Hospitality design specialist Studio Moren has announced a strategic
partnership with the Energy and Environment Alliance (EEA) – an international
not-for-profit coalition driving the decarbonisation of the hospitality
industry – to provide expertise on sustainable architecture and interior design
practices across the sector.
The EEA’s mission is to develop the first universal sustainability standard
for the hospitality industry, including the design, build and operation of
buildings.
Studio Moren, working in collaboration with EEA and its other partners, will
utilise its substantial knowledge and experience designing effective and
energy-efficient hotel and hospitality projects to help steer the ongoing
development of the new BREEAM in Use Hospitality (BiUH) standard.
Photo: Premier Inn New Marlborough Yard, opened 2020, BREEAM Excellent © Studio Moren
Studio Moren Senior Designer and Certified Passive House Designer, Bryan
Oknyansky, AIA, will sit on the EEA Technical Committee to work with
the EAA and BRE Group in the development of hospitality-specific standards,
metrics and methodologies, embracing all lifecycle stages of hotel or
apart-hotel development, including design, construction and operations to
redevelopment or decommissioning.
As a world-renowned hotel and hospitality architect and interior designer,
Studio Moren has a long-term commitment to both sustainability and the
hospitality industry and shares EEA’s mission to improve sustainable outcomes
in the sector. Whilst it is well understood that hospitality operations require
a considerable amount of energy to ensure the comfort of guests and offer
individualised experiences and services, in addition to generating a
considerable amount of waste from consumables, Studio Moren believes a lot can
be done to decarbonise the hospitality sector to enable sustainable growth.
Bryan Oknyansky says: “According to U.N data, the built environment is
currently responsible for about 40% of global energy-related carbon
emissions. As architects and designers, we have a key role to play in driving a
reduction in carbon emissions, as the greatest opportunity for impact on
building performance and energy efficiency comes at the design stage.
“Measures being more widely adopted by the hospitality industry include
designing out the excess energy demands of operating buildings and recovering
heat from both plant equipment and wastewater for reuse elsewhere in building
services. Additionally, exploiting opportunities for circularity will lead to
the use of materials and products that have lower embodied carbon through
sourcing locally, recycling and reuse. We look forward to working
collaboratively with the EEA and its partners to further increase the uptake of
such measures, whilst also helping asset owners and managers in the hospitality
industry mitigate climate risk and meet net zero targets.”
Ufi Ibrahim, CEO & Founder, the Energy & Environment Alliance (EEA),
said: "Studio Moren stands out as a hospitality focused architectural and
design practice that puts sustainability at the heart of its creative
philosophy. We are therefore delighted to have its input into our Technical
Committee, helping to determine the most relevant and useful standards and
metrics for ESG in the industry."
