Do you sit in your warm, well-lit and ventilated office and ever wonder how it was created? Well, there’s an army of technological and sustainable expertise behind every successful building, whether it’s an office, a hotel or leisure centre destination or a university campus or public building.
Designing and constructing sustainable premises that save money and energy and are enjoyable places to live and work in involves an incredible amount of effort behind the scenes.
Our dedicated team of experts is committed to providing the best service to creating world-class buildings – with the commitment to the UK’s net zero targets at the forefront of everything they do.
Find out more about how we can help your business on its sustainable journey…
Our sustainable construction consultancy services
Not only can we be on-site at the very start of the process to assess the infrastructure requirements of your new-build or retrofit project, we are committed to the whole project lifecycle, which includes producing detailed M&E design drawings. The process includes:
- Attending the site to verify the contractor is correctly installing the equipment to our drawing specifications through inspections and audits
- We witness that the testing and commissioning is correctly carried out
- The team produces snagging schedules – and undertakes a defects inspection 12 months later
- If the project is a ‘design and build’, we will ensure the design aspect aligns with our performance specifications
- Where a contractor is involved, we verify their designs and visit the site to ensure the build conforms to British standards regulations
- We produce a design stage maintenance schedule to ensure the project’s successful future operation
- Fact-finding mission from the start so we can identify and deal with any issues down the line and support the building’s maintenance team
We always align with the UK’s building, wiring, gas and water regulations – and the BREEAM Sustainable Building Certification. Our clients are safe in the knowledge that we understand the legal requirements and ensure they are conformed to.
How can Naismiths support your business?
We understand how businesses can adapt in the drive to reach the UK’s net zero target by 2050. Lighting, heating and cooling systems form a major part of the challenges faced.
Our M&E experts prioritise designing the reduced energy consumption of a building’s fabric from the start, ensuring that high-performing walls, floors, windows, doors and roofs are part of the build.
They will consider how to:
- Minimise heat loss and maximise airtightness for consistent indoor temperatures
- The adoption of natural ventilation systems to improve indoor air quality
- Prevent air leakage by sealing any gaps and cracks
- Ensure less energy is needed for heating and cooling throughout
This ‘fabric first’ approach can create substantial and long-term energy savings by reducing the need for artificial heating, cooling and lighting – reducing the building’s long-term carbon footprint.
What is sustainability in construction?
Many businesses can be confused about how the drive to net zero affects them, with several different terms involved such as embodied carbon and the whole life cycle carbon of a building.
Our M&E team deals with net zero operational carbon which is primarily looking at the energy usage in the building and then devising a strategy to reduce it.
There are many technological advances we can harness, such as smart buildings that use building management systems (BMS) to control temperatures and lighting. They work with current electricity prices to reduce energy consumption at peak times and to share PV loads.
Which clients are suitable for our sustainable construction consultancy services?
We can help all clients across the entire construction business sector as they commit to meeting the UK’s climate targets. Many businesses now have ESG strategies as they aim to be zero carbon by a target date.
Our sustainable construction consultancy services can help them to achieve those targets. We can model each building at the earliest stage to understand its energy usage and advise clients on the standards and regulations covering the industry, such as the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard.
We can help clients to assess a building’s whole life cycle carbon (WLC) emissions to understand its environmental impact, including the construction materials used such as concrete and the transport needed for the site’s materials.
Many of our clients ask us for this information as it is essential to futureproof their business by understanding a building’s longevity and when the services might need updating. This is also important information for local planning authorities.
Why work with us
Our sustainability consultancy is proud to deliver industry-leading expertise with a personal, bespoke approach, with our directors remaining closely involved throughout every project. We have years of experience of working in the built environment, specifically in M&E.
As advisers to funders, banks, investors and developers since 1963, Naismiths’ wider team of experts can be called on to provide project monitoring, restructuring and advisory and building consultancy services to the construction industry.
As well as guiding our clients on the journey to net zero, we are committed as a business to developing our own sustainable approach, including using electric car schemes and driving down our internal CO2 emissions.
