Submission by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.
Being a good ancestor
Practice
1. Does the practice have a clearly stated purpose aligned with the planetary emergency? We are looking for a bold ambition here, and a practice culture which recognises the need for long-term thinking. For example, a strong mission, a theory of change, or a sustainability roadmap.
From our earliest work creating low energy houses in the 1970s, our architecture has always pushed boundaries in sustainable, democratic, and socially responsible design. We understand the challenges our clients face and offer practical, commercially viable solutions that work, both today and long into the future
We were part of the founding steering committee for Architects Declare, and on the board of LETI. In 2019, our 2030 Net Zero Routemap mapped out how we should aim to reach net zero carbon emissions in our architecture and our practice carbon reduction plan set out our business impact aspirations. We are working to meet the milestones in these trajectories, focusing on specifications to reduce whole life carbon impact, and assessing our performance to date.
We initiated and helped fund the Part Z initiative.
2. Does the practice have a clear succession plan, which passes on ownership and protects the values and legacy of those who built and contributed to the practice? For example is the practice an employee owned trust.
FCBStudios was founded to move architecture forward. That’s why, for over 40 years, we’ve been pushing boundaries in sustainable, democratic, and socially responsible design. These values underpin and guide the practice.
The Partnership has always operated on the principle of wide membership, attracting new Partners, and providing succession opportunities. Our Partnership is structured to allow new members to join without personal financial contribution and in 2023 we welcomed 6 new Partners. There are currently 23 Partners.
As a Practice we have always operated open management and consultation processes, that reflect many of the aspects evident in Employee Ownership Trusts. We have an active Employee Forum which meets quarterly and provides a staff voice in our operations. Through 2024-2026 we are formally considering changes to the practice structure with potential moves towards an EOT and B Corp accreditation.
3. Does the practice share research and knowledge for the benefit of society and the wider world? For example, you regularly carry out post occupancy evaluation and share information with others.
We work across disciplines, collaborating with research and campaigning groups – LETI, UKGBC, ACAN, The Edge, NZCBS – to advocate for and engage in low carbon design and regenerative design practices. We create exhibitions and related events, such as ‘Carbon Counts’ to raise awareness of the Embodied Carbon of materials, and Architecture for a Changing World, to share knowledge and generate discussion. We participate in cross industry events, talking regularly at conferences and symposia.
We created the FCBS CARBON design tool as a resource for the industry to help make critical decisions at the beginning of projects to reduce their embodied carbon. This has had 8500 downloads from a mix of industry and student users. We publish the carbon impacts of our work in the press.
FCBStudios has collaborated with UCL, Bath and Liverpool Universities on KTP and PhD research projects that bridge the divide between practice and academia.
Project
1. Does the practice advocate for long-term thinking at the outset of projects? Do you initiate projects with long-term thinking and challenge the client on design life? Also, can the practice demonstrate that this approach has worked – with a shorter or longer design life, or an innovative approach to financing or payback period?
We want our projects to be a positive part of society long into the future.
At Stephen Taylor Court, for Kings College Cambridge, a 100-year-design life was embedded in the brief. We responded to this by ensuring that high carbon elements in the building were designed to last a long time but recognising that some elements will need replacement. We have designed these to be simple and intuitive to replace – eg using simple and accessible fixings.
Paradise has a timber structure, designed with future deconstruction and reuse in mind to ensure that the carbon in the timber remains locked away at the end of its life. Our timber structure has clean joints, no grouts and is simply bolted together.
We can’t predict the future of technology. Long-term thinking means designing for a future that can operate without BIM and Digital Twins, keeping things simple for future flexibility.
2. Do your projects take account of the future climate and the need for resilience? For example, do the projects demonstrate flexibility, design for adaptation, design for disassembly, non-deterministic solutions, or demountable structures.
By leading with a fabric first, contextual approach and creating quality, generous spaces, we build in climate resilience and flexibility in our projects:
- At Northampton Academy (2009) the layout of classroom walls can be remodelled for pedagogic change.
- Our Catalyst Building for Staffordshire University (2021) is a loose fit teaching and learning building that is prepared for ongoing change in pedagogy.
- Warwick University Faculty of Arts (2021) pioneered flexible workspaces for academics that can accommodate changing faculty structures and ways of working.
What happens to buildings at the end of their life has become a key part of our work. Paradise, a new workplace building in South London (2025) has a timber structure that has been designed not only for future adaptability, but also for disassembly and future reuse.
We advocate for flexibility, and demountability with our clients, as long as any additional embodied carbon impacts are understood and accepted.
3. Do the majority of your projects go beyond mitigating negatives and towards optimising positives? For example, are they meeting or exceeding the RIBA 2030 Challenge.
Through our work with LETI we supported the RIBA developing the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge embodied carbon targets. We have also worked to our own ambitious timeline to reach net zero across our projects by 2030.
Our work on Eden Project Dundee (RIBA stage 4 in 2025) has followed a Regenerative Design approach that is biobased, aiming to use existing materials from waste streams, and supporting local economic development.
We use a number of tools to measure and assess impacts throughout design, keeping a positive dialogue going with our clients and consultants. We were founding partners of One Planet Living, using their framework to monitor all aspects of a project’s holistic sustainability – from potable water use to education to community and social justice. The One Planet Living framework echoes the UN SDGs and taken as a whole is a regenerative framework. We pioneered this approach at One Brighton in 2009.
Co-evolving with nature
Practice
1. Does the practice use biophilia within the office or regularly host meetings and retreats in natural settings? For example do you have extensive planting within the office or rely on natural patterns and imagery for stress relief or quiet areas.
Our annual summer get togethers are an opportunity to spend some time together in nature. Each of the studios/ offices make time for a get together, whether a picnic in the park, cycle between offices, a hike in the countryside or games at the local cricket club. In previous years, we have all come together at outdoor festivals, and created our own weekend farm festival in Somerset.
We have plants in our offices.
2. Can the practice share examples where it has considered nature in decision making? For example by having a nature proxy to encourage eco-centric decision making, using natural systems as inspiration for the company structure, recognising the seasonal nature of people’s capacity and workload or celebrating equinoxes and solstices together.
No.
3. Is the practice supporting nature locally and nationally? For example, does the practice support local gardens, gardeners, planting programmes, rewilding programmes or advocate for changes in legislation to protect nature.
We are partners in Forest of Imagination – an annual creative arts festival in Bath that encourages people to engage their creative minds and celebrate the natural world.
We support a local tree planting programme – co forest – initially with funding and with employee time, contributing to the creation of a new forest on the outskirts of Bristol.
Our Bath office is located adjacent to the river and our staff take daily walks along a National Trust maintained river path, to which we contribute through the Friends of Bathampton Meadows.
Project
1. Can the practice demonstrate projects which strive to match the performance of a mature ecosystem? As a minimum this would mean achieving biodiversity net gain.
Biodiversity and collaboration with Landscape Designers is an important part of our work. We strive to achieve 20% BNG or more on all projects, above regulations.
Researcher Jamie Anderson studied residents at Accordia, and found that living in a neighbourhood with a higher ratio of communal gardens is associated with higher levels of wellbeing and community. Our current work at Brabazon evolves some of these ideas at both masterplan and neighbourhood scale.
We are working with Eden Project on a regenerative scheme on a former gasworks in Dundee, as a place to explore how we can learn from and reconnect with nature to achieve a regenerative future
We aim to retain mature trees on our sites. Our 1200 student bed scheme for the University of Sussex, currently on site, retains over fifty existing trees between the buildings and creates a scheme in sympathy with the adjacent South Downs National Park.
2. Is the practice working on material stewardship? For example, evidence could be shown through repeated use of low carbon materials, extensive material libraries and research or publications supporting responsible use of materials and elimination of waste.
Associate Tim den Dekker is a co-leader of the LETI Circular Economy workstream, leading an industry effort to converge on a single circular economy metric (refer to opinion piece published by LETI in 2025).
In 2020 we launched FCBS Carbon as a free early design stage tool for the industry to calculate and monitor how the use of different materials can affect the carbon impact of a project. In house, this has led to greater use of low carbon materials, but also a leaner approach to the use of higher carbon materials in our work.
Partner Joe Jack Williams is co-editor of Materials: An Environmental Primer and his continued research, along with that of our cross-practice sustainability champions ensure that the practice is fully aware the impacts of traditional and innovative materials.
The Woodland Trust HQ (2011) was a pioneering timber building, William Perkin CofE School (2013) was the largest CLT project in Europe that year, and Paradise (2025) will set a new benchmark for CLT office development in London.
3. Do the majority of projects demonstrate the use of biologically-inspired approaches such as Bioregionalism, Biophilia, Biomimicry, Ecomimicry (also referred to as Ecosystems Thinking, Industrial Ecology or Industrial Symbiosis) or BioTRIZ?
Nature is an important influence on our work.
The concept diagram for the Woodland Trust HQ (2010) was inspired by the shape of an unfurling leaf.
Neonatal Intensive Care at Bath RUH (2011) demonstrated the value of natural materials in healthcare buildings on the wellbeing of patients.
Thornton Building for Bioinformatics at Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton (2025) used biophilia as a key design component for well-being at the core of the design.
The renovation of Arup Associates’ Mountbatten House (2024) included the establishment of new planting within the hanging gardens.
Eden Project Dundee (RIBA stage 4 2025) and Bristol Zoo Project (on site) start with nature for a regenerative future.
On all projects the connection to nature is vital to their success, and close design collaboration with landscape architects a prerequisite.
Creating a just space for people
Practice
1. Does the practice have a progressive EDI policy and can you evidence many forms of diversity, which are welcomed and acknowledged, within the practice?
The Practice has an EDI Plan of Action, which is reviewed and updated on a regular basis. Our plan outlines our commitment to EDI within the Practice and the wider industry and details a number of initiatives which we undertake to support this work.
We have signed the RIBA Inclusion Charter and our EDI Group regularly present at Partnership and all Practice meetings on the development of the Plan. We have an Employee Forum which has been a great source of initiatives that the practice has then implemented and followed up on.
We run a blind recruitment process for all roles across the Practice and have trained all managers involved on inclusive hiring.
Alongside this, we have a number of partnerships we support both financially and through volunteering time, to develop the diversity of the wider architectural profession, including Design West’s Shape My City, Regeneration Brainery and Open City.
2. Does the practice operate a no overtime culture, meet the living wage consistently, and stipulate a fair salary ratio between staff of all levels?
FCBS as a policy, pays the real living wage which is monitored regularly. We operate salary grades and bandings at each level so there are fair and consistent pay structures across the Practice. Pay structures are regularly benchmarked across the industry to ensure they are in line with the market.
The Practice regularly monitors working hours and has put in place mechanisms to reduce the amount of overtime amongst the team. Through our regular resourcing reviews, we ensure projects are adequately resourced to avoid excessive overtime. Employees take time off in lieu where overtime has been unavoidable to meet project deadlines.
3. Does the practice support charities, community groups, social enterprises, action groups and others through pro-bono work, charitable giving or in-kind donations?
We contribute pro bono work both through the practice – eg for Forest of Imagination – and through our partnership with the Feilden Foundation to support educational projects in Africa including the Design Guide for schools in East Africa in 2023/4.
We have a charitable fund through which we give to arts institutions and community groups, supporting sustainable forward-thinking ventures that broaden access to architecture as a profession – including Design West’s Shape my City, Regeneration Brainery, Accelerate and Open City, in addition to supporting the charity fundraising efforts of private individuals.
Our people are members of many action groups, including LETI, UKGBC, AD, ACAN, UKNZCBS etc and we support this through time in kind and our expertise and networks. We have hosted a number of AD and LETI events in our event space, bringing the industry together to share knowledge and take action.
4. Does the practice publicly refuse to work with certain clients, suppliers or organisations on ethical grounds?
Within the Partnership we always review and carefully consider projects we may choose to bid and will decline opportunities where we feel the client, country, regime, project funding or other circumstances are at odds with our ethical principles.
Project
1. Do the projects demonstrate deep engagement with local stakeholders and end users? For example, is there evidence that your project engagement goes beyond consultation towards co-design?
We’ve always believed that architecture is most effective when everyone’s voice is heard. That’s why we collaborate widely with residents, community groups, organisations, researchers, Universities, charities and other stakeholders to understand fully what their requirements are and inform the brief and the design.
Notable projects where co-design has played a major role include:
- Our Cultural Heart, Kirklees (planning 2024)
- International Slavery and Maritime Museums at the National Museums of Liverpool (planning 2024
- Unity Place housing in South Kilburn (2021)
A Community Campaign Manager was one of the first members to join the Eden Project Dundee design team (2022) coordinating activities to involve the people of Dundee in the shaping of the project and partnering with local institutions
The outcome is always innovative ideas that shape our design proposals.
2. Do your projects create connected and resilient places which positively contribute to their neighbourhoods and allow equality of access? For example, do your projects create economic opportunity, retain value locally and generate social value?
We choose to work on projects that can have a positive impact on local, economic and social value.
We design places which support and promote active, social and sustainable lifestyles. Through inclusive and meaningful community consultation we create spaces which inspire a feeling of ownership and leave a lasting positive legacy. We promote local growth through engagement with local consultants and manufacturers, sourcing local materials and products where possible.
Our early-stage work on Our Cultural Heart in Kirklees was designed to engage the community in cultural placemaking winning the GO Excellence in Public Procurement Awards Social Value award.
The work at Green City Kigali is creating a new mixed use city typology, taking account of topography and local construction skills to develop integrated drainage swales landscape and accessible circulation to enable long term economic development and densification of housing alongside workplace, social and retail facilities.
3. Do the majority of your projects promote equity in society, and consider all people, not only the building inhabitants? For example, do your projects show due regard for workers within the supply chain and take active steps to avoid modern slavery?
Within our Practice Policies we have a Social Value workstream initiative and a Corporate Social Responsibility Statement that identify how we place our social and environmental responsibilities at the heart of our practice. We endeavour to operate ethically in everything we do, from minimising our carbon footprint to supporting charities and sourcing local products as well as supporting our own employees through every stage of their careers.
Our Modern Slavery Policy, sets out our requirements to seek to identify, assess and mitigate the areas of risk where slavery or human trafficking may exist in our business or supply chains. This includes consideration in all parts of the world where the practice provides services. We also review and monitor the practice’s suppliers and sub-consultants and assess the risk that they or their own suppliers and sub-consultants are susceptible to slavery and human trafficking.