Sustainability Architects
Sustainability Architects
At Rodic Davidson, whilst a large part of our practices’ work is with historic and listed buildings, our designs look to incorporate modern sustainable technologies in order to bring these heritage assets into the modern, climate conscious 21st century. By improving the energy and carbon efficiency of properties, the future of these precious buildings is not only safeguarded but makes these buildings even more desirable by combining comfort and operational cost-efficiency with a rich, historical environment in which to live and work. Our sensitive approach to adapting historic buildings through repair, maintaining, and adaptation aims to reduce carbon emissions and keep our historic buildings in use. We’re a sustainability architect you can rely on for development projects throughout London, Cambridge and the South-East.
What is sustainability architecture?
Buildings account for 39% of global carbon emissions and will play a significant role in meeting targets set out by the RIBA’s 2030 Sustainable Outcomes Guide as well as Net Zero targets by 2050. Around one quarter of buildings in the UK are over 100 years old, meaning that these buildings must be adapted to meet these climate targets, improving thermal comfort for its users and overall energy efficiency, as well as for our future generations to enjoy. As a sustainable design architect, we acknowledge our responsibility to create and adapt buildings to reduce our impact on the climate.
Rodic Davidson’s experience as a sustainability architect
Soho House, London
Our consciousness and sensitive approach towards sustainable design has culminated with the rare planning consent for a Grade II* listed property, set to achieve a BREEAM Outstanding rating; this will be one of only a handful of listed properties across the whole country to gain BREEAM Outstanding. The works to the home within the heart of Soho include fabric upgrades, rainwater harvesting, new ecological habitats and a new roof terrace. You can read more about this Grade II* Listed BREEAM outstanding project here. As demonstrated by the successful outcome of this project, we believe it is possible to achieve both demands for preserving and enhancing our architecture heritage whilst taking these historical buildings forward with us.
Listed Farmstead, Suffolk
Our client’s brief was to undertake a full refurbishment of a Grade II listed Suffolk Farmhouse and the conversion of its associated agricultural buildings. Our client wished to protect this heritage asset and preserve it for future generations. Sustainability was at the forefront of the client brief and the design team’s approach. One of the first considerations was the choice of energy source and it being sustainable given the site’s remote location and the client’s use throughout the year. The result was a water-source heat pump system supplying water, heating and cooling via underfloor heating systems and internal fan coil units, all controlled and monitored by a property-wide building management system (BMS). The heat pump was supplemented by a large solar array installed to the south facing roof of the neighboring cowshed, the surplus energy of which is fed back to the national grid. Read more about our project here.
Why choose Rodic Davidson as a sustainable design architect?
Historic buildings contain embodied energy and carbon, with further energy required to construct their replacements, making re-use of buildings preferable. However, not all old buildings have to be retained. Our expertise as a sustainability architect supports our clients in making informed decisions to balance the historical and architectural significance with benefits from replacement and redevelopment.
As new materials and technology develop, we are excited to integrate these into our designs and deliver sustainable historic buildings which retain and enhance the historic character of our cities while making strides towards a climate-conscious construction industry. Our network of consultants and suppliers can provide specialist services and products including music systems, cinema rooms, security and access control, sophisticated lighting and blinds as well as centralised control for many of these technologies via apps and personal devices.
Get in touch with our team today
Rodić Davidson is always interested in your project of any scale, our team would love to hear about your property and discuss how we can help.
You can call our studio to enquire or email us on enquiries@rodicdavidson.co.uk
Architecture
+44 (0)20 7043 3551
Interiors
+44 (0)20 7043 3552
