As a consultancy rooted in good ideas and credible outcomes, research and learning are essential elements to our process of continually developing and improving our thinking, knowledge and skills. We constantly look for chances to research with collaborators, with industry bodies and with academia.

Dedication. We have a long-term track record of investing in R&D both in-house and as part of successful collaborative UK and European research projects. This has always been well beyond what would be normal for a consultancy’s daily workload and the norms of the construction sector.

Education. We also believe that one of the best ways to learn is to teach. We have multiple staff who are long-standing tutors on Masters courses at institutions such as the Architectural Association and University of Westminster in London. We have also contributed to the teaching of environmental design at the Bartlett UCL, School of Architecture, Harvard GSD, University of Stockholm, University of Pennsylvania and MIT.

Curiosity. Continuous research and learning allow us to look into the future to inform our thinking and our approach to practice today.

Inventiveness. To deal with the environmental and technical challenges of our unique projects, bespoke design processes and analytical tools are continuously being developed, making every single design a true research project, with replicable technical and methodological knowledge.

Our current research interests include:

Generative environmental design (including Rhino/Grasshopper/Honeybee/Ladybug/…);
Developing autonomous water supply and treatment and energy infrastructure for off-grid applications in developing countries;
Putting whole lifecycle and circular economy principles into practice;
Optimisation of complex energy systems and storage for buildings, masterplans and districts (to help achieve goals of carbon neutrality through matching demand and supply).

Please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us if you are interested in research, learning and sharing ideas.

Research & Learning