Submission by Office S&M Architects.
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.
Yes, one of our values is that “We believe being green doesn’t need to be grey”. This approach builds on our mantra of doing more with less which addresses the need for joy and sustainability. More specifically, we focus on using regenerative and circular materials to deliver low embodied carbon and low operational carbon spaces. We action this vision through the operation of the practice and the delivery of our projects, using each as a chance to go further and build on the knowledge gained. To date this has resulted in delivering extensions made almost entirely of cork, a net zero in operation retrofit of a community space, and a circular economy and natural material retrofit to deliver new apartments. Our ambitions evolve to reach beyond current standards to innovate within every project. We are members of ACAN, Architects Declare, and RIBA 2030 Challenge.
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.
No, the practice does not currently have a formal succession plan in place due to the very young age of the practice – the directors are no older than 40. However, staff are actively involved in all aspects of the practice, from design and business operations to shaping our core values. This culture of engagement and shared responsibility has equipped many former team members with the confidence to establish their own practices, where the ethos developed here continues to thrive. In addition, we have a thorough process and documentation system, in order to capture knowledge and systems, and build on the combined effort of the team. Currently, the approach is to pay well and deliver comprehensive benefits to employees, including bonuses, in order to pass on benefits from the profits of the company. To this end we are London Living Wage accredited and have earned the Mayor’s Good Work Standard.
3. Do you share research and knowledge for the benefit of society and the wider world?
Yes, we share research widely through publications and tours. For example, with the Tate Institute, a net-zero in operation retrofit using circular and natural materials, we have run tours and participated in Open House to spread approaches of delivering circular economy principles in practical ways, while also delivering talks at the RCA, FutureBuild, and Hackney Council. Our work is regularly published, and we promote the retrofit-first approach of our projects, as well as sharing the specific materials and techniques we have used in the work. This is achieved through regular newsletters sharing research on low-carbon or retrofit, with practitioners, developers and local authorities. For example, Cork Loft has been published in the Architects Journal and Dezeen. We regularly speak at industry events and conferences, sharing our work in an open and engaging way.
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?
Yes, we are members of ACAN and we have a material-led approach to projects which at the outset considers embodied carbon, lifecycle and performance. We deliver long-term thinking – such as designing for disassembly – with confidence that helps our clients commit. We often challenge clients, both to think in new ways and to expose them to innovative solutions. With Park House, we used screw piles, timber structure, and timber finishes to create an extension which treads lightly, while the interior and exterior are designed as much for non-humans – in particular trees and cats – as for humans. At the Cake Shop we spearheaded steel and timber reuse, and introduced the client to natural material insulation, including achieving Part E compliance through hemp-based natural systems to deliver new homes in sustainable ways. Finally, the Tate Institute is itself designed to be disassembled in the future with lime mortar, bolted connections, and legible construction.
2. Does your work take account of the future climate and the need for resilience?
Yes, we are members of Architects Declare and design flexibility into our projects. This ranges from the adaptability of spaces and a loose fit approach, to circular approaches using lime mortar and screwed or bolted fixings. As an example of each, our Goldsmith Mews housing is designed to remove the risk of overheating in a changing climate, while providing a layout that can be used intergenerationally. In terms of future disassembly, The Tate Institute uses timber mined from the building itself to repair parts of the roof, which are then fixed with bolted connections on lime mortar-bedded walls, to support future disassembly when the building needs repair. We are continually working to replace conventional materials with regenerative alternatives that can be easily disassembled and reused if needed in the future.
3. Does the majority of your work go beyond mitigating negatives and towards optimising positives?
Yes, we are signatories of the RIBA 2030 Challenge, and with each project, we look at material and technological approaches and their relative benefits and payback. Our ethos is to deliver spaces that make people happier and healthier. For example, the Tate Institute is a net-zero carbon in operation community space, which embraces circular economy principles delivering an enterprise hub, creatives studios, workshops, event space and gardens for the community. The retrofit installed a large PV array which will be a net contributor to the grid, meanwhile the majority of insulation is carbon sequestering in the form of wood fibre. These two aspects specifically exhibit turning negatives into positives. Every retrofit project or work to an existing building aims to upgrade fabric to ensure comfort and reduced energy for decades to come.
Co-evolving with nature
Practice
1. Do you use biophilia within your premises and/or do you regularly gather in natural settings?
Yes, our office contains more plants than people, which brings a sense of tranquillity as well as purifying the air. We have annual “Plants and Pints” sessions to re-pot and tend to the plants and ourselves. Alongside our internal landscape, we also have views of trees outside, as well as a planted terrace for lunches, giving us a welcome green space for our breaks. We have conducted a wellbeing audit of our office to optimise our working conditions, from investing in air purification to ergonomic workstations. Colourful walls and furniture bring a smile to the faces of the team and visitors alike, making us happy and leading to greater productivity. We actively seek out natural settings for weekly lunches as a team, whilst supporting local businesses and suppliers, such as Dalston Curve Garden.
2. Can you share examples of where you have considered nature in decision making?
Yes, we have designed schemes specifically for non-human needs. Our Park House project is designed with the needs of trees and cats, alongside the needs of humans. For example, we carefully engineered screw pile foundations, ensuring structural support while preserving the integrity of delicate root systems. A large circular rooflight, positioned above the seating area, frames the views of the tree canopy above, and has become a sunbathing spot for foxes. Internally, the clients wanted a multi-functional space where they could cook, eat, read and find inspiration in their surroundings. We designed a landscape for their cats that wraps around dining / kitchen areas to offer a variety of nooks, and levels each oriented to provide different vantage points, and used a colour scheme to make the space legible to cat’s vision.
3. Are you supporting nature locally and nationally?
Yes, the team are avid urban gardeners and allotment holders, bringing knowledge of plants, soil and biodiversity to practice work, and supporting the internal landscape and design work of the office. We sit on Design Review Panels for seven local authorities, and advocate for greater integration of greenery and trees in urban settings, highlighting the long-term value they bring to public life. In our public realm projects, we prioritise planting and work closely with local communities to support ongoing care and maintenance, helping to ensure these spaces thrive over time.
The office is part of Bradbury Works which was retrofitted in 2022. The main principles of the retrofit of the offices were to reduce energy demand, meet demand efficiency, supply from low carbon sources and where possible to supply from renewables. The offices are heated by electricity, lit by LED lights, and PV panels provide reduced running costs for tenants.
Project
1. Can you demonstrate work that strives to match the performance of a mature ecosystem?
Yes, we have delivered projects that achieve biodiversity net gain.
2. Are you working on material stewardship?
Yes, we have implemented the broad use of natural and regenerative materials in all of our projects. As a materially focused practice, we have built an extensive material, detail, and book library of regenerative materials – and financially sponsored the ACAN Natural Material Detail Library to broadly share this with the industry. We regularly attend talks and tour exhibitions on the subject, such as an office trip to the Design Museum, How to Build a Low Carbon Home and Retrofit 25: What’s Stopping Us. For example, at the Tate Institute, we are using wood fibre insulation extensively, twinned with lime render for external walls, and wood wool board for roofs. We have recently completed Cork Loft – a timber-framed loft extension clad externally and internally with cork that is used as cladding, render, and flooring – highlighting our extensive use of natural materials.
3. Does the majority of your work demonstrate the use of biologically-inspired approaches such as Bioregionalism, Biophilia or Biomimicry?
Yes, the use of timber throughout the projects we deliver is part of an approach to Bioregionalism and Biophilia. We use timber that is sourced locally – sometimes even from the building’s themselves, and materials with low mileage – particularly those that are recycled.
All of our residential projects, whether retrofit, extension or new build have close relationships to gardens and greenery. Courtyards and outdoor spaces are carefully considered as part of a sequence of domestic rooms bringing light and biodiversity to spaces.
Public and masterplan projects consider the landscape as a primary opportunity for improving biodiversity in the city as well as every day experiences for residents.
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?
Yes, we have a formal, progressive EDI policy, which forms part of our Staff Handbook. We are a 50% female-led practice with an 80% female team. Our commitment is to encourage equality, diversity and inclusion within our team, maximising our skillset and expertise. We monitor and actively recruit to ensure a balanced team make-up, to support a healthy, happy working environment. We provide formal and informal training and development regularly through weekly CPD, Design Review and Workshops. We enable flexible and remote working, with three core days per week within the office. Meetings and workloads are carefully managed to make the most of office days and ensure support on other days, giving space for other commitments and an opportunity to live outside of London. We are signatories of the Mayor’s Equality and Diversity Pledge, having recently been awarded the Mayor’s Good Work Standard.
2. Do you operate a no overtime culture, meet the living wage consistently, and stipulate a fair salary ratio between staff of all levels?
Yes, we have a no overtime culture, and operate a formal TOIL policy. We are accredited London Living Wage employers, and significantly exceed this level with all of our employees. We benchmark salaries across roles, and against other practices, in order to offer fair pay. We specifically do not use the RIBA pay guidelines, which are distorted to suggest low and non-London Living Wage salaries. We operate a 3-month rolling review process in order to increase salaries incrementally, rather than only carrying out salary reviews once in a 12-month period. This has been recognised by being awarded the Mayor’s Good Work Standard.
3. Do you support charities, community groups, social enterprises, action groups and others through pro-bono work, charitable giving or in-kind donations?
Yes, we donate 1% of our turnover to charities, and in addition to this, all of our rent goes to a registered charity. We also provide pro-bono work to selected charities, such as The Renewal Programme, Bootstrap Charity, and LAWA.
4. Do you use an ethical framework to assess opportunities and/or supply chain partners and is them team consulted on these decisions?
Yes, we have refused to work with clients for various ethical reasons. For example, we declined to work with a housing operator that provided no on-site affordable housing in a significantly sized scheme. We also make other decisions on ethical grounds. We have a policy of not using Kingspan or Celotex products, following their involvement in the Grenfell Tragedy. We also have a policy of not using internships and focus on offering well-paid permanent roles in the practice. On the other hand, we actively solicit suppliers from underrepresented groups in the built environment, for example assembling an all female team for two recent bids, and actively adding consultants and contractors with global majority leadership to our supply chain.
Project
1. Does your work demonstrate deep engagement with local stakeholders and end users?
We have a clear and structured approach called Deep Listening, which helps us deliver meaningful engagement for public clients and communities. Our process goes far beyond consultation, working towards genuine co-design by empowering those who will use the spaces to shape their future environment. We have worked with one-third of London’s boroughs, helping clients maximise budgets and deliver community benefit with confidence.
We prioritise inclusive engagement, both digital and physical, with a focus on reaching underrepresented groups. We celebrate cultural heritage and local character through initiatives that foster a continued sense of ownership. Our process builds social value by championing community wealth building, diversity, and social sustainability. We believe the most successful designs are created with the communities who will use them, and we work to ensure their voices shape the outcome from the start.
2. Does your work create connected and resilient communities which positively contribute to neighbourhoods and allow equality of access?
Yes, Community Wealth Building is embedded in our approach and is a consistent thread across our projects. A clear example is Pride in Bruce Grove, a series of three artistic installations designed to enliven public spaces in Bruce Grove town centre. The project celebrates the people, places and rich history of the area, with each installation co-designed with the local community. The final pieces were paid commissions for local artists, and two were fabricated by local makers, delivering community wealth building.
We worked with over 300 residents, specifically young people from Bruce Grove Youth Space and other community groups, to identify sites and develop the designs. Engagement included online events, in-person workshops, training sessions for young people, and hands-on installation activities with local artists and residents. This collaborative process shaped the physical outcomes and created opportunities for skills development, local employment and a stronger sense of ownership within the community.
3. Does the majority of your work promote equity in society, and consider all people, not only building inhabitants
Yes, our practice is grounded in the belief that good design should deliver social value, foster wellbeing and bring delight to everyone who experiences it, not just building users. Whether we are designing distinctive homes or public spaces, our work is shaped by careful research, community engagement and a clear understanding of policy and regulation. We prioritise equity across all stages of a project, from concept to delivery, and advocate for fair treatment throughout the supply chain, particularly exhibited by our Community Wealth Building approach. We actively seek suppliers who meet ethical standards and take steps to avoid modern slavery through responsible procurement and collaboration with like-minded partners. At the heart of it all is listening to clients, to communities and to those often overlooked, ensuring our projects respond to a wide range of needs