What makes a good building?

The simple answer is a good team, and by team I include the client, stakeholders, and the local planning authority. Many governments across the world have declared a climate emergency and, by November 2021 over 75% of local authorities in the UK had declared a ‘climate emergency’ too.

The slightly cynical may say this is nothing more than a vote winning buzzword to secure the green vote. Perhaps this is true for some, or perhaps the message just isn’t getting through to all departments. A year on we’re still witnessing planning departments insisting on changes to schemes that result in an increase in embodied and/or operational carbon. However, we are also seeing reassuring signs of local planning departments being better-informed and taking a stance when it comes to sustainable credentials. The rejection of the proposed Tulip skyscraper in central London was due to several factors but most interesting of all was that the planners referred to the disproportionate embodied carbon.

Surely this is a game changer, and anyone involved in developments in London already knows that you can no longer make a unilateral decision to demolish and build new.

Obviously, every building uses materials in construction and energy in use. So, what does this mean for new build developments? Again, the simple answer is a ‘good team’. Actually, you need a better than good team as average doesn’t cut it.

A team that is willing to listen to each other, to work together, to push back and to compromise, is a team that will succeed. The days of sitting smugly in an office cooled to 21 degrees when it’s 30 plus outside are gone, at least for the socially responsible. We have spent years adapting our indoor climate to suit ourselves. It’s now time to adapt ourselves to the climate. Heating corridors and entrance lobbies to 21 degrees in the depths of winter has to be socially unacceptable. And likewise, heating an office in winter so you can walk around in short sleeves may feel nice but at what cost? I’m not advocating the wearing of your woolly bobble-hat whilst sitting at your desk, but I am saying dress appropriately. This might mean a jumper in winter and not wearing a blazer in summer – let’s be honest, is that such a big ask if it means you can reduce energy demand?

If the UK is to meet its climate obligations, end users and occupiers of buildings need to accept a new normal.

Green electricity will solve the issue. Well, no. The move to all electric buildings to benefit from a decarbonising grid isn’t the final answer either. We must use less, and that means less power usage in buildings. We must move away from desktop PC’s and multiple screens. We need to challenge the specification of the new 105” boardroom screen. Yes, the screen must be up to the task, reliable and aesthetically pleasing, but when making the final selection what its energy credentials? We need to consider the power required to move water and air around a building. Architects now know we can’t dog-leg and shoehorn ducts as that all leads to more power to move the air (fan power). Informed developers also now recognise that, to reduce the power associated with air movement, bigger ducts are needed, which in turn means bigger risers with a loss in net area. For inner city developments, this is a bitter pill to swallow, with potential loss of rents up to £100/sq ft eating into an investment.

Facades play a big part in buildings, providing those wonderful views to the outside world and plenty of daylight. But too much daylight can be a bad thing. Look around your office and spot how many blinds are down, and lights switched on. Yes, there may be an automatic lighting control system to dim lights but if the blinds are constantly down then it’s no surprise the lights are on too. Architects are more informed than ever about the impact of overglazed facades, with consequent increases in energy and plant. It’s great to see this new awareness being put into action on many projects where the architect, façade consultant, and structural engineer are all interacting with the services and sustainability engineers to optimise the façade, or floor to floor build ups. By working together we’re creating sustainable buildings.

One final note. I’ve been fortunate to work across several sectors over the last 30 years, predominately in the commercial office and education sectors. The end occupiers’ needs are different, and the occupancy profiling differs but both sectors are striving to achieve ultra-low energy buildings and net zero. These are exciting times for our industry. If a cake is baked with the same ingredients in the same manner, then the result will be the same. It’s time to swap ingredients and bake differently, so the buildings we design today don’t produce the same results.