Meet The Team – Alan
We’re currently celebrating our 15th year, so we thought it time to ask Alan about what lay behind his decisions to start Eco Design Consultants and his passion for Passivhaus.
Why did you start EDC? What made you want to run your own practice?
Back in 2008 there was a lot of flux in the architecture field, the sub-prime crash really shook a lot of practices. It was a scary time but also opened up opportunities to strike out doing something different. Clients needed to take risks with new practices rather than sticking with the same old, same old. So, it was a great time to start.
For me starting a practice was about bringing together all the things that were important to me, great architecture, sustainable design and ethical business. I wanted to be able to work with clients to help them realize their dreams, in a way that didn’t harm others or the planet. I strongly felt as I still do, clients don’t want to be paying for an architect and a sustainability consultant, and associated works of re doing things, so a combined integrated approach. Early on we sort accreditations for ethical and green business, not for the badge but to be challenged and increase our understanding how a decision in one area effects another. This just wasn’t something I got to do working for big practices, even as an associate the decisions still came from higher up.
What part of design are you particularly passionate about?
Passivhaus obviously, there’s no surprise there, but also working with clients to get to know them and learn more about how they want to live so that we can design a home which not only meets but exceeds their expectations both in terms of design and the environment and comfort.
With the impact of climate change being increasingly visible on the planet and the increasing inequality caused by both the climate and cost of living crises I’m becoming increasingly passionate about retrofit homes, and providing “whole house retrofit plans”. As it’s not always possible to complete a retrofit all in one go, phasing is becoming increasingly common. It’s vital that one stage don’t lock out future improvements, this is where the whole house plan means that people can work towards an end goal in a way that is sensible to them.
Does this follow through to your hobbies outside of work?
Absolutely, I’m undertaking a phased retrofit on my own home. I love spending time insulating, taping and generally working on the house, and it’s a place to experiment on some more unusual ideas.
Who inspires you (personally or professionally)?
I get inspiration from lots of different people a couple of notable individuals include Wolfgang Feist for his work on Passivhaus, Walter Segal for his simple design approach for self-builders and I find Kate Raworth’s work on Doughnut economic really interesting.
What type of projects would you like to be working on in 5 year’s time?
I’d love to be working further with some of our clients who are progressing to the next stage of their phased projects. I have always been interested in helping people and would love to be able to provide a services to help people retrofit there houses towards Passivhaus on a tight budget, possibly through them doing it themselves as a DIY project. But making our services affordable to these clients while still offering the support they need, and paying our staffs mortgages is a difficult nut to crack, any ideas welcome.
What is the biggest/most important thing you’ve learnt since starting EDC?
The list is a long one, the most important lesson perhaps is to have a great team and listen to them. Listen to your wife when she tells you to have a weekend off.
