SUSTAINABILITY
CREATING SUSTAINABLE,
FUTURE-PROOF BUILDINGS
At George James Associates we have long integrated sustainability into all our projects, and we are happy to see that governments and local authorities are
waking up to the importance of sustainable, future-proof buildings across London and beyond. The Greater London Authority, for example, has implemented greening policies and, recently, the London Plan, which sets out a framework for how London will develop over the next 20-25 years. This is a promising development in an industry that has for too long been beset by greenwashing, a lack of access to green financing, and a lack of understanding of how a building can be developed in a sustainable way.
We were ahead of the game when it comes to sustainable development and construction; all the properties we have worked on in recent years, even before the launch of the plan, already adhere to the measures it stipulates. Our buildings have a reduced embedded carbon footprint and reduced whole-life cycle carbon emissions thanks to careful, thoughtful design and structures. Energy mix is another important consideration: how the property is heated and cooled - now more important than ever in a warming climate - and how the facade performs in regulating the property’s temperature. The materials used in a property’s construction are also a crucial factor in its sustainability credentials: how they are manufactured, which natural resources they use, how
far they have travelled, and their life span.
The sustainability of a property is intrinsically linked to its performance - which is critical to its future value. Our team has a deep understanding, through intensive research and extensive experience, of all the options available, and which work best for a particular property. This includes energy sources, such as the more traditional oil, gas and electricity, or newer, more sustainable options such as air source, geothermal and solar power. Finding the right balance of energy sources is the key; this is based on an understanding of the property, its location and its potential uses. Other considerations and
techniques for optimising a building’s performance include the facade’s fabric makeup and performance, mechanical ventilation heat recovery, acoustics, controls for variable temperature, rainwater storage, sustainable drainage and irrigation, and improved efficiencies for solar energy.
