Architect's Declare Climate and Biodiversity Emergency
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Today’s climate change events mark an historic shift in the public’s response to climate change. Many of us at 7N Architects are participating in events and workshops intended to raise awareness, and to use our professional skills to advocate meaningful change in response to the current climate emergency.


In May, 7N signed the Architect’s Declare open letter which has been signed by over 625 architectural practices. Signing the Architect’s Declare letter involves endorsing eleven ‘pledges’ which range from advocacy and raising awareness of climate and biodiversity emergencies, to significant changes in working practices around carbon modelling, resource use and knowledge sharing.


Like many others, we have turned the lens on the operations of our practice and our projects to better understand where we can make a real difference and how meaningful changes can be advocated and realised. Our research will be shared in a sustainability focused blog series to document this journey, but to mark today’s day of climate action we’re offering some initial findings along with links to information others may find useful and interesting.


Our Studio


The 7N studio’s day-to-day carbon footprint has been our starting point to help us understand where the significant inroads can be made, using guidance from the Carbon Trust. This has already produced some surprising results.


Although, like many businesses, our practice’s focus in recent years has been on minimising the impact of how we travel and consumables such as paper, coffee and packaging, the most striking finding was that the energy used to heat and power our 165 year old rented studio was in the region of 20 tonnes. This is, by far, the biggest contributor to our overall footprint figure of 26 tonnes at around 77%. Although we knew it would be a major component of our overall footprint the magnitude of the proportion was still surprising. Most of this lies with the landlord’s gas boiler and the fabric of the single glazed Listed Building that we inhabit.


Whilst the range of measures that we have introduced to reduce the impact of our business travel and consumables remain important the biggest gains will be in how our rented premises are heated, which is what we have least control over. This really highlights the enormous impact of heating the older buildings we live and work in.


Our Work


In addition to looking at our own carbon footprint we have been working to better understand the hard data that can help make the case to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon future on our projects.


Following recent high level political commitments it is already possible to identify an emerging sea change in regulations which will be critical in delivering substantial change. The Scottish Government has already announced a ‘fundamental overhaul’ of Scottish Building Regulations to ensure all new homes use renewable or low-carbon heating by 2024. This welcome move means that individual gas boilers will be extinct in all new housing in the next five years. This will help to generate a significant shift, particularly in housing, and is already causing the industry to embark on a rapid search for alternative solutions.


With an emerging market of competing low-carbon technologies those commissioning new housing must make crystal ball decisions in a rapidly evolving statutory and economic environment.


District heating from renewables such as ground source heat pumps offers many benefits but rarely gets off the ground due to the high level of upfront capital investment. All electric from renewable sources can have a low capital cost but would increase energy bills for occupiers, in the short term, unless it is coupled with heat recovery technologies. If the price of low-carbon electricity does not decrease as anticipated, opting for all-electric heating now could increase the risk of fuel poverty in the future. The impact of pushing through rapid adoption of new modes of heating must therefore be understood against complex economic and societal factors.


Beyond the significant increases in insulation requirements in the Building Regulations, there is still potential further improve the fabric performance of buildings to significantly reduce requirement for energy use from space heating. This requires both designers and contractors to upskill and target more onerous on-site requirements, such as air tightness, in a relatively short period of time. This also adds to the construction cost which will present particular challenges in affordable housing unless additional funding is available.


It is also important to recognise that current Building Regulations focus on operational carbon emissions (heating, cooling etc.) but are still all but silent on the embodied carbon emissions of constructing, maintaining and demolishing buildings. The UK Green Building Council’s ‘Net Zero Carbon Buildings: A Framework Definition’ was published in April 2019 and places a heavy emphasis on Whole Life Carbon Assessment which is an emerging methodology of carbon assessment not currently a common requirement on mainstream projects. More detail on this is covered by the RIBA’s ‘Embodied and whole life carbon assessment for Architects’.


The UK Green Building Council puts embodied carbon at between 65% and 70% of a building’s whole-life carbon footprint and this percentage is likely to increase as operational efficiency is improved, and energy supplies are decarbonised. To reach a true definition of net zero-carbon buildings, the inevitable embodied emissions need to be offset – and this is likely to take the form of a financial offset contribution. This could have a considerable impact on project budgets if offset payments were mandated, and all carbon emissions accounted for.


What Next?


The climate impact of the built environment is complex and a difficult area to change quickly but it is a hugely significant component of our carbon footprint. We see our role as Architects as being advocates for faster and clearer changes to the way we design, deliver and manage the built environment. The way our practice can make the biggest difference is by helping to shift the direction of the development mainstream on our larger scale projects. This will need hard data and the preparation of tangible cases that address the cost and revenue challenges facing our clients in order to deliver meaningful change.


To achieve this, it is essential that any efforts to reduce emissions are fully analysed, and that carbon assessments are closely linked to an intelligent systems of financial modelling and life-cycle costing so that clients can make informed decisions. If low carbon design can be implemented through this engagement in the real-world of project constraints and decision making then architects, contractors and clients can make a meaningful difference to the mainstream. This is what is required for the construction industry to play its part in transitioning to a low-carbon future.

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National recognition for 7N’s Rowanbank Gardens project. Our project with @artisan_real_estate has been shortlisted in the Residential Development of the Year (Scotland) at the prestigious Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Awards 2024. This is enormously rewarding recognition of the design qualities of the 126 new family homes in the West of Edinburgh. With some purchasers starting to occupy the building, we are excited to see this project reach completion in the coming months and we will share more shortly. @rankinfraserlandscapearch @atelier_ten
Delighted to share that 7N Architect’s HubStation won the award for ‘Outstanding Project Under £20m’ at the Spotlight Rail Awards 2024 last night. Congratulations to all of the team! Our HUB Station designs for sustainable stations that connect communities can be used across the UK and are the result of 7N Architects ongoing collaboration with @networkrail, @arupgroup, @gt_llp and @lucinsider Visualisation by @pillarvisuals
7N are celebrating a double planning success with the granting of permission for ‘The Foundry’ at Inverlair Avenue in Glasgow and ‘525 Ferry Road’ in Edinburgh. These schemes will provide a combined 510 new homes on key brownfield sites in both cities. They are the result of extensive collaboration with our clients @calahomes Cala Homes (West) and @artisan_real_estate and we are excited to take them both forward. Visualisations by @daakostudio
Happy International Women’s Day! Today we are celebrating the remarkable women who contribute to our studio and the wider industry. As part of our Inspiring Leaders Series, we have been fortunate to have had talks from a range of inspiring and successful women, organised by our Women in Architecture Group, including Lisa Findlay, Anna Mansfield, @cllrhollybruce and Collette Anderson. A special thank you to all of those who have given their valuable time to talk to us, and we hope to continue to #inspireinclusion and be inspired by women throughout the rest of the series and beyond.
Our winter newsletter is out! Check out our latest update for a window into some of the exciting things that have been keeping us busy and inspired. This edition: major milestones for New Eidyn, Haymarket Yards, West Town, and Edinburgh Green, as well as an award for HubStation See the link in our profile.
7N secure planning for Edinburgh Green Campus. We are pleased to share that @edinburgh_council Councillors have approved our Edinburgh Green proposals for Shelborn, a net zero carbon (in operation) workplace campus to be built at Edinburgh Park that will be a major step towards helping the city meet its shortage of Grade-A ESG office space. This development will be built to BREEAM Excellent and WELL Gold standards and will deliver over 800,000 sq.ft. of high-quality office space, new cafe space, Scotland’s largest EV charging hub, sports facilities and almost eight acres of new publicly accessible parkland. Work on site is anticipated to start later in 2024. This has been a wonderful project to work on and this milestone could not have been achieved without the close collaboration of the fantastic client and project team: @shelborn_am @optimisedenvironmentsltd @rydennews @cbre_uk @atelier_ten @swecouk @edmondshipwayllp @cavendishconsulting Woolgar Hunter MontaguEvans Visualisation by @daakostudio
Goal Setting for the New Year! 7N Architects we were really happy to have hosted our first @womeninproperty event last week! Nicola Barclay led a discussion on ‘Goal Setting for the New Year’, with some helpful tips and tricks on how to set and achieve your goals in 2024 with a manageable and positive approach. It was a great conversation and a privilege to be able to host in our office. We look forward to putting on more events in the future. Thanks to @thecafemilk for the delicious food and our very own @tokinikent for bringing everyone together.
Haymarket Yards Urban Campus 7N are delighted to share that a planning application for a 67,000 sq.ft mixed-use office building has been submitted for the eastern plot of the Haymarket Yards development on behalf of our client, Elgin Haymarket Ltd. The BREEAM Outstanding building will complement the previously consented adjacent office building to form an urban workplace campus that is focused on the wellbeing of the occupants. @cbre_uk @savills @edmondshipwayllp @atelier_ten @optimisedenvironmentsltd Woolgar Hunter Scott Hobbs Planning Visualisation by @daakostudio
7N Architects’ masterplan for a 20 Minute Neighbourhood including 7,000 mixed tenure homes on the western edge of the City of Edinburgh has been submitted for Planning Permission in Principle on behalf of West Town Edinburgh Limited, a development consortium led by Drum Property Group. The masterplan for West Town embodies the principles of a 20 Minute Neighbourhood, providing a mix of uses within the neighbourhood including shops, workspace, schools, amenities, health services and community infrastructure to sustain most of the daily needs of the new community within a reasonable walking or cycling distance, with sustainable public transport links to the city and beyond. The design of the network of streets and spaces prioritises space for active travel and a strategic approach to centralised, shared vehicle parking in mobility hubs will support a range of sustainable transport options, including car clubs, cycle hire and centralised parcel delivery. The design of the high quality public realm, developed with @optimisedenvironmentsltd , is based on a people first approach to street design and an integrated approach to soft landscape which will create pleasant streets that facilitate walking and the spontaneous play and social interaction that comes with having a walkable neighbourhood. @wspuk @wallace.whittle @avison_young_uk
12 Days of 7N... day 12! 2023 marked our highest ever finish in the Urban Realm Top 100 ranking of architecture practices! We are very proud of all of our work that helped us reach this point, both the projects that we have shared over this month, and also the ones that we haven’t managed to fit in this series. Thank you for following along with us, we hope that you enjoyed it and we look forward to sharing more in 2024!
12 Days of 7N... day 11! 525 Ferry Road is an exceptional project for its aspiration to bring significant ecological benefits to an urban brownfield site. Located at a strategic public transport node in north Edinburgh, the proposals will remove the existing vacant office building and data centre so that the land can be refocused on providing much needed housing and public space in this developing part of the city. The project currently targets a net biodiversity improvement of 210%, largely through the planting of 111 new trees across the 3.4 acre site, something that we are especially proud of. Visualisations by @daakostudio @artisan_real_estate @jll REInvest Asset Management Axiom Project Services Quattro Consult Ltd MRG New Acoustics Direct Ecology Transport Planning Ltd. OFR Streets UK
12 Days of 7N... day 10! In November, we submitted our Edinburgh Green project for planning permission—an innovative reconfiguration of the office park typology as an environment that will enhance the health and well-being of both, those who work there, as well as the nearby community. 8.7 acres of richly landscaped parkland will be the focal centre of the campus, with a plethora of public amenities and multi-use spaces interspersed in amongst the 86,000+ GIA sqm of new sustainable office space. We look forward to this project starting on site in 2024! @shelborn_am @swecouk @optimisedenvironmentsltd @atelier_ten @edmondshipwayllp @cavendishconsulting Montagu Evans Woolgar Hunter
We are immensely grateful for the wonderful hospitality from the teams at @dulseseafood and @goodbrotherswinecellars, who hosted us for our end-of-year celebrations last Thursday. As we have shared with you throughout December, we are very proud of all that has been accomplished by the studio in 2023 and this was a great opportunity to toast the all of these achievements!
12 Days of 7N... day 9! One of the projects that we are most excited to see progress in 2024 is our scheme at 20 Haymarket Yards. This project demonstrates how we bring our placemaking expertise into the office sector to create healthy and inspiring workplaces that reflect the increased importance of the social and wellbeing dimensions of ESG for many occupiers and developers. Due to start on site in 2024, the project will create over 200,000 NIA sqft of BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ workspace in an exemplary environment. @edmondshipwayllp @atelier_ten @swecouk @optimisedenvironmentsltd @cbre @savills @orbit_agency Scott Hobbs Planning Woolgar Hunter
12 Days of 7N... day 8! In October, 7N attended the annual UK Passivhaus Conference held this year in Edinburgh. The range of insightful presentations highlighted how a Passivhaus equivalent standard could realise benefits that extend beyond simply reducing energy use, to improving living standards through improved air quality, healthier homes, and substantially lower living costs. We look forward to hearing more from Scottish Government in 2024 on how this ambitious initiative will be delivered. For more information on the Scottish Passivhaus Equivalent, please see our blog piece in the News section on our website. Figures from ‘UK Passivhaus and the energy performance gap’, June 2020, University of Bath.
12 Days of 7N... day 7! Cycling has always been important to 7N and our staff, an ethos that underpins our commitment to sustainability and creating healthy urban environments. We always strive to incorporate cycling infraststructure as major features of our projects, embracing their ability to create more cohesive and vibrant landscapes. This year, we have included over 1,700 cycle parking spaces in our planning submission and we are proud of every single one!
12 Days of 7N... day 6! Jordanhill is one of our longest running projects in construction as we convert the extensive campus of the former Jordanhill College into 400 new homes for our client, @calahomes. This year, we were able to deliver apartments within the historic David Stow building, a Category B listed structure that is rich with historic charm and character. To make this even more special, we were delighted that the project was recognised as ‘Renovation of the Year’ in the @scottishhomeawards - a wonderful reward for many years of work!
12 Days of 7N... day 5! This year we have been working very hard to keep up with our internal learning programme with an average of almost one event each week! Topics have covered a wide range of subjects and one thing that we are particularly proud of, is the establishment of our Women in Architecture working group. Tokini and Rachel have helped 7N to make strong connections with groups such as @womeninproperty, as well as inviting wonderful speakers Lisa Finlay, Anna Mansfield, and our own Collette Anderson to share their unique takes on the challenges and successes of their respective careers. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us!
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