A building that costs less to run is worth more.

BREEAM is the UK's long-established method for measuring how sustainable a building is: energy, water, materials, ecology, health and more. A BREEAM Advisory Professional is someone trained and examined by BRE to steer a design towards a target rating from the first sketch, rather than trying to retrofit points at the end. Our director holds the AP qualification for both design and site stages.

No. BREEAM applies to larger and commercial projects, and to developments where a council or funder asks for a rating. What a home extension must meet is the Building Regulations, including Part L for energy. Part O, the overheating rule, covers new homes only, but we still design every extension to stay cool in summer. The BREEAM way of thinking still helps: it's how we decide where your money does the most good, whether that's insulation, glazing, a heat pump, or nothing more than orientation.

We design with Passivhaus principles and details, and we model the fabric, airtightness and ventilation to aim for a high level of performance. Calling a house a Passivhaus is a different thing: it is a certified standard, with a certified designer and an independent certifier, and we don't offer the certificate ourselves. If you want it, we bring the certifier in from the start and design alongside them. If you want the principles without the certificate, that is how we work.