Associated Architects has been at the forefront of sustainability for many years.

We have created buildings such as the UK’s largest, non-domestic building (the George Davies Centre for Medicine in Leicester) and the first building to achieve the ‘Multi Comfort’ standard, a new benchmark pioneered by Saint Gobain (the Bartholomew Barn). The George Davies Centre for Medicine was designed from conception to demanding Passivhaus Standards and resulted in heating bills reduced by 93% over the previous building.

Our in-house Green Team ensures we are leading the debate around sustainability. Our Passivhaus certified designers have developed a range of unique carbon analysis tools with partner Services Engineers and Cost Consultants, to model application of various energy benchmarks in terms of CAPEX, OPEX and in use running costs to allow effective client decision making and assist our clients with developing and achieving their sustainability and zero-carbon objectives.

It’s increasingly understood that we face an urgent Climate Emergency and need to go further, faster. We know sustainability is about more than meeting a set of criteria. It’s about strong and responsible leadership to ensure all new and retrofit buildings deliver the best performance possible for many decades to come, and ahead of likely future regulations.

Future Proofing

Future proof our designs against changes in legislation including a fabric-first, Passivhaus principles approach to design

Evaluate

All new projects are evaluated against the aspiration to contribute positively to climate and encourage our clients to adopt this approach

Retrofit & Reuse

Much more carbon efficient than demolition, whenever there is a viable choice, we will look to retrofit existing buildings.

Life Cycle Costing

Promote life cycle costing, whole-life carbon modelling and post-occupancy evaluation on all projects in order to reduce both embodied & operational resource use.

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Net Zero

The UK government has committed to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, with many local authorities setting a more ambitious target of 2030.

With the built environment contributing around 40% of the UK’s total carbon footprint, a fundamental change in mindset and approach is required for how we design, build and operate buildings, in order to meet these targets.

We have adopted a whole lifecycle carbon approach, ensuring all sources of emissions are considered including embodied and operational carbon. We have developed our internal Net Zero Playbook to ensure all of our staff are carbon literate and are able to advise our clients on strategies for delivering low and zero carbon buildings and assist decision making.

We also act in an advisory capacity, assisting Estates Managers, Asset Managers and Local Authorities to develop a route map to achieving their net zero carbon objectives and inform future development plans.

Net Zero Carbon Retrofit

Around 80% of the buildings expected in 2050 already exist today, necessitating significant retrofitting efforts for the UK’s existing building stock to achieve net zero emissions. Retrofitting is more carbon-efficient than demolition, and we prioritise it whenever possible. 10 Brindleyplace in Birmingham is our largest retrofit project.

Building owners choose retrofitting for various reasons, including economic benefits through reduced energy costs, increased asset value, and carbon emission reduction. With ageing building stock and growing sustainability awareness among occupants, the demand for creative solutions to enhance energy efficiency and rejuvenate buildings is rising.

Our sensitive design interventions have successfully transformed numerous ageing and underperforming buildings, significantly reducing carbon emissions and creating enduring, inspiring spaces. Different building types present unique challenges, and our approach remains consistent—rooted in analysis and delivering efficient, practical solutions to maximise benefits

PassivHaus Certified Design

We have a passion for designing award-winning contemporary buildings using sustainable methods, technology and materials. The Passivhaus approach to low energy building design, provides us with an industry-benchmarked methodology.

Our Passivhaus certified designers have delivered some of the country’s most significant Passivhaus schemes, including the UK’s largest, non-domestic, Passivhaus building, the George Davies Centre for Medicine at the University of Leicester, England’s first homes to both zero carbon (Code for Sustainable Homes level 6) and Passivhaus standards, the Eco Vicarages in Worcestershire and the UK’s first Multi-Comfort building, Bartholomew Barn at Kings School.