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ENVIRONMENT
disposal costs alone swallow 30% of
UK construction rms’ pre-tax pro ts,
she adds, and can be avoided if
properly designed in the rst place.
For example, Allwood points to its
design of the 1 Triton Square, London
re t for owner British Land, due to
be completed this year. It reuses
the existing building structure, fabric
and core. “Our work has saved more
carbon in design and construction
than the building will produce during
its 20-year lease,” she claims.
Flexibility of use is also said to
be a central priority for architecture
rm dRMM. Director Jonas Lencer
states: “Throughout our practice, we
have consistently considered how our
projects can be driven by adaptability
and by the potential to be re-purposed
rather than demolished.”
While some might argue that
such practices would aim for zerocarbon
re t, the declaration’s stated
aim is to go beyond the standard
of net zero carbon in use. This
means that complying with the declaration
would require buildings to provide a net
contribution to the environment, argues
Barrett. That’s a new idea, and an
aspirational goal in principle, he adds.
Stanton Williams calls it achievable.
MATERIALS CHOICE
Getting there partly involves the choice of
materials; two rms opt for wood. Barrett
at Rogers advocates the wider use of
timber, because is not only biodegradable
but also captures carbon during its
growth. dRMM’s Lencer says: “We have
consistently championed engineered
timber as a reliable choice for sustainable
construction”.
Barrett also argues that buildings
should use components that can be
reused and recycled – referencing the
company’s modular housing systems,
such as Y:Cube, a block of 36 one-bed
studio ats built in 2013-15 for YMCA
South West London.
He goes on to argue that, to be
successful, the effort must go beyond
design and link up with other trades and
suppliers. He says: “Architects alone
will not meet the
challenges of the
climate emergency.
We can serve to
shape objectives,
to communicate
and help de ne
“Architects alone will
not meet the challenges
of the climate
emergency” Stephen Barrett
the objectives, but engineers
are needed to make these
visions viable, to engineer
new technologies and
quantitatively measure their impacts, and
contractors need to deliver the vision.”
Sharing the multidisciplinary vision is
Allwood at Arup. “Systematic adoption
of the circular economy will create more
value – for society and for shareholders
– from fewer resources, within the sector
that consumes more resources than
any other. We all have an active role to
play in making this happen and adopting
a collaborative ‘total architecture’
approach is how we can translate positive
commitments into positive action.”
In particular, Barrett argues that the
construction industry should use off-site
modular manufacturing techniques to
improve quality, ef ciency, speed and
reduce waste. “Beyond that, one needs
to weigh questions of total carbon (mass
and energy in production and the wider
environmental impact of the manufacturing
process itself) against questions of
durability, maintenance and overall wholelife
cost.”
Similar ideas are raised by Lencer,
who says that dRMM is optimising its
designs by venturing into construction
process methodologies such as Design
for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) and
Modern Methods of Construction (MMC).
He goes on to argue that, for him,
regenerative design cares not only for
the natural environment, but for human
communities as well. According to this
idea, “buildings are perceived as part
of a wider ecology/system, able to
generate energy, where materials are
used in a circular way, and where resilient
communities are formed without adversely
impacting ecologies.
“It means more than just ensuring
building materials stay within the cycle of
use, but that they also create a positive
“Regenerative design relates to
biodiversity and social good as
well as just recyclability”
Jonas Lencer
impact in wider ecological and social
terms. Regenerative design relates to
biodiversity and social good as well as
just recyclability; it succeeds when the
relationship of architecture, humans and
nature becomes interwoven.”
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