Sustainability Policy

We are in a climate emergency, and urgently need to reduce carbon emissions. The construction process and servicing of buildings is responsible for 49% of the UK total carbon emissions currently thought responsible for global warming. While Architects cannot solve the current climate change issue on their own, they can play a significant role in producing high quality sustainable and responsible designs.

Architects have the responsibility to help improve the sustainability of the built environment through conscious planning, design, construction, and careful thinking of the maintenance and operation of our buildings.

Design

Our design approach has sustainability integrated into it from the very earliest concepts, through design stages, and into construction. We understand the dynamic balance of building, site, climate, and social context and work closely with our clients to design a rigorously well thought through buildings.

Net Zero

We are working towards producing Net zero carbon design in operation (in use) and Net zero carbon construction (embodied). To help us achieve these goals, we work to apply the guidance from the RIBA and LETI to help us find our way toward Net Zero Carbon. We are a signatory of the LETI declaration and believe that all new buildings must operate at net zero carbon by 2030. This means we only have a few years to improve the way we design and construct buildings. Three of our staff are actively taking part in LETI’s working groups, namely on embodied carbon and retrofit subjects and we use the very clear ‘Climate Emergency Design Guide’ produced by LETI to guide our designs.

We are also a signatory of the ‘Architect’s Declare Climate and Biodiversity Emergency’ declaration which recognises that the twin crises of climate breakdown and biodiversity loss are the most serious issue of our time and that we must act.

Studio PDP are also benchmarking a new project against the RIBA’s 2030 Climate Challenge campaign which helps architects design within a climate conscious trajectory towards reaching net zero. The project we have chosen is a refurbishment of eight apartments for Grosvenor Estates who are an engaged client who have agreed to meet a series of targets to reduce carbon emissions, operational energy, embodied carbon, and potable water.

In the 2023 financial year, Studio PDP have commissioned our third Zero Carbon Office Audit with Carbon Footprint to ascertain our current carbon emissions from our UK base activities. With this information we will developing practical recommendations to enhance our sustainability programme and reduce future emissions.