Sustainability
“Jo Cowen Architects understand that outstanding design is sustainable design”
Jo Cowen
‘Sustainable architecture is architecture that seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings by efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, and development space and the ecosystem at large’
The directors have significant experience in designing and delivering BREEAM ‘excellent’ projects. As a practice we call for the client’s sustainability aspirations to be Incorporated in the brief at the onset of the project. This may be enforced by market trends and /or commitment from the client. We also explore planning policy requirements with support from the planning consultants which will further shape the sustainability target necessary for the delivery of the scheme. The design for the scheme is then progressed taking into consideration the sustainability targets set for the scheme.
As a practice we call for the client’s sustainability aspirations to be Incorporated in the brief at the onset of the project.
The professional teams are briefed on the targets that they need to feature in their design and specifications. The practice works closely with the consultant team to ensure that environmental engineering principles are considered at the very beginning of each project. We consider design, construction and ‘in use’ factors as part of a holistic approach to sustainability and embed these requirements into the specification form the start.
We promote the use of passive design solutions which reduce energy use and often lower the capital cost of projects due to the use of leaner mechanical systems. We carefully select materials and construction processes based on their environmental impact and look to further reduce this through design development and in collaboration with contractors.
