Together to Net Zero: Our Sustainability Peer Review

In a time of climate and cost of living crisis, social injustice and inequality, our role as active citizens has never been more important. While the idea of resetting or restarting is impossible, we find ourselves at a point where we need to reflect, rethink, repair – and reimagine. This ethos was at the heart of our sustainability peer review event, held at the depot_, our community co-working space as part of this year’s London Festival of Architecture (LFA).

Opening up our sustainability peer review to the public for the first time, we provided an inside look at the behind-the-scenes efforts of three architectural and design firms—Haptic Architects, spacelab_, and Vitra. This initiative, which started last year as a collaboration among neighbours and industry peers, has grown in scope and participation. 

The agenda for our fifth session aligned perfectly with LFA’s theme of “reimagine.” Celebrating the Festival’s 20th anniversary, we explored how the event, our industry, and all Londoners can shape a more equitable, accessible, and sustainable city. Our discussions focused on how our projects and products contribute to these goals.

Harry Bryant, Architect & Design Account Manager/Sustainability Lead UK at Vitra, began the afternoon by showcasing Vitra's approach to designing long-lasting products. He highlighted the adaptability of products like the Anagram sofa and Mikado chair, which feature interchangeable components that allow them to evolve with clients' ever-changing needs. Harry emphasised the enduring quality and iconic design heritage of Vitra's products, which remain desirable and valuable over time.

Judith Ng, Associate Director–Architect, and Joe Bosson, Architect from spacelab_, provided an overview of spacelab’s guiding principles for sustainability, which include Knowledge Share, Material & Furniture, Design, Carbon Reporting, and Practice Operation. They emphasised the importance of knowledge sharing within the industry to stay abreast of trends and tools. Being part of this peer review group of ambitious, like-minded practices allows for collaborative sharing, learning, and developing best practices towards decarbonisation and achieving net zero.

Judith discussed how they repurpose underutilised spaces to create purposeful environments for clients, while also cleverly integrating a high percentage of existing furniture and collaborating with manufacturers to repurpose and reuse materials, giving them a new lease on life. Joe shared spacelab’s experiences and challenges with carbon reporting in recent projects, highlighting the importance of understanding materials, carbon footprint, durability, and reusability. The variation between projects provided a valuable opportunity to objectively share challenges and opportunities in different contexts, reinforcing the need for a collective approach to sustainability.

Lastly, Dimitris Argyros, Associate Director, and Lucia Berasaluce, Senior Associate at Haptic Architects, discussed rethinking our educational buildings and campuses. They emphasised that educational buildings can become the centre of the community by being compact, multifunctional, and efficient in space usage. This approach maximises the utilisation of the space by different functions and people at various times of the day and week, transforming the school into a community hub, local theatre, weekend market, and more, driven by community needs and supporting a nighttime economy.

They also highlighted the importance of construction technology, advocating for hybrid structures such as timber and using insurance-approved materials and systems. Their designs focus on efficiency in embodied carbon, are conscious of design impact, and emphasise regenerative design with minimal environmental impact while improving the ecosystem for both people and the environment. Passive and climate-responsive design principles are utilised to minimise the energy consumption of active systems, particularly in hot climates.

They addressed the challenges of designing education facilities in warm climates, focusing on passive cooling to ensure the buildings can be used throughout the day, rather than only during the cooler parts of the day.

The latest Sustainability Peer Review was an enlightening and engaging event. The discussions were deeply insightful, highlighting the innovative efforts of Haptic Architects, spacelab_, and Vitra in shaping a more sustainable and equitable future.