We were thrilled to receive BD’s 2021 Sustainability Architect of the Year Award, which recognises a consistent body of work, rather than one-off projects.

Cullinan Studio is organised to address society’s urgent needs where we can make the most impact. The projects we included in our submission exemplify our approach to sustainable architecture and ethical business, which is based around five themes:

Connecting to nature

Our relationship with nature is fundamental to our survival. Our two buildings for the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, The Catkin Centre and Sunflower House, epitomise this quest through placing healing gardens at their heart and creating a new park for the hospital and Liverpool.

Empowering communities

Engagement with local communities and end users was key to the success of all these projects. Our pioneering GreenSCIES is being co-designed with Islington residents toward 2030 net zero and creating design codes for local energy centres that can be replicated nationally. We are measuring social value as part of the research. Bunhill 2 Energy Centre celebrates this new green community infrastructure through decorative façades and integrated art.

Healthy buildings

All these projects are designed with natural materials, daylight, views, and fresh air. Our National Automotive Innovation Centre and The Catkin Centre demonstrate our skills in low-carbon, timber structural design. The Catkin Centre supports healing through its therapeutic layout, using biophilic design patterns, for example to create refuge spaces with views to nature. 

Circular economy

We use resources wisely, including energy. Bunhill 2 and GreenSCIES re-use wasted heat from the London Underground, data centres, and offices, to heat local homes, schools, and public buildings. We have measured operational and embodied carbon to inform decisions and advance knowledge on all these projects.

Future of mobility

The National Automotive Innovation Centre integrates research across disciplines and company IP thresholds to empower the future of low carbon transport that will transform our cities. GreenSCIES will be a Smart Local Energy System including energy storage for electric vehicle charging combined with cycling and walking routes.

Each project has been carefully composed to fit its context and to use materials simply and elegantly while taking care to consider whole-life embodied carbon and reduced toxicity.