Sustainability is at the heart of what we do, from concept to competition, and these are some of the design principles we use to make our architecture more sustainable.
Always looking for ways to make our buildings more sustainable, we employ various design principles from an early stage to see which could benefit our clients most. Some of these principles require a great change than other, however we appreciate that each of our clients have different properties, objectives and budgets, and not everyone is able to make substantial changes to their home, but even a small change can contribute towards making a big difference!
There is a belief that the process of making a home more sustainable requires large pieces of expensive equipment that are technical and difficult to use. This simply is not true.
Although you could invest in fitting heat recover systems or ground source heat pumps to go off-grid, simple additions such as solar shading to help prevent overheating, installing a water butt to collect rainwater, or simply taking the time to consider where you instal glazing in your home can all make a difference without being expensive, complicated, or onerous.
Here is a quick summary of some of the design principles we employ at JRD to make our projects more sustainable.
Orientation - Considering the orientation & layout of buildings to manage sun exposure, prevent overheating and lower energy costs.
Rainwater - Using water butts to collect rainwater, or for a larger impact, invest in grey water recycling or waste water treatment units.
Renewables - Adapting your home to harness natural resources such as solar panels, air source heat pumps, or any other of the wide variety of options available.
Solar Gains - Controlling the impact of the suns radiation as well as using the natural cycle of the day to heat and cool your home.
Solar Shading - Fitting manmade or natural screens to prevent your home overheating during the summer whilst still allowing the sun to heat your home in winter.
Fabric First - Combining a high level of insulation with air tightness to prevent heat-loss.
Landscaping - Enhancing and maintaining the natural environment around our homes to encourage wildlife, improve wellbeing, and help prevent urbanisation in rural locations.
Biodiversity - Encouraging wildlife into our gardens by providing foot and shelter whilst also assisting in pollination, natural pest control and improving our own wellbeing in the process.
As part of our ‘Eco Series’ we will be diving into the detail of each of these principles, looking at how these methods contribute to a more sustainable architecture as well as suggesting accessible and affordable ways you can bring them into your own home.
