Associate George Jamieson reflects on HUT’s recent research piece.
Last year, we completed an in-depth research study into the embodied carbon savings achieved through intuitive design decisions made during the technical design of Challoner House. This feels especially timely now that the building has been in full occupation for over a year, allowing us to reflect on both design intent and real-world performance.
One of the most striking findings was the scale of carbon savings achieved through challenging the default use of a full raised access floor. Commonly treated as a staple of spec office design, the sheer volume of material required to cover even a relatively modest floor plate far exceeded the embodied carbon savings gained from specifying low-carbon wall finishes and plasterboard.
Rather than removing flexibility, we adopted an alternative approach: a low-profile, bespoke timber access floor void. This allowed services to be distributed efficiently, enabled flexible cable runs, and allowed floor boxes to be cut in as required—delivering genuine adaptability without the material intensity of a conventional raised floor system.
The result was a highly usable and flexible set of floor plates that support multiple desk layouts and occupancy densities, while significantly reducing embodied carbon.
This research reinforced a key lesson: meaningful carbon savings are often unlocked through early, logical design decisions that question industry defaults and focus on actual use rather than assumed flexibility.
