Sustainability Report

Embodied carbon and material choices

• The project achieves a NatHERS (Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme) score of 7.3. This outcome was supported by passive and low-carbon design strategies that extend beyond standard NatHERS requirements, including biophilic measures that enhance occupant comfort but are not always captured in the rating system.
• The project prioritised low-carbon outcomes through a combination of design and construction methods. Standardisation and prefabrication were central: all external cladding and structural components were manufactured as prefabricated elements in a controlled environment, reducing waste and increasing efficiency. Exposed concrete surfaces were used strategically to minimise plasterboard, while raw materials were left uncovered to reduce the need for additional cladding and finishes — ensuring the material itself became the finish.
• Steel mesh cladding (Webforge Locker perforated metal sheets) is used for sun shading, privacy, and particularly as a vertical surface for planting. This offers dual benefits: functional passive solar / shading performance and contribution to the project’s biophilic strategy.

Operational emissions and passive design

• The design integrates dual-aspect apartments and natural cross-ventilation in many units. These strategies reduce dependence on mechanical heating or cooling, cutting operational energy demand over time.
• The thermal mass of the concrete helps regulate internal temperatures (slower heating and cooling), which stabilises swings in temperature.
• While no formal embodied carbon or operational emissions modelling was required for certification, the combination of passive cooling, use of thermal mass, high ceilings, upper-level setbacks, plus generous natural light and shade design, give the building good potential to perform well in operation, with lower energy use.

By choosing raw, exposed materials and keeping finishes minimal and integral — such as leaving concrete surfaces uncovered and limiting secondary cladding — the design reduces the number of layers that might otherwise degrade, require repair, or need replacement over time, each carrying an environmental cost.