CPULs at Haworth Tompkins Green Away Day

Last week, Andre Viljoen was invited to present the CPUL concept at Haworth Tompkins Architects’ Green Away Day. This event provided the practice with their first post-lockdown occasion to meet in person and continue discussions about how to address the challenges of the climate crisis. Haworth Tompkins are one of the original UK practices to sign up to Architects Declare, which commits practices to defining and monitoring specific actions to reduce the negative environmental impact of their business.

The focus of the away day was on the practices’ design work with a particular focus on impacts in addition to minimising greenhouse gas emissions. Green infrastructure is one of these areas being explored, and, in the past, Bohn&Viljoen have been invited by Haworth Tompkins to join design teams addressing these issues.

Hattie Hartman from the Architects’ Journal, chaired the day’s events, led by presentations from six experts from the fields of urban design and green infrastructure, sustainable communities and whole life energy and carbon impacts. The day’s conversations were underpinned by the practice’s serious commitment to recording its day-to-day greenhouse gas emissions due to the energy used directly and indirectly within the practice studio, due to remote working and transportation. Overseen by Diana Dina, this analysis extends to recording home heating while home working and considering how to manage and limit site visits to projects outside of the UK.

It was particularly nice to meet Patrick Quinn, now an associate, who, in 2001, participated in the “Urban Nature” conference Katrin and Andre organised while at the University of North London’s School of Architecture.  This was the UK’s first conference dedicated to urban agriculture, landscape and sustainable cities. Twenty years later, we can see how these ideas have moved from a new area of academic research and discussion to one finding its place within architectural practice.

For further information on Haworth Tompkins see their website.

For information about Architects Declare see here.

Image: Haworth Tompkins Green Away Day on 12th November 2021 held at Cecil Sharp House, London (source: Diana Dina 2021)