in biodiversity, and reduced negative impacts from climate conditions and severe weather events.
Energy
The London Plan provides a solid framework for achieving zero carbon, requiring a minimum 10-15% improvement in fabric performance and a minimum of 35-50% improvement through the addition of renewables.
Existing buildings are key to achieving Net Zero and our initial assessment of the development potential of a site will always include an assessment of a reuse option.
Futureproofing for alternative fuels such as hydrogen is considered for all schemes with space being allocated during early design stages.
The speed of change in thought regarding the best way to respond to the climate crisis is complex and ever changing and technologies which were considered to be the future a few years ago are now considered to be unacceptable. As the Grid becomes decarbonised and is driving technology selection, CHP is now considered to be a carbon liability and boilers are increasingly less beneficial, whilst heat pumps are becoming more beneficial. Keeping on top of the changing landscape is essential as development attempts to deliver buildings which are relevant for the future.
Life Cycle Assessment
Increasing energy efficiency standards and the implementation of Zero Carbon targets makes embodied CO2 emissions even more significant.
Whilst residential buildings currently have no Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) drivers - unlike non-domestic which have BREEAM requirements - design teams drive a culture whereby all schemes include an LCA at early design stages.
Opportunities exist to reduce CO2 on all schemes, some can be cost neutral, some will inevitably have cost implications. Clear analysis allows clients to make informed decisions and instruct accordingly.
Advancements in material technology and the use of materials that have a ’circular economy’ credentials contribute to a reduction in the Global Warming Impact. During the design process, Flanagan Lawrence requests materials credentials from suppliers and manufacturers as a matter of course as it helps to drive culture-change in the industry.
Biodiversity
The need to prioritise green infrastructure has never been greater and Flanagan Lawrence works closely with Landscape Architects to design meaningful green spaces which have the potential to become wildlife habitats. Integral rather than “bolt-on”, strategically planned, and including a broad range of high-quality spaces allows green infrastructure to not only increase biodiversity, but also provide social and economic benefits.
Biodiversity is regenerative and can be integrated into building design and the surrounding urban realm in the form of green roofs, green walls, street trees, pocket parks, SuDS features, artificial nesting and roosting spaces, planters and art installations.
The possibilities are limitless and projects undertaken by Flanagan Lawrence include some or all of these interventions.
Metrics such as Biodiversity Net Gain, Urban Greening Factor and BREEAM quantify sustainable credentials of a project and represent invaluable support for a scheme presented to a Local Planning Authority.
Responsibility
The Managing Director is responsible for the Company Sustainability Policy and for the effective implementation, maintenance and review of environmental management.
On projects, the Project Architect is responsible for the day to day implementation of the policy on a specific project. The Sustainability Group creates a practice wide mesh to monitor and advocate responsible practice and reports to the Managing Director.
Commitment
Flanagan Lawrence is committed to the integration of environmental considerations into all areas of corporate activity and to implement a process of continual improvement.
Our Studio
In our studio the Office manager drives our clear policy.
We endeavour to minimise the impact of our day to day working environment on the environment and seek to work with like-minded organisations to fulfil that ambition.
Currently, our Electricity contract provides power from 100% renewable sources; LED/energy saving lamps are used wherever possible; we recycle as much as possible, and our mixed recycling goes to a mechanised sorting facility; our general waste is sent to an energy recovery facility; where possible we purchase Fairtrade products
Monitoring
Projects are reviewed against a project check list which includes targets and scores that are intended to exceed industry standards. This list is based on the RIBA project stages, and the RIBA Green overlay. All projects are reviewed at key project stages and are given a score that must pass a minimum standard prior to issue to the client. Project architects are required to maintain and fulfil these obligations, with an overview from Associate Directors.
Research & Development
Our commitment to R&D allows us to maintain up to date knowledge regarding current requirements and how future requirements might be accommodated.
Our Distributed Environmental Sensor Array (DESA) is a project which seeks to visualise in real time, localised environmental conditions in the built environment. It has undergone Proof of Concept testing and is now ready for prototype testing. We anticipate units being discretely integrated into office furniture.
Our Modular Aquaponics project is a research collaboration between Flanagan Lawrence, Useful Simple Trust (engineers), Bristol Fish Project, and Lettus Grow (aquaponics specialists), which aims to achieve an exemplar economically sustainable modular aquaponic intervention. The design is tailored for high yield, and low material costs and manifests as a ‘modular vertical farming system’ wrapping onto south facades of industrial units in suburban areas with the aim of ‘greening an industrial landscape’. It addresses key aspects of sustainability and the circular economy.
We are currently exploring ways of measuring a building’s embodied carbon during the design process, using software designed for that purpose. As clients, developers and contractors respond to the many net-zero commitments adopted by cities and local authorities such tools are entering the mainstream.
The Greater London Authority, for example, has published Whole Life-Cycle Carbon Assessments guidance (in draft form), and will be adopting a policy that will apply initially to large schemes that are “referable to the Mayor”.
It marks the arrival of embodied carbon on the UK regulatory horizon: a clear signal to the industry that assessing both operational energy and embodied energy will ultimately become a necessity.
Considering building performance at the very early stages of our design process enables us to enter conversations with our Clients and Design Team collaborators and develop clear performance aspirations which will not only be of benefit to the environment but will also be suitable for a particular project.
Flanagan Lawrence recognises the benefits of MMC on many levels and looks to assess the appropriateness of various systems and components during the design stages, working with the consultant team and contractors to achieve the most appropriate construction methodology.