Atelier Ten named UKGBC Sustainable Consultancy of the Year 2009

At Atelier Ten, our ethos is to develop well-integrated buildings with simple systems that increase comfort, reduce energy consumption and contribute back to the greater environment. We have a passion for sustainable design and our experience of working in an environmentally friendly office environment influences our advice to our clients, as the following examples illustrate:

• Carefully converted warehouse buildings on a brownfield site in central London.
• Analysed annual daylight and solar radiation and fitted internal blinds accordingly. We specified and installed duplex venetian blinds acting as combined shades and light-shelves to enhance the quality of light internally.
• Applied daylight switching to our artificial lighting but discovered this was not so effective at saving energy and caused distractive flickering. We substituted this with more efficient daylight dimming switches.
• Mixed-mode ventilation strategies with individually controlled opening windows. We need only use air conditioning for 4-5 days each year, conscientiously controlled by our employees. We can night-cool securely despite our central London location.
• We display artwork in our reception made from recycled materials, with information to inspire our visitors, employees and clients.
• No permanent member of staff at Atelier Ten travels by private car or taxi to the office. We have only one parking space, which is used rarely by visitors.
• We encourage cycling by offering tax-free bicycles and by providing showers, secure internal bike storage and storage for clothes, as requested by our cyclists.

We pass this learning from practical and tested experience on to our clients and in our projects. We also share our best practice from successful projects, as well as our continually developing understanding of how strategies can be improved. Atelier Ten has twenty years of experience in the environmental engineering of high-performance buildings.

We keep our clients up-to-date with changing regulations through project champions and occasional newsletters. We are currently developing a series of micro-websites as regularly updated portals of useful guidance for external parties. We have pledged to UKGBC industry knowledge-sharing and continually develop our thought leadership through university teaching and by publishing case studies in industry press. This year, we participated in two government debates held in Westminster and contributed to the subsequent publications. Internally, we are developing ‘anTENnae’, which is a Wikipedia version of knowledge share and critique for our employees.

We consistently encourage, inspire and support our clients to go beyond the compliance requirements of building regulations. Our annual report demonstrates that on average we achieve 45% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions over approved baselines. Our clients are confident that by appointing us they will be both challenged and empowered to deliver beyond their expectations.

Our UK carbon footprint (transport and office operations) is measured and reduced and offset through the Carbon Neutral Company. Our recent Sustainability Report (GRI Level C – self declared) reflects not only our policies, including recycling and environmental purchasing as endorsed by senior management, but takes a more ambitious stance by evaluating the influence of our work. We have assessed the carbon dioxide emissions and energy consumption reductions the buildings achieved in the buildings that we help to design and the building systems we engineer. We actively support research into the performance of our buildings and systems. We are currently collating performance data for our innovative earth ducts that are supplying renewable and passive cooling to Butterfield Offices in Luton. In the three hottest days in June 2009, the external temperature in Luton reached 33 degC, whilst the air temperature delivered through the earth ducts ranged from 15-16 degC. This has eliminated the need for carbon and energy intensive mechanical air-conditioning.