CC Jul-Aug 2022

CASEstudy
Studio Bark
Studio Bark is the nucleus of a group of architects actively promoting the eco-design of newbuild
products, including embodied carbon analysis and site analysis. David Chadwick reports
Aiming for zero carbon emissions
and reducing global warming is not
just the province of large-scale
developers, it's a problem that affects us
all, and it is refreshing to see even small
practices using the tools that larger
organisations have taken on board to
mitigate their impact of their designs on
the environment. I had an interesting
conversation recently with Steph
Chadwick (no relation), the founder and a
director of Studio Bark in London,
alongside Wilf Meynell in which I learned
how they have responded to client
requests to focus on sustainability in their
home designs.
The Covid pandemic has prompted a
major upheaval in people's working
practices and their living arrangements.
With working from home or hybrid work
practices reducing the amount of
commuting that people are subject to has
come a significant exodus into the
countryside. Professionals who only need
to visit the office a couple of days a week
are taking advantage of the value of their
London based properties and moving into
larger and more rural properties. A large
percentage of them, though, are going
one step further, and ploughing the
difference in land and property values into
building their own homes.
The changing values of society don't just
allow them to satisfy their demands for a
more satisfying and relaxing way of life
but allows them to indulge (if that is the
right word) themselves in addressing
global environmental issues. They can
afford to spend extra money on materials
and building design and methods to
satisfy their environmental credentials.
This falls neatly in line with Steph's own
philosophies, and his practice is building a
reputation for itself for its self-build houses
which incorporate the latest construction
technologies, materials and practices,
reducing their embodied carbon levels.
They also use Studio Bark's site analysis
app to check for any planning issues and
the constraints of locations chosen by
clients for their properties.
A MULTI-STAGE APPROACH
What is interesting about Studio Bark is
that it offers its creative design and
analysis workflows on a multi-stage basis
Design Pack, taking its clients through the
levels involved in housebuilding. This
starts with concept creation, where the
technical and creative elements are
discussed with clients using sketches, 3D
modelling and other visualisation tools to
develop the initial concept. The design is
then progressed through technical
requirements and embodied carbon
option analyses, through to 2D drawings
to satisfy planning applications and
subsequently provide construction
drawings to send to building contractors
for pricing.
As Steph says, the evolving Design Pack
forms the basis of the Design and Access
statement required for planning, producing
drawings and perspective views to illustrate
the proposal. Physical models and
visualisations can be helpful in giving
confidence to planners, parish councils and
others that the design is well considered.
The proposal will then be developed into a
full set of planning drawings including
plans, sections, and elevations.
Other than exceptions, the practice
produces to-scale CAD drawings for the
planning submission. Once granted, the
design is 'fixed': subsequent design
changes are possible but may require a
new planning application. Studio Bark
uses 2D versions of Vectorworks to
produce the drawings, and SketchUp to
provide 3D walkthroughs and more
realistic 3D visualisations.
EMBODIED CARBON
CALCULATIONS
To reduce the amount of carbon
embodied in the construction of a
building Studio Bark uses data from RICS
analysis, ICE (Inventory of Carbon and
Energy) Database and IStructE, to name
a few, which enables them to compare
embodied carbon in different materials or
building processes. The data source for
each material is comprehensive and
includes the cost of extraction or
manufacturing, the cost of global
shipping and local deliveries, and even
provides information on the retained
carbon throughout the life of the building.
As Studio Bark doesn't use BIM, the
quantities and schedules of materials
aren't automatically calculated, but the
results are compiled, aggregated and
presented within a spreadsheet.
The subsequent occupation of the
20
July/August 2022