Innovative | Creative | Trusted
Simons Design Ltd have a proven track record in delivering sustainable and low energy projects certified to BREEAM. Our objective is to design high quality, low maintenance buildings that have a positive impact on their end users. As part of our response to the Climate Emergency, and our ongoing commitment to sustainability, we actively engaging in ACAN with the Lincoln School of Architecture and the Built Environment, and the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge at regional and national levels.
To meet the UK carbon reduction commitments for 2020 and 2050, building owners will be required to upgrade their buildings to meet an increasingly stringent set of energy performance requirements through refurbishment. New buildings should aim to meet zero emissions targets and we will support our clients to achieve these aspirations through careful design and detailing of building fabric, integration of cost effective building services and renewables. As a part of services we can provide;
- An initial BREEAM Pre-assessment to enable an informed choice about progressing to certification.
- Project reviews at all design stages to support economic operating costs, selecting low embodied carbon impact and responsibly sourced materials.
- Soft Landings Approach for a smooth building handover and undertaking post occupancy evaluation (POE) to ensure energy consumption and user satisfaction meet expectations.
Sustainability and the historic environment
The team at Simons Design are currently working in collaboration with Lincoln University on existing projects to evaluate their sustainability. Our clients are engaged with us on
research to evaluate the energy savings for the impact of the full life cycle of a building.
We work with many clients including large international organisations at the forefront of their future technology, and this is scaled up for their overseas operations across the world.
We have also undertaken large scale evaluations for our clients on energy saving options to increase building efficiency and energy saving strategies. We lead on how we design for the
future in partnership with our clients. We think about innovation, we future proof and we inspire our clients with ideas and considered design. People and places are what we blend
in our concepts which then move to development design before the tender stage.
Our knowledge and experience on working with the fabric of historical traditional building methods and materials of construction is extensive. Using innovative design solutions to
work with the existing historical fabric we always produce and complement never competing.
We are proud to add to the rich tapestry of a buildings evolution and secure these wonderful buildings for future longevity are kept as a historical asset. Through repairs and
careful conservation and understanding planning policy alongside working with planning conversation officers to include historical England we achieve great partnership work.
Good design helps to preserve and safeguard historic buildings. It is always fabric first followed by adaptability, future proofing and integrating active and passive sustainable strategies in dealing with buildings.
Dover Sea Sports Centre
Case Study Projects
Simons Group HQ Lincoln
Simons Design developed a best practice consultation approach to relocating various Simons Group operations 250 staff to a single refurbished building in 2005/6. The building was occupied until 2019 with an ongoing energy user satisfaction and monitoring team led by Simons Design. The building was proven to have no energy performance gap at the first post occupancy evaluation and continued to improve year on year. A further post occupancy evaluation study undertaken by University of Lincoln demonstrated that the building services were reaching the design life expectancy, but adaptive comfort measures could be put in place to support employee wellbeing which were enacted by the organisational staff engagement team, although these findings are not yet published.
Paper published Journal articles
M&S Cheshire Oaks
Simons Design provided sustainability consultant services for this multi award-winning flagship store between 2008 and completion in 2012. This involved working with the contractor to document all emissions from the construction process, managing timber certification processes and liaising with a wide range of consultants and bodies to deliver a certified biodiverse landscaping plan. It remains a pioneer of FSC® Project Certification in the UK. The building also secured BREEAM Excellent (2006) and was proven to have a negative energy performance gap in a TSB funded post occupancy evaluation programme led by Faithful & Gould involving the entire design team.
View links for further information;
https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Cheshire_Oaks:_Marks_and_Spencer
https://corporate.marksandspencer.com/stories/blog/mands-cheshire-oaks-store
Hill Holt Wood
Simons Design supported the project with pro-bono services to achieve planning and building regulations approvals in 2006-2008. The key features of rammed earth and a reciprocal timber roof are iconic features developed through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with University of Lincoln an undergraduate studio sketch scheme competition. A ten-year post occupancy evaluation project was completed with University of Lincoln in 20 for this innovative self-build project. Having composting toilets and operating entirely off grid for power and water were found to be important in the choice of employer for the people working in the building. It remains an unconventional but much-loved educational centre and popular as a wedding venue.
View links for further information;
Published Paper
https://thelincolnite.co.uk/2020/03/get-back-to-nature-at-this-lincoln-gem-hidden-in-the-woods/