RE:LOW was developed as a central plank of our transition to a B Corp. A part of that journey we have been busy embedding the ethos of RE:LOW into our work.

Whilst becoming a B Corp, we looked at our practice structure (UK Ltd.) and wondered whether there was an alternative more compatible to how we actually operate. We reviewed our work since we began the pracitce and arrived at ‘RE:LOW’.

Becoming B Corp certified requires a lengthy and rigorous assessment of a company’s policies, operation and behaviour, focused around the environmental and the social. This led us to consider; How do we think, design and specify?

RE:LOW is a set of ‘Guiding Principles’ for our practice;

• → A focus on sustainable, imaginative development for our age
• → Not just a bolt-on technical sustainability
• → Using our creativity and imagination to maximise sites and buildings

The development of RE:LOW.

We plotted all of our projects and their scale, type and sector on a timeline. We realised that when dealing with existing buildings we focus on retaining as much of the existing fabric as we can; we hate waste and we like the character and ‘soul’ of existing parts of a building. When we design new buildings our focus is on materiality, longevity, orientation, path of sunlight, potential for natural ventilation and absence of unnecessary finishes.

The word RE:LOW was coined to encapsulate both new and existing buildings and to represent how we approach them.

RE stands for;
RE: CYCLE
RE: STORE
RE: PURPOSE

Low stands for;
LOW: TECH
LOW: IMPACT
LOW: MAINTENANCE

Examples of when these principles have occurred in our work over the years;

RE: PURPOSE

• A warehouse to a nursery
• A townhouse to an office
• A loading bay to a dining room
• A roofspace plantroom to a workspace
• A bin store to a gallery

RE: CYCLE

• Fireplaces from off-cuts
• Carpets from fishing nets
• Walls from paper pulp
• Kitchens from old curtains

RE: STORE

• Marble off-cuts into bathroom tiles
• Old floorboards into new floor finishes
• Structural boards into bar counters
• Blockwork into wall finish

LOW: TECH

• Maximising thermal mass
• Utilise the sun
• Long lasting materials
• Simple, lean structural solutions
• Complex building assemblies

LOW: IMPACT

• No gas boilers
• Passivehaus principles
• Low distance sourcing
• Less chemicals
• Less plastic

LOW: MAINTENANCE

• Hard wearing natural materials
• Less paint (if it’s painted it’s a natural paint)
• Avoiding plasterboard
• Avoiding weird chemical ingredients

RE:LOW is not just about retrofit, it is not just about new build; both are part of our practice. RE:LOW is a way of thinking about projects and communicating projects to our staff, clients and collaborators and focusing us on our B Corp priorities.

It feels great that we can establish clear principles to guide what we do as Architects. RE:LOW will guide our practice into the future! Get in touch if you have any questions about RE: LOW or would like a conversation about it – our door is always open.