Improving our environmental performance, both within our work and the running of our practice, is something we are passionate about and something we have been incrementally improving upon for some years.
We wanted to let our friends and colleagues know that we signed the Structural Engineers Declare Climate and Biodiversity Emergency campaign. We are proud of our existing sustainability initiatives but there is much more that can be done to tackle the climate crisis by working together to select sustainably sourced materials and construction methods, salvage and recycle building components, to identify the repair and reuse possibilities within existing buildings and produce low embodied carbon and low energy designs.
In recent years we have secured two grants from Innovate UK, in collaboration with the University of Cambridge, to allow us to carry out research into creating a tool to assess the carbon content of different structural framing systems. This software will allow designers to assess a wide variety of variables and determine, in minutes, the carbon cost for hundreds of grid, framing and flooring options while remaining within the client's budget.
It is our intention to offer this assessment over a range of materials including steel, concrete and timber. The tool is still in development, but the preliminary results are already being used to guide decision making on a range of our projects.
We will soon be ready to present the Innovate UK tool, to showcase its uses and the benefits offered to designers and clients. After which, we would welcome designs to further test the software and then host workshops at our London office to discuss the results.
If you are interested in hearing more or participating in a workshop, please contact Ian Flewitt: innovate@pricemyers.com