![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F03%2FE_220920_N37_weblandscape-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=118&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=5618b0ce8ab2f7552a7205ce0352aafc 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F03%2FE_220920_N37_weblandscape-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=236&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=8aed7d1303ad64e050df26437d06e425 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F03%2FE_220920_N37_weblandscape-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=432&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=a2a6c4cee687eab67814a8ba8a8c2a7e 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F03%2FE_220920_N37_weblandscape-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=576&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=35c6a7c70379be76f3e6667e6dc02127 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F03%2FE_220920_N37_weblandscape-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=788&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=19a11a58792b7ba6040dc4f5b215f86e 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F03%2FE_220920_N37_weblandscape-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=900&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=9ba27d88ee9efcbbd61f3c8f4d5d8eb9 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F03%2FE_220920_N37_weblandscape-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1080&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=df7448b4f9d52f9a65fca66d112e51f9 1920w)
We have extensively researched our carbon footprint and worked to identify exactly where and how it can be reduced. Our strategy is to reduce our carbon footprint wherever possible and offset it when it can’t be reduced any further.
In line with the NZCBC, we operate all of our studios as carbon neutral, recording and offsetting all emissions under scopes 1, 2 and 3 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. These include direct emissions from heating and cooling, indirect emissions from electricity consumption, and those associated with business travel and the embodied carbon of our studio spaces.
We’re also signatories to the World Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment (NZCBC), the UN’s Race to Zero, and the UK’s Architects Declare.
We review our sustainability policy annually, and disclose our yearly scope 1, 2 and 3 carbon emissions – as defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol – for our studios, along with the actions we’ve taken to mitigate these. See our total 2022 footprint below, which accounts for our London, Hong Kong and Sydney studios. We will begin including our Shanghai studio, opened in 2022, in our 2023 footprint.
![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F11%2F231102_Carbon-footprint-disclosure-2022_ENG_Ver_01_Page_1_website.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=70&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=b57b81f3477bbec7cf574f9bdafb0443 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F11%2F231102_Carbon-footprint-disclosure-2022_ENG_Ver_01_Page_1_website.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=140&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=0c5d8f157364895667fa8b31e1c08554 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F11%2F231102_Carbon-footprint-disclosure-2022_ENG_Ver_01_Page_1_website.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=256&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=0a3f8351752273db20fdd1ebf3858b3e 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F11%2F231102_Carbon-footprint-disclosure-2022_ENG_Ver_01_Page_1_website.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=341&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=4c35e8ded55259b840f20a2ec97424a8 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F11%2F231102_Carbon-footprint-disclosure-2022_ENG_Ver_01_Page_1_website.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=467&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=bc0da5dc90576a9957634114e864f2b1 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F11%2F231102_Carbon-footprint-disclosure-2022_ENG_Ver_01_Page_1_website.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=533&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=722f256f5d7e7a7941cdebc257fd8633 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F11%2F231102_Carbon-footprint-disclosure-2022_ENG_Ver_01_Page_1_website.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=640&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=d1a86ccbe5c0164c746973766d5b0b00 1920w)
In 2022, we produced 112 tonnes of carbon. This footprint comprises emissions associated with the operation of our three studios, not the carbon emitted by the buildings we design. It can be broken down into three scopes, as defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. For 2022, these amounted to:
- Scope 1: 00.00 tonnes
- Scope 2: 28.15 tonnes
- Scope 3: 83.79 tonnes
Scope 1 includes direct emissions from machinery we own, like our air conditioning units and gas boilers, while scope 2 covers emissions associated with the power we buy. Both our London and Sydney studios operate on REGO-backed, 100% renewable energy supplies, making this latter figure lower than you might expect.
Scope 3 refers to all other practice emissions, including those produced by employee commutes and business travel; transmission of the power we buy; home and remote working; water we use and dispose of; our zero-to-landfill waste and recycling policies; and day-to-day studio resources, like the paper in our printers. We’ve calculated our practice’s footprint under scope 3 using technical guidance from the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Because some of these activities are difficult to calculate, we’ve added an extra 10% on top to ensure we’ve accounted for everything.
![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F05%2FMake-Neutral-Day-2022-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=140&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=b64c877f5f0a23706cbc8d8b89572de7 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F05%2FMake-Neutral-Day-2022-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=280&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=6a6b148494c0fef5810a7cb935f6e0a9 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F05%2FMake-Neutral-Day-2022-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=512&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=471524e255cdd47bb2a431305983b28b 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F05%2FMake-Neutral-Day-2022-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=682&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=34d8360b986c25dcb6b9ddc7119e129b 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F05%2FMake-Neutral-Day-2022-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=933&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=04a377563fc55ea39fe88057592be306 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F05%2FMake-Neutral-Day-2022-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1066&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=f6f20eec6240ce5ac8753eb84ef0c365 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F05%2FMake-Neutral-Day-2022-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1280&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=084a58dbc8092ad4b29fa601586fd874 1920w)
Along with taking steps to minimise our emissions, we’ve teamed up with carbonfootprint.com to offset our entire footprint, plus 10%, through its Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Tree Buddying scheme. The scheme – which supports international tree planting projects that capture carbon, enhance biodiversity and increase climate resilience – guarantees that 1 tonne of carbon is offset for every tree planted.
Our 2022 carbon footprint represents a 43% reduction on our 2021 figures, achieved through adjustments to our lighting and air conditioning systems, a stricter approach to turning off computer monitors when not in use, and a switch to a more sustainable energy provider. We continue to challenge ourselves to reduce our footprint even further as part of our commitment to working as responsibly and carbon-efficiently as possible.