Sustainability

Green Sky Thinking – Open House's sustainable design campaign

Open House is developing a new campaign to support and promote sustainability as an integral part of design excellence. It will run as a theme throughout our programmes and will focus on the question ‘Is good design, green design?' As sustainability and green living become mainstream, what does sustainable design actually mean in practice? Consideration of these issues will be integrated into Open House’s programmes for young people, decision-makers and the wider London community. Through this campaign we wish to advocate clarity in definitions of sustainable design, champion sustainable design exemplars and the importance of ‘designing in’ sustainability, not as an ‘add-on’, promote a holistic understanding of sustainable design as it relates to capital-wide built environment and public realm, placemaking and regeneration, and raise awareness of how design decisions have impact on liveability.

Exciting initiatives include a poll of Londoners exploring what they think will make London sustainable; talks, tours and debates; and partnerships with key organisations and programmes such as Communities and Local Government, the London Borough of Southwark, and London Sustainability Weeks.

For more information about our sustainability campaign contact Sarah Yates, Special Programmes Manager.

Confirmed activity for 2009:
The Lives of Buildings - Story of London Festival
Open House and English Heritage are collaborating to create an exciting new programme of events on 26-28 June 2009 as part of the Mayor of London’s Story of London festival to explore how ‘architecture lives’. The event will look at the past, present and future of London’s architecture to show how its buildings live, grow, die and are reborn, through a programme of talks, debates, tours. For full info go here

Partnership with Love London - The Green Festival
The Love London Green Festival is now thought to be the largest annual green festival in the world, with over 150 events across the capital between 4 and 28 June 2009. Events range from small community run events to large green fairs and have been divided up by three themes: Green
Places, Green Living and Green Innovations.

Highlights include the Revolve Eco-Vehicle Rally, the Love London Recycled Sculpture Show, The Art of Green Cleaning and an Eco-Design Fair. There will also debates, nature walks and conservation days and at our many Green Fairs you can pick up Eco-Thrift top tips to help you save money and save the planet. For more Eco-Thrift fun try one of the dress swaps and check out the Love London festival guide (available on the website) for exclusive offers on green products and services.

 

Summary of Activity in 2008:

Open House London
• Open House showcased some of the most innovative green buildings in 2008, both new and retrofitted, in response to the wide interest in carbon-saving technologies, materials and designs. There were 105 eco-buildings/buildings with sustainable features
• Green Building Guide.  In 2007 and 2008 Open House teamed up with the UK Green Building Council to produce an introductory guide to the latest technology, materials and designs that are making our buildings sustainable. It only scratches the surface of what is possible, but aims to inspire what could be achievable in homes, or place of work or learning. Copies of the new 2008 edition of the Green Building Guide are available by emailing Open House.Text on the Green Building Guide courtesy of Paul King, Chief Executive of UK Green Building Council
• Our sustainability poll of the public aimed to find out more about what people in London know about and want for a sustainable city. Sampling of results:
- 81.3% of people surveyed thought green design is very important for London.
- materials, water saving and insulation were the three elements of a building they recognised as being sustainable.
• The 'Sustainable Southwark' guide, sponsored by the London Borough of Southwark, highlighted eco-exemplars in the borough to thousands of people, and took a look at some of the green initiatives currently underway on the south side of the Thames to help make a cleaner, greener city.
• From 1 October 2008 public buildings around the UK were required to display their green credentials through new Display Energy Certificates (DECs). This form of energy labelling is part of the government’s drive to make all the UK’s building stock more sustainable. In a campaign sponsored by Communities and Local Government, Open House encouraged people to look out for DECs in the public buildings both during the event and into the future.

Green Sky Thinking Debate
As part of the London Festival of Architecture, Open House and sponsors Atkins invited young design teams to take part in the ‘Green Sky Thinking’ debate on 16 July 2008.  This was a new take on the pecha kucha and provided an opportunity to throw around and discuss ideas, introduce fresh thinking on the sustainable city. Ideas were presented in a fast-paced event to a high profile audience, on the rooftop of One Bishops Square one of London’s foremost exemplars of sustainable design for the workplace

Green Sky Studios
From 24 to 26 September 2008 architects in the capital invited visitors into their studios to reveal how they are helping to design a greener world, in Open House's new programme Green Sky Studios. This programme included displays of models, plans and drawings as well as demonstrations, in-house talks, Q and As, exhibitions and debates. It was an opportunity to gain insights into the latest thinking about green design, as well as previews of new projects and even ideas still on the drawing board. Click HERE for the full listings


Open Up
Open Up aims to engage secondary school students with key pieces of contemporary London architecture and issues surrounding design and the built environment. The programme is aimed at state school students of Design and Technology and Art and Design in years 7-11 (11-16 year olds). The programme brings students into contact with key pieces of exemplary London architecture. Building explorations encourage young people to be- come ‘architectives’, to look for clues, learn design skills and see ways in which people use space. This direct experience leads on to creative workshops in the classroom.
In 2008 the aimed to build greater understanding and appreciation of sustainable design among young Londoners, by developing ideas for buildings with green roofs.


 

 

Partners:

love london

 

 

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