Embedding environmental considerations into the heart of the design process: Bond Bryan’s approach
Our Evolving Approach to Environmental Design
Bond Bryan’s approach to environmental sustainability is continuously evolving, reflecting our commitment to supporting both UK and global strategies for a more environmentally conscious, regenerative, long-lasting, and adaptable built environment.
This commitment has driven a meaningful shift in our design philosophy – one that places environmental responsibility at the forefront of every decision.
Our overarching goal is simple yet ambitious: to embed environmental design at the very heart of every project, ensuring that it informs choices from the earliest concept right through to completion.
The Sustainable Design Guide: A Shared Framework
To support this, Bond Bryan’s ‘Environmental Circularity’ group (‘EnCirc’) has developed a Sustainable Design Guide (SDG). This guide outlines this approach and sets out clear principles that underpin our work as designers.
These principles help us create lower carbon, more bio diverse, and environmentally responsible buildings and places.
They inform strategic decisions at every scale – from the macro scale of master planning to the micro scale of material selection – forming a consistent foundation across all our projects.
Designing in Layers
A key aspect of the SDG is the ‘designing in layers’ methodology, based on the concept of the ‘Shearing Layers’ by architect Frank Duffy and later expanded by Stewart Brand in ‘How Buildings Learn: What happens after they are built‘ (Brand, 1994).
This methodology allows us to understand and develop a building through a series of distinct yet interconnected layers:
- site
- structure
- services
- skin
- space
- stuff
Principles that Shape Every Project
Breaking a project down in this way provides a more holistic understanding of how each component contributes to the building’s overall environmental and functional performance.
It also clarifies when each layer should be considered, aligning naturally with the RIBA Plan of Work stages to ensure consistency and rigor throughout the design process.
Each of these layers carries distinct design considerations, translating our guiding principles into practical steps for sustainable building design.
These targeted insights support more informed decision-making – not only minimising environmental impact but also enhancing user experience, supporting long-term flexibility and strengthening resilience across the lifetime of the building or place.
Through this integrated and thoughtful approach, Bond Bryan continues to push sustainable design forward – shaping buildings and places that respond responsibly to today’s environmental challenges while anticipating the needs, pressures and opportunities of tomorrow.
