Winning the Sustainable Design Award at the Royal Institute of British Architects President’s Medals felt both surreal and deeply meaningful to me. The recognition reflects something I care strongly about in architecture: the idea that buildings should work with the environment rather than against it.

'Architecture can heal, preserve and be in harmony with nature.'

Rethinking the role of retrofit

The project began with two pressing realities. The UK faces both a climate emergency and a housing crisis. A significant proportion of national emissions comes from existing housing, while millions of homes fail to meet adequate health and safety standards.

Rather than focusing on building something new, I wanted to explore the potential of what already exists. Adaptive reuse and deep retrofit can significantly reduce carbon emissions while improving the health and resilience of homes.

My proposal explores how knowledge and skills could unlock that potential. At its centre is a community hub dedicated to retrofit education. The building brings together homeowners, tradespeople and industry professionals to share knowledge and develop practical solutions for improving existing housing.

Learning through making

I designed the project as a place where learning happens through experience. A skills centre allows local builders to develop practical techniques using sustainable materials, while exhibition and community spaces open these ideas to the wider public.

The architecture itself acts as a teaching tool. Structural systems, services and construction details are deliberately visible so that visitors can understand how the building works.

At the heart of the site is a working courtyard where learning and making take place side by side. Materials move through the site on a rail system that links the skills centre to exhibition spaces, turning the process of construction into part of the educational journey.

Designing for carbon negative performance

'From the start, setting sustainability goals was really important to me.'

The building was designed to achieve lifetime net zero carbon performance across both embodied and operational carbon. Through careful design development and environmental analysis, the final proposal achieved lifetime carbon negative performance.

Mass timber construction forms the structural backbone of the building. Large glulam frames span the main spaces, supported by three prominent chimneys that play both structural and environmental roles.

These chimneys anchor the structural system while also enabling natural ventilation strategies that reduce the need for mechanical cooling. Combined with an efficient building fabric, a water source heat pump connected to the harbour, photovoltaic panels and rainwater harvesting, the design creates a building capable of operating with very low energy demand.

From Bath studio to professional practice

'Bath has helped shape the way I think about architecture and design.'

I developed the project while studying architecture at the University of Bath. The course combines design exploration with practical experience through professional placements, helping students translate ideas into solutions that could realistically be built.

Studio culture also played a big role in shaping the project. Working alongside other students, sharing ideas and learning from visiting professionals and tutors helped broaden my understanding of architecture and design.

Through this process I refined my approach to design, particularly the importance of analysing a site carefully and understanding its environmental and historical context before developing a proposal.

Now working at Foster + Partners, I see the project as the beginning of a longer journey. The recognition from RIBA highlights the growing importance of retrofit and adaptive reuse in shaping a more sustainable built environment.

For me, the challenge now is to continue exploring how architecture can respond to the climate crisis while respecting the buildings and communities that already exist.