"Green technology is not something that can be bolted on"

Green buildings have emerged as a hot topic in recent weeks with everyone from London mayor Boris Johnson to CBI boss Richard Lambert singing their praises and calling for wider adoption of sustainable construction techniques.

But what constitutes a truly green building and why, when they can deliver significant long-term savings in terms of energy cost, does adoption remain so low?

To find out, BusinessGreen.com caught up with two of the UK's leading green architects, Openstudio founder Jennifer Beningfield and Sarah Wigglesworth MBE, founder of Sarah Wigglesworth Architects.

BusinessGreen.com: There has been a lot of talk about green architecture, but is it really gaining maturity as an approach?
Sarah: I think it is progressing rapidly, but the question is: where is it going? There is increasing awareness. This is good. There is increasing knowledge. This is also good. But we are also seeing competing claims made by all sorts of manufacturers concerning their products and it is increasingly difficult to assess these claims using independent criteria. Initiatives from BRE – such as the Code for Sustainable Homes and Green Guide to Specification, for example – attempt to make it easy but they provide pretty crude measures, it is difficult to unravel their assessment criteria and they assume all suppliers of products are the same. They deal only with very conventional materials and construction techniques, thereby demonstrating that they support mainstream industries rather than promoting new green products from more committed manufacturers and suppliers.

How do you go about assessing the green claims of new products and materials?
Jennifer: New materials come on to the market all the time, so we have to sift through to see which ones really work, and which don't. This can be time consuming, but it is enjoyable. Our practice works with natural materials a lot, so sustainable sourcing is very important for us, as well as understanding the concept of "embodied energy", where products or materials which appear to be green can be energy intensive and polluting in production. New technology is really exciting, as we have seen innovations coming particularly from Germany over a period of years, which are now being refined, costs are coming down, and clients are starting to see the benefits of a long-term investment in these technologies. Those that really work and make sense for clients therefore tend to be ones that have been around for some time.

How is sustainable architecture perceived by clients today – have they become more knowledgeable on the issues?
Sarah: They are interested in doing something but they are not in the mindset of lifecycle costing – and often the capital and running costs come out of different budgets. So we usually find our green design elements are slashed after tender as the budget is never large enough. I think public organisations should be leading on this but I find government departments such as the DCSF seem to be in denial about the current cost of green architecture.

Jennifer: Our clients have definitely become more knowledgeable about the issues, particularly energy use, as everyone is sensitive to rising gas and electricity costs. We find, however, that they are not willing to be test cases for new technology, or to take risks when building. Generally, we find that if clients are building for their own use they tend to be more receptive to sustainable architecture, as they can see the long-term benefits of building across the lifecycle of the building. If people are building to sell, they tend to be less likely to make the investment in sustainable construction and technologies, as they see little financial gain from it in the short term.

What changes have you seen in requests from clients from an environmental standpoint?
Sarah: Most of them want to see something green, but this usually means plant and equipment – that is, a technical solution, something they can point to and show it's "green". But these are the obvious elements that can be picked off during cost cutting. We try to safeguard the green aspects of our work by making them integral to the architecture. This means the correct orientation of the building towards sun and wind; good thermal mass and insulation values; no air conditioning through the use of natural ventilation; green materials, preferably wood; limited amounts of good glazing in timber frames; good daylighting. Everyone wants rainwater recycling, but I don’t personally think this is a big issue in the UK. I am a great fan of composting of organic waste and human soil waste reuse but the latter is probably going too far for most clients.

Jennifer: Energy efficiency is top of the agenda, as it makes financial sense. Also, clients are requiring their buildings to be more visually sophisticated, so we get requests for invisible technologies that are concealed within the fabric of the building. Some clients are interested in low-emissions materials, but they tend to be in the minority. Most people still want to use materials that they know will wear well over the long term, and low-emissions materials often do not offer the longevity of less "green" materials. They generally also require more maintenance, which puts some people off.

Do you think businesses are genuinely interested in green buildings or are they doing it because it’s trendy, to impress consumers, or to abide by legislation?
Sarah: Definitely the latter, unless the business is already committed to green issues.

Jennifer: I think that more enlightened businesses realise that there are financial benefits to thinking about buildings sustainably, and for most businesses and other clients this remains the main agenda. Few businesses will invest in sustainable technology only because it appears to be trendy, because of the significant costs involved. Green buildings will become more widespread only if the argument is made for increased productivity, lower energy use, happier staff or inhabitants.

Do you get many requests that just aren't feasible?
Sarah: No. We would be delighted for a client to be really leading the way on the green agenda. Usually they don't really understand what to do and look to us to take a lead, then get disheartened when they find the capital cost is higher than their budget allows.

Jennifer: There are not many things that are completely impossible, but this flexibility tends to come at a price. Sometimes clients tend to see single aspects of green architecture in isolation, whereas true sustainable construction means building for long-term use, not constantly demolishing and rebuilding, which is inefficient in terms of energy use and the use of resources.

Do you think green architecture will stay quite specialised for a while to come or will we be dropping the "green" tag any time soon as it becomes the norm?
Sarah: That's the genuine hope but I fear we are still a long way off that. What I think is needed is a truly independent assessment of the green product, a bit like food now has, stating CO2 emissions, energy used to make it, what proportion is recycled, whether it is toxic to make, how far it has come, and so on. Then the designer could make up their own mind about the things that are important. Legislation is essential to get people addressing this and not trying to avoid it all the time, which is the prevalent attitude to the building regulations in my opinion.

Jennifer: I think that it will take a long time for green building to become the norm. There is a practical aspect to this. Buildings are resistant to change, as they are expensive to renew. Eventually, however, technological advances will have become more widespread, and therefore less expensive. Building sustainable cities requires society and culture to alter. We need to change the way we think about building and development. Something that is incredibly unsustainable is building isolated communities at low densities, which we see all over the South East. Sustainable architecture is really about building for the future, investing in high-quality construction with a degree of flexibility and adaptability that has often been sidelined in recent decades. You have to look at the design and construction as a whole, and not at green technology as something that can be bolted on. We also need to think strategically about planning, sunlight and orientation. It is an immensely complex issue, but also a rewarding one to tackle as we build and develop our environment.

About Jennifer Beningfield, BArch MArch PhD SACA RIBA

Openstudio is an international practice, based in London, engaged with the design of buildings, interiors, furniture and landscapes for both the public and private sector.

The principal, Jennifer Beningfield, founded Openstudio after working on museum and art galley projects, including the Corning Glass Museum and the Getty Antiquities Museum.

About Sarah Wigglesworth, MBE MA(Cantab) DipArch, RIBA FRSA

Established in 1993, Sarah Wigglesworth Architects has a portfolio that includes eco-friendly offices, cultural buildings, private and social housing and structures for education, arts and sport.

Sarah was awarded the Fulbright Fellowship in Architecture (1991) and in 2003 she was honored with an MBE for her services to architecture.