low carbon & low energy design

For All of Us

All our project work is approached with sustainability in mind. How to create spaces that are interesting, function as needed for the user and positively respond to the environment, We think this is the right way to design buildings and spaces.

building a low carbon home

Super insulate

Well insulated walls will keep heat loss to a minimum and combined with airtight construction will provide a comfortable healthy interior. The most important factor is ensuring the insulation is correctly installed and energy saving potential of the product

Windows

Advanced windows using low-e coatings and argon fillings will improve insulation and reduce condensation.

Building Fabric

Future proof the energy efficiency of dwellings over their whole life by limiting heat losses across the building envelope.

Low or Zero Carbon Technologies

The incorporation of these technologies is more effective within buildings with a highly energy efficient fabric after heat demand and loss have been reduced to a minimum.

Solar

Solar Photovoltaic cells provide a low carbon means of providing electricity for the building. Heating water in the summer months with solar thermal collectors is a clean way of meeting a percentage of a buildings hot water requirements

Wind

There are a number of different types of wind turbine available to suit differing sites and output requirements. A roofmounted turbine can produce up to half of the households’ annual electricity requirements.

Biomass

Biomass: Biomass single room heaters/stoves Biomass boilers Biomass community heating schemes where the majority of heating comes from biomass.

Combined Heat and Power (CHP) and micro CHP for use with the following fuels: natural gas biomass sewerage gas and other biogases

Lighting

75% of the internal lighting and all external lighting is to comprise energy efficient fittings, comprising lamp, control gear and appropriate housing, reflector, shade or diffuser.

High-efficiency fluorescent lamps will help reduce electricity demand

Sunspaces

A good standard of natural light should be achieved so as electric light can be displaced. Sunspaces can provide good natural light to the building and assist keeping the building during the winter months. They can also provide a place to grow herbs and plants, a place to sit and extra storage area.

Solar Shading

During the summer months solar shading can be required to reduce overheating, it is important views are not compromised and maintenance is easy.

Healthy Interiors

Carefully chosen and sourced materials with non-toxic finishes will add to creating a healthy environment. Breathable constructions along with good ventilation add to the occupants well-being.

Ventilation

A heat exchanger uses the heat from the extracted air to pre-warm the fresh air ensuring 24-hour fresh and airy rooms.

Harvest rainwater

To assist in storm water attenuation and to reduce the amount of water used a rainwater harvesting system will collect rainwater form the roof, filter it and supply the house with non-potable water for use in toilet flushing and the cold feed of washing machines.

We have the ability to impact our future, lets do something about it

“We approach design projects so that they are sustainable. Sustainability is related to the quality of life for people living in communities and using buildings. It links economic, social and environmental issues.”

COLIN CAMPBELL – LOW CARBON STUDIO

There are no hard and fast rules in construction. In some contexts using traditional building materials may continue to be the best option. In others, shifting to novel materials will be a no-brainer. It is critical to ensure that procurement models and regulations are not too prescriptive and instead guide consumers towards more sustainable options while letting them select the most appropriate one for a given build, supported by digital technologies in making that decision. Ideally this will allow consumers to match the lowest carbon building materials to their most viable use-cases reserving the higher carbon ones for those few applications where they might still be needed.

Johanna Lehne, Research Associate, Energy, Environment and Resources, Chatham House.

Self Build

case studies