2024 was a year dominated by elections, the Summer Olympics, followed by (what seemed like) incessant bad weather, before ending with a last-minute $300 billion climate finance deal at COP29. At Mainer Associates we welcomed new faces, new projects, and delivered key objectives for our clients. Here are our 2024 highlights.

Confusion surrounding the relationship between Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) has grown and resulted in the need for clarification. This article examines that relationship and how EPDs can benefit the environmental credentials of your product.

Only by accurately measuring and recording carbon emissions can the industry work to meet net zero goals to confront this planet-wide challenge and developing and deploying this methodology, is crucial for supporting the built environment sector and the world in their aim to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2050.

In 2022, we established the Mainer Academy, a graduate scheme designed to invest in young talent as a vital component of a sustainable future. In this article, we are pleased to introduce our recent graduates and reconnect with former graduates to understand the impact of the Mainer Academy on their careers.

Mainer Associates are proud to assist our clients in achieving post construction certifications for BREEAM Outstanding – the highest rating a building can achieve within a BREEAM assessment. This year we’ve helped 3 projects achieve this distinction…find out how we did it.

It is well documented that industrial facilities can have a negative impact on the environment, both in the UK and globally. It is therefore vital that industrial buildings are constructed or refurbished in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. This article looks at how Mainers BREEAM expertise can help you.

Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) play a crucial role in fostering collaboration and sustainability across supply chains. Not only do they provide information, but they can drive positive change by encouraging collaboration and sustainable practices across supply chains. From Developer & Designer through to Contractor, Manufacturer and Supplier, we look at how this collaboration can benefit all.

Located in Leeds’ urban quarter, 11 & 12 Wellington Place is one of the UK’s most sustainable office buildings. Mainer Associates were able to reduce the embodied carbon target by 333kg CO2e/m2, but how did we do it?

From February 12th 2024 new large developments will require a 10% increase in biodiversity net gain as part of new government legislation under the town and country planning act. Whilst focus has been upon driving buildings to become net zero and carbon neutral the requirement for improved biodiversity will now have to become a key consideration for developers.

COP 28 has officially started in the UAE and is being lauded as a “milestone moment” for the world to take stock of its progress on the Paris Agreement but what key issues should be discussed?

ESG is not only relevant for large corporations, but also for small and medium sized enterprises that make up the majority of the global economy. In this article, we will explore why ESG is important for the sustainable development of the world and how it can benefit your company now.

Dan Coupland recently returned to Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) to represent Mainer Associates at a careers and alumni event. Having graduated MMU and the Mainer Academy, Dan let us know how he got on.

Global solutions, helping to shape our future buildings

The need for global sustainability cuts across all cultures. How different climates and resources are managed sustainably varies around the world, with varying degrees of success. The following article looks at the sustainable practices in Singapore and the lessons we can take back to the UK.

What are Materials Passports?

Materials passports serve as a “passport” of each material installed into a building. This helps building developers, owners and tenants understand what exactly has been installed into the building and how “circular” those materials and products are.

In recent years, the concept of the circular economy has gained significant traction as a means to combat the growing environmental challenges we face. This paradigm shift in our approach to resource consumption and waste management has found an ideal partner in the world of architecture. Architects, with their ability to envision and create sustainable structures, are playing a pivotal role in advancing the principles of the circular economy.

With carbon targets playing an increasingly important role in the construction sector, demand for Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for products is growing significantly. EPDs inform stakeholders about a products environmental and human health impact throughout its life cycle and can be used to achieve sustainability accreditations such as BREEAM and LEED.

Facilitating the integration of LCA options appraisals into LCC works and vice versa, helps design teams understand from an early stage how the design of a building will affect costings, alongside carbon performance metrics. This allows project teams to effectively select design options which consider more than one entity (such as cost and embodied carbon), to provide a basis for a more comprehensive and holistic approach to decision making within building designs.

Mainer Associates have recently taken onboard Chris Stevens-Barnes, a Senior Sustainability Consultant with over a decade of experience in the residential sector.

As a Specialist Sustainability Consultancy, Mainer Associates are delighted to share that Chris will be helping to broaden our in-house capabilities.

This expansion of our services will encompass all aspects of Residential Energy Assessments, which Chris is executing with the aid of our existing experienced team. This will not only enhance the number of services that Mainer Associates provides, but will also help to accelerate Mainer Associates’ vision of a truly sustainable future.

Mainer Associates are proud to assist our clients in achieving Design Stage certifications for BREEAM Outstanding – the highest rating a building can achieve within a BREEAM Assessment. We help our clients to consistently realise their targets; in this article, therefore, we present three projects whereby our involvement has helped our clients’ aspirations to become a reality.

Over the past year, the UK has seen two key updates to BREEAM as well as Government review on Net Zero. For individuals working in sustainability for the built environment, these updates are important to consider when completing a BREEAM Assessment.