Sustainable Futures Wright & Wright - Flipbook - Page 9
Cathedral thinking
Clare Wright
‘Confronted with
the challenge of the
climate emergency,
cathedral thinking
now assumes a
critical impetus’
Cathedral thinking encompasses ideas
of long term planning, thinking not only
of ourselves but of future generations,
doing what we can while we are
custodians, while considering what we
pass on, with an eye to what the future
holds. Confronted with the challenge of
the climate emergency, the effects of
which are already being felt, but will
unspool with even greater urgency
over time, such a strategy assumes a
critical impetus.
The imperative to minimise long term
energy use and maintenance costs is a
fundamental part of Wright & Wright’s
design approach. In our work on
museums and libraries, this has had
very direct consequences. For the
Women’s Library nearly 30 years ago we
developed the first passively controlled
archive in a city in the UK. With more
recent clients, such as the Grade I listed
British Museum and Lambeth Palace,
we have developed overall masterplans
for the long term that are functional,
flexible and environmentally
sustainable. For both clients, the first
phase of these works involved
implementing a core sustainability
strategy by removing fossil fuels,
upgrading fabric and building passively
controlled energy centres, while also
making historic buildings accessible.
In response to the growing climate
emergency, issues of sustainability have
come into sharper and more urgent
focus. It is said that ‘the greenest
building is the one which already exists’
and in this respect, we can draw on our
considerable experience of retrofit and
reuse to creatively exploit the potential
of sites and buildings. We have extensive
experience of imaginatively revitalising
historic structures for contemporary
use, specialising in programmes that
require a sensitive and knowledgeable
Cathedral thinking
approach to how old and new elements
can be integrated without compromising
their distinct character. Our project for
remodelling the library at Corpus Christi
Oxford exemplifies this thinking, but
also has exceptional sustainability
credentials, including conforming to
rigorous Passivhaus standards, the first
educational building within the Oxford
University estate to do so.
We are also aware of the important
role of nature and landscaping in
creating beautiful and sustainable
enclaves around buildings, cultivating
a sense of well-being for building users
and the wider public. We actively
collaborate with landscape designers
and other specialists to create sites of
ecological richness, biodiversity and
well-being. Our scheme for new student
accommodation at St Edmund Hall in
north Oxford features a beautiful and
varied climate change garden, full of
plants and trees designed to attract
wildlife and promote biodiversity,
manifesting the ‘gift of creation’.
Another key aspect of sustainable
design is building to last. We combine
modern design methods with traditional
construction to create low maintenance,
long life buildings that stand the test of
time. In working with historic buildings
and sites, our approach is contextual,
always drawing on the lessons and
exemplars of the past, but we also have
the confidence to think radically.
As a diverse collaborative of
designers, we can draw on the deep
roots and principles of our founders,
while innovating constantly to bring
positive change to the built environment,
both now and in the longer term.
As ‘cathedral thinkers’ we understand
the imperative to create a legacy for the
long term as it chimes very deeply with
our own ethos and experience.
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