Sustainability & Climate Impact
Sustainability, innovation and wellbeing has been at the heart of our work from the very beginning. Our designs incorporate highly ecological design approaches, learning from the past, and creatively embracing the challenges of the future.
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We collaborate closely with our clients to develop truly sustainable business practices, which provide the foundations for optimised innovation in development and construction. We prioritise ecological design, health and wellbeing, and incorporate impactful social initiatives.
Our philosophy
Our buildings are designed to address critical climate change issues by using natural materials, achieving passive and energy positive design solutions, and convey the philosophy of biophilic living, working, leisure and industry. Our buildings and public spaces enhance feelings of happiness and wellbeing, of pausing, living and working, striking a profound balance with nature to provide a calm and comfortable mood. Our design processes incorporate social initiatives, public consultations and events that tightly connect with the community.
Biophilia
Biophilia is humankind’s innate biological connection with nature, embodying the natural pleasure that comes from being surrounded by living organisms. Our designs provide access to vegetation, natural scents, proximity to water and the use of natural materials, which ultimately blur the boundaries between the indoors and outdoors, architecture and landscape, enhancing feelings of happiness.
Climate and Sustainable Design
Our in-house teams specialize in Passive Building design, community & environmental analysis, materials research, sustainable interior design, landscape and workplace design, biodiversity & rewilding, and off-grid or low energy leisure development. Together with our clients and external consultants, we develop sustainable constructions and set environmental targets for a healthier, happier world. We oversee our projects from design through construction and monitor building performance during use.
Sustainability Plans & Reviews
We set sustainability strategies for all projects from inception through their lifecycle. Initial discussions align client values with forward looking sustainable outcomes, establishing realistic approaches to our core themes. We explore various sustainable strategies with clients, municipalities and project teams, assessing their opportunities and risks, and recommend core values to integrate into the overall design.
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Our core sustainability themes include:
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Sustainable financial planning
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Passive and energy-positive design
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Wellbeing and community impact
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Natural materials and carbon reduction strategies
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Mobility and connectivity
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Water retention & reuse
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Land, ecology and biophilia
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Social equity and mixed communities
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Reuse, recycling and rewilding
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Feedback & lifecycle assessment
Refurbishment & Renovation
The built environment accounts for approximately 42% of global carbon emissions*. Of those total emissions, building operations are responsible for 27% annually, while the embodied carbon of just four building and infrastructure materials – cement, iron, steel, and aluminium – are responsible for an additional 15% annually*.
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Refurbishing existing buildings is logical and essential to achieving net-zero carbon targets, whilst also preserving and reinventing our architectural heritage. By adapting existing structures, we can improve building performance and functionality while reducing embodied carbon. This includes transforming old office buildings into flexible workspaces with multiple functions, converting industrial areas into mixed-use destinations, and prolonging the life of historic buildings.
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Cities with diverse architectural styles offer a unique richness. Natura Architects advocates for the reuse, extension and adaptation of historical buildings, giving them new life with sensitive contemporary interventions. Refurbishment dramatically reduces carbon impact and waste production, and often enables public accessibility, allowing more people to recognize the value of historic buildings while ensuring their viability for future generations.
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Over the years, Natura Architects have reinvented many significant historic and highly protected buildings, expanding their potential uses, ensuring financial and energy consumption viability, and attracting new users.
Energy Use, Carbon Impact & Resilience
Our goal is to better the Paris Agreement targets. We have in-house Certified Passive House Designers and regularly work with expert consultants from the early design stages through construction and operation, to develop and test our designs with global sustainability assessment methods.
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We evaluate the environmental performance of our projects and develop innovative, future-proof solutions to mitigate climate change. We focus on resilience, flexibility, health, and wellbeing. Our design approach addresses sustainability holistically, from efficient use of natural systems and materials, circular economy strategies, biophilia, rewilding, thermal comfort, and indoor air quality.
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We aim to develop sustainable and joyful experiences for all through the power of design.