Genuine sustainability underpins all truly long-lasting architecture. We are recognised as an industry-leading pioneer of sustainability. We are the first architects in the world to sign up to the UN’s Climate Neutral Now campaign and to have science-based targets and are the architects with the highest B Corp score in the UK.

Leadership

We are the first and only architectural practice in the world to have approved science-based targets and be carbon neutral via the United Nations Climate Neutral Now framework. We were founder members of the UK Green Building Council, are involved in the RIBA sustainable futures group, and most recently have been heavily involved in developing embodied carbon guidance for designers in partnership with LETI. Our latest business targets go well beyond the standard 50% reductions demanded by race to zero, requiring us to reduce emissions by 75% by 2030.

Practicing what we Preach

As part of our science-based targets we have begun studies on how to retrofit our London and Edinburgh studios to net-zero standards, building on their historic use of 100% renewables. This is alongside our general programme to put climate action at the heart of our business including giving staff extra holidays to use low-carbon travel, committing to go plastic free, and developing a tool to help staff understand their carbon footprint in the context of project decisions.

Data driven practices

We believe that genuine sustainability underpins all truly long-lasting architecture. It must though be supported by evidence and hard data. We push for all projects to have post-occupancy, becoming Building Use Study partners to enable us to carry this out ourselves, and are publicly committed to carry out at least one per year. We will undertake embodied carbon analysis on all projects and publish results on our website, targeting all completed projects by 2030 to be LETI A rated.

Driving Net Zero Carbon design

Through the UKGBC and our involvement with LETI we have been helping to define net-zero targets, and are currently working on a number of projects aligned with the UKGBC net-zero framework (both in operation and in construction). We understand, however, that it is not enough to have a number of pathfinder projects, and so now all projects have a series of meetings with our in-house sustainability team to enable net-zero design, including briefing meetings with clients and in-house embodied carbon analysis.

Get in touch on sustainability@bennettsassociates.com to discuss your organisation’s sustainability targets, collaborate on a sustainable project or receive a copy of the free tool to measure your personal carbon footprint.

Reports