In our view, responsible retrofit of historic buildings, based on a whole building approach, is the way to achieve benefits to energy and environment, heritage and community and building health – people and fabric. It’s only through a deep understanding of context and a thorough analysis of the building’s existing condition, that we can implement the most appropriate retrofit strategy. This might be a phased approach, but it needs to consider all proposed interventions holistically to achieve the best results and balance the risks.

When I first joined Arbor I was a stressed out part II student, not entirely sure I wanted to continue studies in the field and feeling quite overwhelmed by the pressures of sticking with it and riding out the slump. But now, with hindsight, I'm so pleased I did carry on and I am now part of a team that I have learnt so much from and felt such a rapid progression In my own personal growth In the past two years - thanks Arbor!

We started Arbor Architects with a desire to design beautiful, contextual buildings which are inherently sustainable, and crucially, to work with our clients’ closely through the process. We love to design, and we love to work as a team, believing strongly in the power of shared thinking to arrive at creative and robust solutions. Over the years of working together we have honed our design skills, which enables us to utilise many different media (hand sketching, energy modelling, physical and digital modelling to name but a few of the techniques we use) to bring our clients an enhanced service that helps them visualise proposals and input into their shaping and refinement.

Happy new year to all our clients, colleagues and collaborators! We hope that 2023 gives us all the opportunity to break new ground, the time for causes we’re passionate about and ultimately, the chance to make a difference!

Generally, architects charge fees in one of three ways, although not necessarily exclusively. It might be that on a single project there is a fixed fee up to planning stage, a percentage fee up to tender stage and an hourly rate during construction.

So if an airtight fabric is so important to energy efficiency, why then do we talk about ‘breathable construction’?