On Wednesday 24 July, UK Architects Declare brought together its supporters for its 5th Anniversary in London. We're proud to be one of the 1,300 UK architectural practices that have signed the declaration.
As part of our Architects Declare commitment, we have continuously researched ways to contribute positively to mitigate climate breakdown. We have engaged in advocacy efforts to support environmental policies and regulations that align with the practice's views.
SimpsonHaugh are supporting the Manchester Climate Change Partnership through their Net Zero Carbon New Building City Challenge steering group, which is advising on the integration of Net Zero new build standards into Manchester City Council's Local Plan. At the start of the year, we were pleased to host a Roundtable Breakfast event on behalf of the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard (UK NZCBS) - a nationwide industry initiative which will enable organisations across the whole built environment to define their assets and buildings as Net Zero Carbon. We are proud to be a sponsor of the Standard.
We are proactively engaging with industry experts, sharing knowledge and best practice through collaboration, and implementing strategies and design intelligence to reduce carbon emissions. This includes participating in thought leadership speaker panels and forums. Project Architect / Passivhaus Designer Jack Poulton was recently invited to be a panellist at UK Construction Week to discuss ‘Decoding the Future Homes Standard: Navigating Revisions and Implications’.
We have attended key industry events that focus on the decarbonisation of the built environment, including Footprint+ and Eco City. Last month, Partner / Sustainability Lead James Hind attended the Manchester Climate Change Agency’s annual networking event – an opportunity to bring members together to connect, share learning and discuss how we can accelerate Manchester’s progress towards net zero carbon.
Aiming to be a positive partner in society, supporting and enabling the local community, we have a number of in-house commitments aimed at safeguarding the natural environment. These include supporting Manchester City of Trees with their tree planting and conservation work. We have assisted them at two sites in the last year – Tandle Hill in Oldham and Ponderosa in Audenshaw – where our team volunteered for a total of 85 hours, assisting with the maintenance of around 150 trees and the planting of 250. As part of this initiative, we now sponsor the planting of a tree with each new team member that joins SimpsonHaugh.
As we look ahead to the next 5 years, we are keen to build on this momentum and continue to uphold our pledge to share knowledge and research, and collaborate with others in the construction industry, to reduce - and ultimately reverse - our climate impact.