Overheating and How to Cool Buildings through Architectural Design
by Sean Hill on Oct 7, 2022
Did you spend the summer of 2022 feeling hot, restless, and uncomfortable in your home or office? Given that it was the UK’s joint hottest summer on record, it was likely that you did experience all or some of these feelings.
The Rise in Popularity of Green Roofs
by Sean Hill on Oct 3, 2022
Living roofs or green roofs, were until recent years a rarity in the UK building landscape, seen as a luxurious design addition implemented by the few with adoption much greater in countries such as Switzerland and Germany.
Mansard Roof Extensions
by RISE Design Studio on Sep 16, 2022
A feeling of lack of space within the home is a common issue nowadays. No matter the size of family or household an often-limited floorplan means there never seems to be room to grow or do the things you want to.
No more VAT on green home improvements
by RISE Design Studio on Jul 31, 2022
In March this year, the UK Government removed the requirement for VAT on payments related to the installation of certain energy saving materials in residential property in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland). This will be in place until the end of March 2027. Scrapping VAT on …
What can be done about the global sand shortage?
by RISE Design Studio on Jun 26, 2022
It may come as a surprise to learn that sand is the most exploited resource after water. Globally, we extract around 50 billion tonnes of sand and gravel every year and the United Nations is calling for increased monitoring of extraction and supply chains. We use sand in a very wide r …
What is the difference between Passivhaus and BREEAM?
by RISE Design Studio on Apr 30, 2022
At a time when energy prices are rising, it is helpful to know about options in the home for reducing energy consumption. From an architectural and design point of view, this equates to much more than having a shorter shower or reducing the time the heating is turned on. Today, there …
The Underrated Architecture Issue: Navigating Creaky Floors in Your London Home
by Sean Hill on Feb 21, 2022
At RISE Design Studio we’ve come to realise that the charm and character of a building are not solely about its exterior. The interior plays an equal part in shaping the overall alma, including aspects often overlooked, like the subtle yet intriguing issue of squeaky floors. I would l …
Passive House – a luxurious way to take climate action
by RISE Design Studio on Jan 31, 2022
At RISE Design Studio, we work hard to minimise the environmental impact and energy consumption of our projects. One way we do this is by working with the Passive House and EnerPHit standards. In October 2021, publisher and editor of Passive House Plus magazine, Jeff Colley, gave a TE …
Architecture and the Kindness Economy – learning from Mary Portas
by RISE Design Studio on Oct 1, 2021
“Architecture is not just about what we build – but how we live.”
Refurbishing homes for net zero – upskilling our design team
by RISE Design Studio on Jul 31, 2021
Refurbishing and retrofitting existing homes is a large part of the challenge of transitioning the built environment to net zero. We are faced with a significant task, especially as every home is different – efficiency measures that work in one home may not be appropriate for another. …
