AB Architectural Designs Environmental Policy

INTRODUCTION

AB Architectural Design recognises that our work involves planning and construction which impacts on the environment and we are able to have considerable influence on the nature of those impacts.
We are therefore committed to minimising the impact that our projects have on the environment around us both through their construction phase and on through the entire lifespan of the buildings by;

• Minimising the consumption and waste of resources through the carefully researched and considered specification of appropriate materials, details and technologies. 

• Maintaining, enhancing and where appropriate restoring existing habitats and ecosystems

• Encouraging the use of renewable energy sources on our projects

• Minimising the embodied energy associated with materials used on our projects through the specification of locally sourced renewable materials

• Considering Whole Life Costing against the initial outlay construction costs

• Promoting the creative reuse of buildings wherever possible and sustainable over demolition and new construction

• Promoting sustainable living developments such as live/work units to our clients

• Aiming, wherever possible, to exceed the requirements of current legislation on environmental standards.

• Using our increasing knowledge and experience to develop the knowledge of our client organisations and seeking to learn from the experience of other organisations.

 

PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITING

When assessing whether a project is fundamentally environmentally sound we will consider the following points:

• Is the site suitable?

• Is the assessment of the site’s existing value thorough enough?

• Can existing buildings on the site be better re-used than demolished?

• Will demolition materials be satisfactorily recycled?

• Are our preferences and prejudices as designers at risk of preventing the most suitable outcome for the brief?

• Is our design utilising passive low energy design sufficiently in relation to other objectives?  

• Have we sought or advised our client to seek expertise beyond that which we can provide in the interest of the environment?

• Have we sought to source building materials as locally as possible for each project and have we sought to balance such choices with energy in use and long term re-use of materials issues?

• Have we sought to remediate as much as possible what humankind has done to this site in the past?  

 

CONTINUAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Sustainability and Environmental design is a developing field with new technologies being developed and tested all the time. In order to ensure that the company’s knowledge is maintained at the forefront of this field AB Architectural Design endeavour to research the latest developments as they reach the marketplace through a series of continued professional development seminars.

The main aspects of environmental and sustainable design currently being researched include;

Energy

• Wind power

• Ground source heat

• Combined Heat and Power

• Biomass heating

• Boiler Efficiency

• Thermal upgrading

• Passive Solar gain

• Active Solar gain

• Photovoltaic cells

• Cost/benefits of gas/electricity/wind/water/wave generated power

• Conservation double glazing

• Ventilation

• Passive ventilation

• Ventrolla/ draught sealing

• Provision and ventilation of drying areas/internal/external

• Low energy Lighting

Transport

• The need for travel (creating desirable anchored communities)

• Travel distances to local amenities

• Cycle storage

• Local Materials (sourcing)

• Reuse spoil from the site and avoid the use of landfill and reducing transportation cost

• Homezones and traffic calming measures

• Home offices

Pollution

• Renewable energy sources

• NOx emissions/boiler specification & EcoLabelled white goods

• Surface water run off control methods soakaways/pools/swales

• Insulation specification  

Materials

• Embodied energy of materials.

• Timber supplies for basic building elements and finishing materials

• Recycling of demolition materials eg crushed concrete to use as hardcore.

• Green Guide to Specification.

Water

• Grey water/catchment

• Internal water use & water saving devices

• Reed bed filtration/water treatment

• Drainage/SUDS/Storm Draws

• Storm water drainage storage (in addition to SUDS)

• A planning rule is coming in about the natural drainage of sites

Land Use and Ecology

• Ecological assessments/value of existing site

• Efficient building footprints: Size and Sustainability (efficient use of space)

• Gardens/allotments and sustainable lifestyle

• Planting/native species and pest control/companion planting and solar control etc

• Composting systems

Health and Wellbeing

• Sick Building Syndrome and availability of natural products.

• Window size/sky angle

• Provision of natural daylight e.g. Sun pipes

• Flexible design

• Designing for the future/Future homes

• Glazing type, single, double, low-E

• Sound insulation

• Provision of private open space, size required per occupant

 

COMPANY ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES – BUSINESS OPERATIONS

The company aims to minimise the impact of our day to day business operations upon the environment through the introduction of the following guidelines for their management.

Objective
To minimise the environmental impact of staff travel on business
Measures to be adopted
Wherever possible staff should ensure that travel to sites is minimised and that journeys are combined with those of other personnel visiting the same location.
Whilst visiting sites over a set distance and where practicable we encourage our staff to use trains and other means of public transport to minimise their individual carbon footprints.
ABA Design will consider the home to work situation of prospective staff at recruitment stage to progressively reduce staff’s dependence on solo long commuting journeys as much as possible. We will accommodate flexible working hours as much as possible to allow public transport home/work options for staff to be accommodated.
The practice supports the government’s cycle to work initiative and wherever possible we encourage our staff to cycle wherever possible.

Objective
To make a continual and significant reduction in the amount of waste paper generated by the office and the environmental impact thereof
Measures to be adopted
The company will source and purchase recycled paper wherever its use is appropriate for the equipment that we use.
Staff are encouraged to re-use printed paper as scrap for notes. In addition all staff are asked to be more aware of the need to reduce the amount of un-necessary printing and to be mindful of the amount of printing that they are generating.
Staff should discuss with clients and other professional organisations involved on projects the transfer of information by electronic means and where ever possible should use e mail and CD transfer in preference to multiple copying of information.
All of the waste generated by the office is taken for recycling.
Organic waste is separated in the office and taken for composting.

Objective
To minimise the energy consumed and emitted by operations at our premises
Measures to be adopted
The practice now purchases its electricity from a regional supplier through their green energy scheme. We also subscribe to a carbon offset scheme to counteract the effects of the energy used within the office.
Staff are encouraged to ensure that equipment not in use, including monitors, printers and copiers, is switched off rather than left in standby mode. The use of time switches on such equipment will be adopted wherever appropriate.
Low energy fittings should be specified within the office and used in accordance with manufacturers recommendations.

Objective
To minimise any potential environmental damage resulting from day to day operations within the office
Measures to be adopted
All cleaning products purchased by the office are to be recognised environmentally friendly brands