Winners of the AJ100 Most Sustainable Practice Award 2011
The Most Sustainable Practice Award is for integrating sustainability into project delivery across the office and developing our practice approach, expertise and procedures over the last five years.
We also rose from 39th to 16th place in the 2011 AJ100 rankings.
Sustainability is an integral part of good architecture and Allford Hall Monaghan Morris work hard to make the best use of the opportunities presented by each project.
We appreciate the importance of the social, environmental and economic issues that we can influence and work to actively address them in a focused, committed and effective manner, promoting wherever possible, an intelligent and considered approach to the way buildings are designed, developed and enjoyed.
We recognise the significance of our changing climate and consider both mitigation and adaptation to be crucially important as we work to help avoid the unmanageable and manage the unavoidable. We aim to design buildings that are best prepared for future changes whilst considering their impacts from inception and construction to operation and beyond.
Our vision of how great architecture can be made more sustainable has been developed throughout the work of the practice. Great Notley Primary School was recognised with a RIBA Sustainability Award in 2000 and many established and emerging themes have been developed through collaboration with like minded others, completed projects and research since. Strategies are developed and refined over time with continuing research and development.
An active and well supported sustainability group was formed in 2005 to enable and direct further development within the practice in the most effective manner. Rather than focusing on niche projects, this group works across the practice and has grown to include a significant number of architects working at every level, on every project and in every sector.
Wide ranging support is provided throughout the office by this group, further developing expertise through external courses and continuing formal education, external consultants and visiting speakers in addition to regular and focused continuing professional development events. Knowledge is disseminated and shared through group forums, internal mentoring and a comprehensive sustainability intranet database as well as the more conventional practice library.
Allford Hall Monaghan Morris are proud to be members of the AECB and the UK Green Building Council, supporting the UKGBC aim to “dramatically improve the sustainability of the built environment by radically transforming the way it is planned, designed, constructed, maintained and operated.”
The bulk of our influence relates to the buildings we design, however our own operations are also important. As a practice we promote sustainably responsible behaviour at all levels and throughout our operations. Our Sustainability Design and Assessment Toolkit and Environmental Management System have been certified by a UKAS accredited body as meeting the requirements as ISO 14001:2004.
Sustainability Toolkit
Project teams develop proposals assisted by a comprehensive sustainability guidance manual and the sustainability group supports project teams in the design, evaluation and development of every project using a specially developed assessment toolkit.
Truly sustainable architecture includes much beyond environmental performance and the toolkit addresses the following key areas in relation to CARBON, PEOPLE and ECOLOGY:
Biodiversity - Materials
Climatic Design - Transport
Embodied Energy - Waste
Operational Energy - Renewable energy
Amenity/Community - Occupants
Safety/Management/Accessibility - Water
Our toolkit is not intended to define the extent of our approach to sustainability but instead to help assess our performance and further assist in the design of well considered and appropriate buildings and communities. Every project is reviewed at each work stage and upon completion and the results, including a clear graphic, can be used to better understand performance, highlight opportunities and note areas worthy of further consideration.
We are also Certified Passive House Designers and have in-house expertise regarding the Code for Sustainable Homes, BREEAM and environmental modelling such as Ecotect.