The Practice is committed to sustainability both in the design of buildings and in the management of our business. In seeking solutions we try to include flexibility within the immediate requirements in order to allow for the future. The following points show some of the strategies we adopt. 1. We minimise the use of new resources. This is reflected in our interest in the conservation of existing buildings which means using fewer new materials with consequent energy and material savings. 2. We aim to use the least environmentally damaging resources, avoiding such things as non-renewable hardwoods and other similar materials. 3. We do our utmost to design for low energy consumption and try to avoid buildings with high demands on services or which rely heavily on air-conditioning and/or refrigeration. The Practice has for many years advocated and built shopping centres which do not rely on air-conditioning to achieve comfortable conditions in the malls. 4. We design for the longest possible life before refurbishment or replacements are required, and encourage recycling of products. We plan easy access to the buildings for maintenance and to allow simple replacement and/or re-use of components. 5. We weigh up the long term impact of maintenance of the building on local resources.
