Circular & Regenerative Design
As our world transitions to a low-carbon future, interior design and the built environment have an enormous part to play. At Freeman Studio as well as meeting your design requirements, we will make best endeavours, to help you meet your sustainability goals. Our focus is to champion “health is wealth” and to promote wellness within our design, making the best endeavours in all we do. Utilising our awareness of technological advances, science, and societal progress, we aim to be on the front foot within the ever-changing world of sustainability. Our focus is to retain existing pieces of furniture, refurbish, reuse others, and as a last resort recycle. New pieces introduced to clients should be specified with a keen eye on the circular economy, making selections that are designed to be dismantled and refurbished, and choosing furniture where spare parts are available to extend a product's life. Choosing natural materials, and low volatile organic compound emitting finishes while avoiding chemical fire retardants where possible will help in delivering our clients with better indoor air quality, prioritising wellness and healthy indoor spaces. We explain the above at the outset of a project, talk about how Freeman Studio will help their clients decide upon their project goals, take them on a journey to understanding why ‘health is wealth’, and empower them to see how they are able to make a difference in the future of our planet.
“Buy what you need, not what you want.”
— Mathew Freeman
Interior Design Declares: Declaration
We will seek to:
Raise awareness of the climate and biodiversity emergencies and the urgent need for action amongst our clients and supply chains.
Advocate for faster change in our industry towards regenerative design practices and a higher Governmental funding priority to support this.
Share knowledge and research to that end on an open source basis.
Evaluate all new projects against the aspiration to contribute positively to mitigating climate breakdown, and encourage our clients to adopt this approach.
Work towards including life cycle costing, whole life carbon modelling and post-occupancy evaluation as part of our basic scope of work, to reduce both embodied and operational resource use.
Work with others in the construction industry to upgrade existing buildings for extended use as a more carbon-efficient alternative to demolition and new build whenever there is a viable choice.
Act to address the disproportionate impact of these crises on disadvantaged communities and ensure that all mitigation and adaptation efforts address the needs of all people.
Ensure diverse and inclusive principles are implemented in hiring and retaining staff so that people of all backgrounds can participate in decision-making about the future of the designed environment
Request 3rd party certification or similar demonstration of environmental provenance and impact for each product specified.
Adopt more regenerative design principles in our studios, with the aim of designing spaces which go beyond the standard of net-zero carbon, including the specification of ultra low energy appliances.
Accelerate the shift to low embodied carbon materials in all our work. Seek to reuse and recycle products and materials at every available opportunity.
Minimise wasteful use of resources in interior design, both in quantum and in detail. Collaborate with all members of the industry to further reduce construction and packaging waste.
We are committing to strengthen our working practices to design spaces with a more positive impact on the world around us.
Sustainable Design Collective: For the most up to date discussions, see SDC meeting notes.
Resources….
Interior Design Declares Resources, find a world of useful information, links, ideas and much more.
Cosentino Roundtable: Sustainability as Standard
Video - New Designers panel discussion: Sustainable Sourcing for Interior Design
British Institute of Interior Design: Sustainable Specifiers Guide. Fantastic resource for designers of all ages.