New research from MRA Research suggests sustainability is becoming more important in architectural design, but cost pressures still inhibit specification decisions.
First off, the good news, as you might hope, or even expect, sustainability is high on the agenda for UK architects. However, while the ambition to deliver low-carbon buildings is clear, the reality on many projects suggests there is still some way to go.
Research among 65 UK architects shows that only 18% of current projects aim to meet net-zero carbon standards. While net zero is beginning to feature, it still makes up a relatively small share of projects overall and will need to rapidly increase.
Architects report that only 19% of clients actively request low-carbon or sustainable solutions, suggesting that although sustainability is widely discussed within the industry, it is not yet consistently being driven by those commissioning projects.
As always, cost pressures continue to play a major role. Over two thirds (69%) say cheaper alternatives are mostly or always favoured over sustainable products when it comes to final specification decisions. By comparison, only 12% say cheaper alternatives are never chosen over more sustainable options.
In practice, this means that sustainable products may often be considered during the design stage, but will be the element that is dropped as costs expand and budgetary pressures rise.
Despite this, the direction of travel for the industry is clear. When asked which factors will influence their design and specification choices over the next 12 - 24 months, 66% of architects said sustainability targets will have the biggest impact - more than any other factor.
There is also a strong sense of optimism within the profession about the longer-term goal. Around 65% of architects believe the UK will definitely achieve net-zero carbon in both operations and embodied carbon by 2030.
As sustainability targets tighten and pressure to deliver low-carbon buildings grows, the industry is likely to see this balance shift further. The research shows that while architects recognise the importance of sustainability, cost still plays a major role in the final outcome.
