Aim for Zero
We are very aware of the role of the built environment in contributing over a third of global carbon emissions, and our role in reducing or offsetting these emissions through responsible and responsive design. Our practice is a signatory of the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge, aiming to achieve net-zero by reducing operational energy, embodied carbon, and potable water in our projects.
Embed Passive Performance
We think of our buildings as an 'interface' between internal and external environments, and aspire to create this interface through the passive operation of the building itself (daylight, natural ventilation, thermal mass, solar gains) instead of active energy-consuming systems (heating, cooling, mechanical ventilation).
Diagrid Studio
2021
This new-build recording studio build in east London uses a layered approach to achieve an interface between inside and outside. The building is conceived like an onion, each layer playing a role in determining the internal thermal and acoustic environment.
Architect: A-Zero Architects
Giles Bruce, Ross King
Contractor : DB Contracts
Structural Design: Simple Works
Glulam : Construkt CLT
Photos © Agnese Sanvito
Design Environments for People
We design comfortable spaces that can adapt to people's evolving needs. Buildings need to cater for changing scenarios, families grow, and shrink, children become teenagers, parents become elderly. Buildings also increasingly need to adapt to a changing climate. We like to design of our projects in response to these dynamics, to ensure that the buildings remain comfortable and useful for the people that use them.
Use natural and low carbon materials
We are curious about what it takes to make the materials that we specify. Timber is grown, steel is forged : one process draws down carbon from the atmosphere, one emits carbon to the atmosphere. Where we can, we always prioiritse the natural material, minimising the overall carbon embodied within our buildings.
We are also curious about what happens to our materials throughout their life cycle, during a buildings use, and at the end of its life. Where we can, we always prioritise robust materials which last the life of the building, or can be reused in the future.
Forest House
2023
This residential extension and reconfiguration used native grown timber from a Welsh forest, which we were able to track from harvesting to installation. Having control over the supply chain allowed us to be selective in terms of quality and quantity of the material used.
Architect : A-Zero Architects
Giles Bruce, Wei-I Chen, Limal Harris
Contractor : J&M Contractors
Structural Design: Studio Allen
Photos © Agnese Sanvito
Measure Performance
If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it. We use a variety of analytical tools to make informed decisions about our projects.
We measure the energy balances of our buildings - the energy they receive from the sun, the energy they loose from through their envelope. We measure the the environmental impact of the materials we specify - what it takes to make the products we specify, and how those products will impact their environment after we have specified them.
Connect Inside and Outside
The connection between inside and outside defines how we experience a building – nobody wants to be in a windowless room. We think about how we can frame views to the landscape or the sky, how we can allow the dynamic of the external environment to echo in the internal environment, or how we can design openings to draw outside air through the building for comfort and cooling.
Thames House
2024
Adjacent to the river Thames, this new build house is designed to capture specific views to London. The building is conceived as two parts, a lower brick base built from bricks harvested from the original building which sat on the site, and an upper canililevered volume, which mediates between the scales of the adjacent buildings.
TEAM
Architect : A-Zero Architects
Giles Bruce, Phillip Toyin,
Mizue Katayama, Shoichi Sado,
Maria Despina Stasi, Nicolas Tome
Incorporate natural ecosystems and vegetation
We connect buildings with nature by incorporating natural ecosystems and vegetation, through the use of internal and external planting, green roofs and landscaping. We work with ecologists and landscape designers to create habitats that respond to site conditions, using planting strategies that are low-maintenance and climate-resilient.
Integrate Renewable Technologies
Renewable technologies are increasingly used in buildings to meet building energy demands without fossil fuels. Air source and ground source heat pumps are now standard in most of our projects, and we frequently specify Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery systems. Solar renewables for electricity generation and water heating have a role, so long as they can be integrated into the building seamlessly.
Height, Light and Social Connection
There is no substitute for natural light, be it light form the sun or light form the sky, and the more sky you see, the more light you get. One approach we enjoy in our projects is interconnecting floors, creating diagonal and vertical connections,. This brings light deep into the plan, but also to open up the possibility of conversations and social interaction between floors.
Make Efficient Use of Space
Space is valuable, and we believe that building high density cities is an important part of our approach. We often advocate exceeding 'standard' density limits, by demonstrating that high quality living environment with access to sunlight, view, and amenity are all feasible through site specific design.
Drawer House
2022
This deep retrofit and extension of a 1980's Barratts Home in Whitechapel, East London made full use of the space available on the site, but opened up new private amenity space in the roof, challenging the notion that the only outdoor space can be in the back garden.
TEAM
Architect : A-Zero Architects
Giles Bruce, Yasamin Arbabi, Shoichi Sado
Contractor : J&M Contractors
Structural Design: Studio Allen
Videos © Agnese Sanvito
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