Building with Nature

Come hear how Landarna can holistic land management in support of social and environmental goals! I'll be delivering a session alongside Tim Bevan from Building with Nature as part of The Green Register event series next week, looking forward to it.

The sun was out, and it was a refreshing start to the day at the Belmont Estate networking event with Andrews Property Group. It was good to catch up with old faces and meet new ones Jenny Hyndman Clare Billany CMLI Holly Ford Elsie Roulston We are working with clients and communities on several developments, such as nature-led regeneration, green infrastructure strategies, Building with Nature assessments and nature-positive university projects. BNG is rapidly becoming the focal point of discussion: nature with social value. 6 months on from #BiodiversityNetGain, hearing diverse industry perspectives from Gil Martin, Ed Khodabandehloo from Summerfield Developments, Aemelia Humfrey from Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Andrew Ross Turley. Key takeaways were: 1. Clarity & Registration Hurdles: Navigating complex registration and ensuring clarity for the offsite habitat provider process are major challenges. Despite a slow start and steep learning curve, efforts are underway to de-risk BNG credit purchasing and address environmental and societal impacts of development work. Immediate attention is needed to address the lack of watercourse credits and inconsistent guidance. 🌱🏛️ 2. An Iterative Process: Perfection isn't an option; an iterative approach shows intent despite uncertainties. On-site and off-site provision viability remains complex. Engaging the community through footpaths and educational initiatives builds a connection with nature, which benefits developers' branding. Potential impacts include future land valuation, masterplanning, and architectural changes for sustainable features like green roofs with solar panels and Schedule 3 requirements for on-site rain/surface water via nature-based solutions management. 🌍 3. Policy & Governance: DEFRA's BNG policies set the stage, but scaling up legal agreements and conservation covenants is crucial. Diverse planning applications with BNG conditions and nature credits highlight the need for a robust governance structure. 4. Developer Concerns & Enforcement: Key issues are private management company liabilities, engagement, governance, expertise requirements, monitoring, and risks. Accreditation for maintenance and monitoring suppliers and robust legal agreements are potential solutions. Effective engagement requires community buy-in and could include funding options for local authorities to manage landscapes. 🔍. Note that the #EngagementOverlay to the RIBA Plan of Work has a whole section on engagement during the maintenance period https://lnkd.in/d9zHMqzZ #Sustainability #BNG #CommunityEngagement #EnvironmentalImpact #Policy #Governance #IterativeProcess #DeveloperChallenges #FutureGrowth

A chance to join the #BuildingWithNature team 👉🏻 Check out this job at Sintali: Certification Reviewer - Green Infrastructure & Buildings

Reflecting on the fantastic exhibition by Futurebuild held at ExCeL London. Even though it's a bit overdue, I wanted to share the amazing learnings about sustainable retrofitting and green infrastructure. I had great conversations with the exhibitors at ADAPTAVATE , GRAPHENSTONE paints, Firstplanit , Celsius Energy and many more which showcased innovative yet sustainable retrofitting and energy solutions. I particularly found the concept of cradle-to-cradle materials for sustainable retrofit very interesting.   The seminars were also incredibly insightful especially the ones hosted by the @Department of Energy Security & Net Zero, Building with Nature , and Kenoteq. Feeling inspired to put these learnings into practice!           #futurebuild #sustainability #retrofit #greeninfrastructure

We’re proud to announce the addition of six qualified Building with Nature (BwN) assessors who are available to advise on your projects: Ben Kirkby, Catherine Masri-Stone, Catherine Phillips, Clare Billany CMLI, Claire Symons and Dan Hutchinson — alongside our Head of Landscape, Isabelle Carter, who is also certified.   We’re committed to addressing the environmental emergency in all our landscape projects, and BwN assessors play a vital role in advising project teams on creating nature-positive developments and enhancing the project’s ability to achieve Biodiversity Net Gain. If you’re interested in learning more about pursuing the Building with Nature benchmark accreditation for your development, find out more here: https://lnkd.in/einPhUEy

I am excited to share that I am a Fellow of the Institute of Place Management! My work has become increasingly cross-sectional, focusing on place, with my work on Business Improvement Districts, university estates, and green infrastructure policies and strategies, including Building with Nature. The interdisciplinary lens is central to adapting to climate and biodiversity crises; looking forward to learning and being part of the conversation on place #health #nature #collaboration

𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗛𝘂𝗯 We're making significant progress with the Blackbridge Community & Sports Hub in Gloucester, on track for completion this December. We're proud to announce that the project has received preliminary Full Accreditation from Building with Nature. This early award highlights our commitment to sustainable and ecologically mindful design, meeting the Building with Nature Core standards along with wellbeing, water management, and wildlife conservation standards. It's a clear indicator of the project's potential to positively influence both the community and the environment. Led by FWP Architecture in partnership with the Blackbridge Charitable Community Benefit Society, this initiative exemplifies our dedication to creating infrastructure that is in harmony with nature. Following completion, a final assessment will confirm the project’s full adherence to Building with Nature’s high standards. We are confident in our approach and look forward to delivering a project that not only meets but exceeds our sustainability goals, providing lasting benefits to the Gloucester community. Blackbridge CCBS www.fwpgroup.co.uk #FWPGroup #Architecture #BuildingSurveying #CDM #InteriorDesign #ProjectManagement #QuantitySurveying #SustainableBuildings #BuildingServicesEngineering #StructuralEngineering

One year and five months after the birth of my son he's having his first weekend away without me 😔 . So while he's off learning new words ("baby", "bubble" and "hello" have recently been added to "dog"), I've been doing the cool thing back home and getting my head into some meaty sustainability reporting from Persimmon Homes, Barratt Developments plc and learning all about Building with Nature and Architects Climate Action Network. 🤓 Somehow, tomorrow I have to get it all in some sort of order for my first CIM deadline on Monday. https://lnkd.in/eWMhbNru

It’s hard for me to believe that this year I will have been at Oliver Heath Design for 10 years. Yet, it's amazing to look back over how far we’ve come as a practice and how my work has evolved.      I started out researching and writing about this interesting nature-based approach to spatial design which Oliver had been trying to get the built environment sector interested in. Since then, I have been focused on helping architects, designers, and project teams to understand why it's so beneficial to use biophilic design strategies and how they can integrate them into their practices.     It’s been humbling to see the global reach and impact of our thought leadership work. I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to lead our team in the research and writing of the Creating Positive Spaces design guide series in collaboration with Interface as well as developing and writing our book ‘Design a Healthy Home’ and the Oliver Heath Design school courses.     The growth of our design consultancy work has since led us to creating design guidelines and strategies for retail, hospitality and workplaces as well as working with project teams to help them create a green thread of wellbeing throughout their residential schemes and project marathons.    I’m happy to say that my personal and professional growth in this role continues and following studying horticulture with the RHS last year I also became an accredited Building with Nature Assessor which means I can now support our clients to continue that green thread of wellbeing throughout the scheme both internally and externally.     One of the aspects of Building with Nature that really speaks to me is the ethos that the exterior spaces of a scheme are not considered as an afterthought, or as merely the spaces between buildings; but that the site itself is the context which the scheme needs to understand and enhance for the benefit of the occupants and local communities of humans, flora and fauna. This recognition enables an integrated and locally relevant approach to creating high quality green infrastructure. It can also help reduce planning risk by ensuring developments are aligned with current and emerging policy themes for climate change, nature recovery and people’s wellbeing.      With Biodiversity Net Gain becoming mandatory this week - requiring schemes to ensure that habitats for wildlife are in measurable better state after the development than they were before - I know that finding ways to contribute to wildlife recovery is at the forefront of everyone's mind. So, if you would like to find out more about how me and my team at Oliver Heath Design can help you create high-quality Green Infrastructure within your schemes, using the Building with Nature Framework, then drop me a line or read more here... https://lnkd.in/d_7mhExh #bng #naturerestoration #biophilicdesign #greeninfrastructure #naturebasedsolutions #housingdevelopment

I am very pleased to announce that I have been approved as a 'Building With Nature' assessor. This is a really important qualification for me and strongly aligns with our business aims, values and mission. Thank you to the team at Building with Nature for talking me through the course and providing this important benchmark. #buildingwithnature #greeninfrastructure #naturaldimensions #onamission