Submission by Bond Bryan.
Being a good ancestor
Practice
1. Do you have a clearly stated purpose aligned with the planetary emergency? We’re looking for a bold ambition here, and a culture which recognises the need for long-term thinking.
We are signatories of Architects Declare and the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge, aiming to be Net Zero Carbon by 2030. We are targeting alignment with SBTi, supported by external consultants, and are also currently pursuing B Corp certification to embed environmental consideration more holistically across the practice.
We are committed to moving beyond business-as-usual and to address the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Internally, our dedicated sustainability group drives environmental thinking and action across business operations and design work.
Our goals and actions are outlined in our Sustainability Roadmap, and our carbon emissions reductions in our Carbon Reduction Plan. Both are updated annually. Last year we developed our ‘Project Briefing Tool’ to encourage culture shift from the outset on projects: with our clients. We also developed an in-house Sustainable Design Guide to equip staff with the knowledge to pursue more environmental considerate design.
2. Do you have a clearly stated purpose aligned with the planetary emergency? We’re looking for a bold ambition here, and a culture which recognises the need for long-term thinking.
Our CEO and Directors have grown within the business, shaping and strengthening our environmental approach while embedding core values into our succession planning. This succession plan supports sustainable growth, recognising senior management contributions, and encourages career progression at all levels. Notably, our Sustainability Lead, once a Project Architect, now focuses full-time on sustainability, ensuring we continually improve with the planet in mind. Likewise, our Change and Innovation Lead champions better ways of working for the future.
Recently we also updated our Articles of Association to make sustainability central to our governance, shifting the company’s purpose from ‘profit-only’ to ‘profit and purpose’. This ensures that positive impacts on society and the environment are embedded into every decision, reflecting our commitment to a responsible, forward-thinking, and sustainable business.
3. Do you share research and knowledge for the benefit of society and the wider world?
As a business we care deeply about people, and this philosophy goes beyond the business. Our core company values include to develop, contribute and share knowledge with peers, wider industry, and society.
Over the years we have shared our expertise in BIM, education, space utilisation, and MMC. We are now focussing our thought leadership insights on science and advanced manufacturing environments and on subjects including Net Zero Carbon Operation in Schools – lowering embodied carbon and undertaking Post Occupancy Evaluation.
We are involved in the Open Source Kit of Parts (OSKOP) initiative, which aims to accelerated low-carbon construction through shared knowledge and IP-free innovation. Initially contributing to the open-source Design Guide, we are now supporting the formation of a Community Interest Company.
Project
1. Do you advocate for long-term thinking at the outset of work? Do you initiate work with long-term thinking and challenge clients? Also, can the organisation demonstrate that this approach has worked?
We advocate long-term thinking from the outset to minimise capital driven decisions, instead evaluating project needs holistically. Using our ‘Project Briefing Tool’ we engage decision-making stakeholders early to define deliverables across the project lifecycle and beyond, promoting life cycle costing and support embedding environmental objectives from project inception, within budgetary constraints. We have trialled the tool on projects, receiving positive client feedback highlighting its detailed, holistic approach and effectiveness in determining a clear brief and project outcomes. This process brings environmental considerations to the forefront where they cannot be overlooked.
At an early stage, our strategic team undertake detailed analysis of space utilisation data, supporting our clients to make informed decisions on required current and potential future needs. For reuse or retrofit projects our interiors team prioritise durability and longevity. Our experienced masterplanners support long-term strategies for larger estates, working closely with our landscape team to embed appropriate principles throughout.
2. Does your work take account of the future climate and the need for resilience?
Since 2023 we have held dedicated environmental sustainability training days to educate staff on the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, fostering design strategies that consider future climatic scenarios and adaptability. This has expanded to include workshops on reuse, retrofit, and sustainable materials, in collaboration with external consultants.
We promote accountability for future climatic or operational change and resilience within projects, designing buildings for flexibility and adaptability for both short- and long-term uses, always considering end-of-life. Our ‘Project Briefing Tool’ engages clients and key stakeholders at project outset to encourage a life cycle rather than capital-driven approach.
Our ‘Low Carbon Projects of the Year’ shortlisted Chichester College building sets an internal benchmark for low embodied carbon design, demonstrating what is achievable through collaboration between architect and contractor. We are applying these ‘carbon pilot’ lessons to our Northumberland College project to advance sustainability in the education sector.
3. Does the majority of your work go beyond mitigating negatives and towards optimising positives?
No.
Co-evolving with nature
Practice
1. Do you use biophilia within your premises and/or do you regularly gather in natural settings?
In our offices we prioritise WELL principles by incorporating a range of planting. The recent fitout of our new Birmingham office has achieved a self-certified silver rating. To minimise commuting emissions, most of our offices are located in city centre locations with easy access to public transport.
We regularly hold social and business events within natural settings, such as our dedicated sustainability training away day in 2024, which was held in rural Oxfordshire. In our Kent office we take weekly walks in nature (on Wednesdays and Fridays) and visit urban green spaces from our Sheffield studio. We also hold companywide walking events annually, such as in the Peak District. In 2023 we held a festival, which was a social and well-being event, for the whole practice, in a natural setting in Northamptonshire.
2. Can you share examples of where you have considered nature in decision making?
We prioritise our staff as our most valuable asset, embodying a people-centric approach providing flexibility and promoting health and well-being. We recognise that everyone operates on their own natural rhythms, so we empower staff to work according to their individual needs, including different life stages, such as maternity, paternity, and menopause. We offer wellbeing activities – yoga sessions, massages, alongside encouraging flexibility by allowing staff to go on lunchtime walks and runs, accommodating diverse preferences. Our social and well-being calendar adapts to weather and seasonal changes, ensuring activities are enjoyable and suitable for all and in tune with natural systems.
As a company we learn from other species to help inform how we may behave as a business. Ant colonies provide some great examples of how collective action and shared goals can reap great benefits, not only for a happier business but a healthier planet too.
3. Are you supporting nature locally and nationally?
We advocate landscape-led design and biodiversity enhancement across all projects where we have an influence, supporting nature and engaging local communities. Our team has delivered pro-bono work with schools and communities to develop habitats and Sustainable Drainage Systems, support community facilities and led planting initiatives.
Staff are encouraged to use their two volunteering days to support environmental and community projects. Recent events include tree planting with Creating Nature’s Corridors and maintaining Westerham’s Long Pond through gardening, habitat improvements and the installation of bird boxes and bee houses. We have also supported local schemes, such as Broadwater Farm’s temporary housing accommodation, creating safe outdoor green spaces for local families.
Across the practice our offices participate in tree planting and local clean-up initiatives with councils and community groups, helping create greener, healthier and more sustainable places for people and wildlife.
Project
1. Can you demonstrate work that strives to match the performance of a mature ecosystem?
Our landscape team support on a wide range of projects. On larger schemes we are able to create significant eco-systems and green corridors to existing green infrastructure. Besides following policy requirements for Biodiversity Net Gain and Urban Green Factor, the creation of mature eco-systems require additional consideration, such as designing with the ‘bigger, better and more connected’ principles in mind.
Recently it has been difficult to retain significant green infrastructure on projects due to overriding budgetary constraints, but as planning policy adapts to address ecological issues, opportunities, and client buy-in have increased, which we are equipped to support with. We are committed to upskilling our staff in line with the emerging policies, alongside principles such as sustainable drainage, biophilic design, and softer skills and confidence to advocate for the environment. On projects we also provide a 30-year landscape maintenance and management plan to ensure the systems created have longevity.
2. Are you working on material stewardship?
Our dedicated ‘Materials and specifications’ sub-team within our sustainability group has developed a materials database allowing product comparison against numerous factors, such as embodied carbon, recyclability, maintenance etc. This is offered as a ‘service’ to project teams looking for alternative products for specification on projects. Utilising the latest AI technology, we have streamlined processes to enable a quicker and easier comparison across multiple variables, in turn convincing staff to utilise the team’s expertise and improve the material carbon performance of buildings. Recognising the negative impacts of AI tools, our process embeds within it a parameter that identifies the energy used to run certain processes, so we are cognisant of this when utilising the tool.
We have also developed an in-house Sustainable Design Guide that provides guidance on material use beyond carbon into consideration of circularity, reuse, and recyclability.
3. Does the majority of your work demonstrate the use of biologically-inspired approaches such as Bioregionalism, Biophilia or Biomimicry?
No.
Creating a just space for people
Practice
1. Do you have a progressive EDI policy and can you evidence many forms of diversity, which are welcomed and acknowledged, within your company/organisation?
We have an equal opportunities policy to prevent unlawful discrimination in all aspects of employment including recruitment and selection, promotion, transfer, opportunities for training, pay and benefits, other terms of employment, discipline, selection for redundancy and dismissal.
We train all line managers to help ensure they actively promote equality of opportunity within the departments for which they are responsible. We also provide training to all employees to help them understand their rights and responsibilities in relation to equal opportunities and what they can do to create a work environment that is free from discrimination.
We also have a Dignity at Work policy to provide a work environment in which all employees are treated with respect and dignity and that is free from harassment, bullying and intimidation. This covers our workplaces and work-related settings, for example during business trips, at external training events or at work-related social events.
2. Do you operate a no overtime culture, meet the living wage consistently, and stipulate a fair salary ratio between staff of all levels?
We always endeavour to adequately resource projects to ensure overtime working is unnecessary. However, we acknowledge that working some additional hours is sometimes required for the proper performance of our duties and to meet our clients’ needs.
Our Overtime and Time Off In Lieu procedures ensure that staff are adequately compensated for unavoidable extended periods of additional work, either through payment for additional hours, or by taking time off in lieu.
Salaries are adjusted annually, and for all new appointments. We pay particular attention to apprentices and trainees to ensure that their wages are above the minimum and reviewed regularly. Salaries are also benchmarked against industry market rates and reviewed across all staff levels to ensure fair salary ratios across all staff grades.
We offer a company bonus where all employees share in our success and are rewarded a percentage aligned to the company’s financial performance.
3. Do you support charities, community groups, social enterprises, action groups and others through pro-bono work, charitable giving or in-kind donations?
We support communities through education, partnerships and industry outreach. Our social value strategy was guided by the UN Development Goals, National Social Value Standard and National TOMs, and focuses on sharing time, skills and expertise.
We operate University Outreach and Academy programmes, operating three academies at local colleges to prepare future architects, technologists and interior designers through lectures, workshops, mentoring and connections with industry professionals, bridging the gap between education and practice.
We partner with charities and community groups, including Yorkshire Children’s Charity, providing pro-bono design services for their ‘Great Build’, transforming a former-mill into a gym for a local SEN school. Alongside Sheffield Sharks, our Elevate Programme has raised aspirations for 400+ young people across Sheffield during 2025–2026. We also run mentoring and work placement schemes to support a stronger and more inclusive built environment sector working with organisations such as The Education People and Built Environment.
4. Do you use an ethical framework to assess opportunities and/or supply chain partners and is them team consulted on these decisions?
We operate within an ethical framework centred on stakeholder accountability and long-term impact on the planet and the communities within which we operate.
We utilise a Gateway process to evaluate opportunities through a lens aligned to our business’ ethos of ‘More than design’ and a set of core principles which include sustainability, commercial viability, lasting relationships and social value.
Ethical decision-making is a collective effort. Our senior management teams are consulted on project selection, and our project teams are actively consulted on design strategies and material choices, fostering a culture where every member is responsible for the integrity of the final output.
Our supply chain selection is equally rigorous; we partner with consultants who align with our values and actively contribute to our research in sustainable design and materials. By fostering internal consultation through our design and technical reviews, we ensure every project upholds our commitment to the built environment.
Project
1. Does your work demonstrate deep engagement with local stakeholders and end users?
Our approach to education, science and manufacturing projects, in particular, is rooted in deep end-user engagement. We begin by partnering with clients and estates teams to understand and analyse their existing assets, collectively defining a vision that prioritises sustainability. This brief is then rigorously tested through stakeholder engagement, ensuring design outcomes are a genuine collaborative effort that meets specific user needs and the wider project objectives.
During project initiation, we facilitate idea-generation workshops with students/ end-users to influence the design of internal and external spaces. Beyond the red-line boundary, we utilise the planning process and public consultation events to gain a deeper understanding of community issues and aspirations. These insights feed directly into our social value initiatives, ensuring the project contributes positively to the local social fabric.
Through in-depth engagement we aim to transform technical requirements into genuinely community focused assets that creating meaningful long-term impact.
2. Does your work create connected and resilient communities which positively contribute to neighbourhoods and allow equality of access?
As a multi-disciplinary practice, we integrate masterplanning, landscape and architectural design to create spaces that connect communities.
We specialise in education buildings, which provide vital skills training relevant to the local economy and also generate local employment. We are committed to developing SEND environments that champion equality and accessibility. By integrating sensory-aware environments and highly adaptable spaces, we ensure inclusive design is a core driver of project success—empowering every learner.
We also have expertise within science, research, advanced manufacturing, logistics and commercial offices. These projects are often key generators of employment, contribute towards levelling up, facilitate regeneration and create economic opportunities in deprived areas.
Furthermore, our arts, culture, and sports projects serve as community hubs, becoming beacons that foster social cohesion. By balancing technical rigour with social purpose, we transform buildings into sustainable assets that deliver long-term value to the local economy and the neighbourhoods they serve.
3. Does the majority of your work promote equity in society, and consider all people, not only building inhabitants
We work with construction and supply chain partners to create environments that promote inclusivity and equity. Whilst most of our projects aim for inclusiveness, our civic buildings and urban spaces are designed to engage the wider community beyond their immediate users.
Our Broadwater Farm Estate residential redevelopment is thoughtfully designed to enrich the neighbourhood and foster a more resilient community. The project seamlessly blends residential and commercial spaces, promoting interaction and supporting local businesses. By cultivating a vibrant, connected environment, the regeneration initiative seeks to establish a sustainable foundation for long-term social and economic growth. The design incorporates green areas, communal spaces, and amenities that provide residents with opportunities to connect and flourish. This project aspires not only to deliver new homes but also to create a revitalised community hub, ensuring a sustainable future for Broadwater Estate and its residents.