Sustainability

Designing a sustainable future

"Let us be good stewards of the Earth we inherited. All of us have to share the Earth's fragile ecosystems and precious resources, and each of us has a role to play in preserving them. If we are to go on living together on this earth, we must all be responsible for it" - Kofi Annan

With attitudes, beliefs and actions so often shaped by the built environment around us, we feel a great responsibility as architects, landscape architects and designers to create spaces that foster respect for the environment and facilitate new ways of thinking and living.

This commitment to designing a sustainable future is a core part of Guymer Bailey’s culture, and green initiatives are inherent in our everyday practices, research, and design.

Carbon Neutral

In our ongoing commitment to operating sustainably, we are certified carbon neutral through Climate Active with 100% Australian carbon credit units. This ensures we support Australian offset projects, our communities, and the local environment.

Climate Active empowers Australians to take climate action, now and for the future. Driven by certified members and activated by the community, this is a unique government-backed program that enables all levels of Australian society to work together to do their bit.

We partnered with WSP engineers through this process to develop a reduction roadmap that aligns with the global targets of a no more than 1.5 degree temperature increase. Pangolin Associates also independently certify us.

As part of our Carbon Neutral journey, we have been reviewing our suppliers and establishing a rigorous set of questions about supply chain, production, carbon impact, recycled contact, recyclability to ensure we are sourcing more environmentally minded options for our studios.

Find out more here: https://www.climateactive.org.au/buy-climate-active/certified-members/guymer-bailey-architects

ecoBiz

Utilising the EcoBiz accredited framework for benchmarking, Guymer Bailey has been recognised as an ecoBiz 3-Star Champion Partnership by:

  • Obtaining ISO14000 certification in 2014

  • Refurbishing office spaces to include energy-efficient lighting

  • Ensuring lights operate on a timed basis

  • Installing water tanks that connect to office bathrooms

  • Installing water efficient taps and shower heads

  • Downsizing existing hot water systems to manage energy consumption

  • Installing ceiling fans and louvred windows

  • Purchasing a hybrid vehicle to use as a company vehicle

  • Separating waste into recycling, soft plastic, green, and general

Find out more here: https://ecobiz.cciq.com.au/star-partners/past-partners/guymer-bailey-architects/

Other studio initiatives implemented include:

  • 100% recycled toilet paper and paper towel supplies from Who Gives a Crap, an organisation that donates 50% of their profits to help build toilets for those in need. The focus of their work is funding a range of high impact sanitation, hygiene, and water projects in developing countries. This includes providing potable drinking water for villages through bore or rainwater systems.

  • A worm farm on the premises of our Brisbane Studio for turning our decomposing organic matter and food scraps into compost.

  • Vessel Nundah supplies our Brisbane Studio with zero waste cleaning products that are locally made, people- and planet-friendly products in pre-filled, returnable glass containers.

Project Initiatives

Our passion for sustainability also flows through to our projects, where we strive to minimise the impact of our construction in line with sustainable development goals.

Dedicated to going beyond the standard requirements, we actively research and monitor the evolution of Ecologically Sustainable Design (ESD) to stay at the forefront of design initiatives and satisfy the changing needs of our clients. As part of our service offering, we have several Green Star accredited staff and work collaboratively with ESD specialist consultants.

Sustainability principles implemented from an architectural perspective:

  • The efficient use of energy and water to reduce recurrent costs.

  • The use of a range of leading initiatives that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support the Government in meeting its carbon-neutral obligations, including being carbon neutral by 2050.

  • Use of passive design initiatives.

  • An indoor environment quality that provides a high-quality, healthy, and productive space for users.

  • Design for flexibility and high performance in the context of the state-wide decarbonisation including capacity to transition to fully accept a carbon-neutral electricity grid.

  • Long-term thinking regarding building use and cradle-to-grave considerations of building elements and equipment, including identifying opportunities for circular economies.

  • Resilient buildings with climate adaption responses.

  • Design for active travel and end-of-trip facilities.

Sustainability principles implemented from a landscape architecture and urban design perspective:

  • Sourcing landscape materials (such as soil, organic mulch, garden bed edging, etc) and plant stock from local suppliers. This provides employment and business for the local economy. This will also reduce the distance required to transport materials and resources used (vehicles, fuel, use of the road system, pollution, etc) to transport the material from other areas outside of the region.

  • Providing local employment opportunities with the construction and maintenance of the site works.

  • Use of primarily indigenous plants that have adapted to and are appropriate for the local site conditions.

  • Provide a thick layer of organic mulch over garden bed areas to reduce water evaporation

  • Provide tree planting using indigenous or native trees of an appropriate size, growth habit and tree canopy cover as trees

To find out more about our sustainable approach to design, contact us today on 07 3870 9700 (Brisbane) or 03 8547 5000 (Melbourne).

Click here to view our studio Environmental Policy.