Environmental Social Governance – How our ESG Policy Shapes our Work

We understand that we are living through a climate crisis and an urgent reversal in biodiversity decline is a priority in all aspects of our work.

Our strategy is to design and deliver socially and environmentally regenerative buildings and assets by 2030. Reddy A+U is also committed to making its operations (energy use in offices and business travel) carbon neutral, first through reducing energy consumption, energy efficiency and procurement of renewable energy.

Reddy A+U acknowledges that it has an impact on the environment both directly, through business operations, and indirectly, through the designs it develops on behalf of our clients. In relation to our direct impacts, we recognise that we must ‘lead by example’ and commit to protecting and restoring the environment.

This involves effectively managing our significant environmental impacts through the implementation of appropriate controls designed to limit adverse impacts and promote beneficial impacts of the direct and indirect aspects of our business operations and services.

Whilst we have the most influence over our direct impacts, we also realise that our designs can impact the environment. We therefore endeavour to do everything we can to ensure that our designs limit the potential for negative impacts and seek to enhance the natural environment, recognising the need to restore planetary boundaries.

Environmental

The construction industry contributes significantly to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. It behoves us as architects and placemaker’s to prioritise the social imperative to deliver sustainable and low energy design solutions.

Our multi award winning Science Research Building for the University of Galway secured the highest sustainability award rating for any research building in the Committee on the Environment COTE and is regarded as an exemplar in low energy design in a typology that is typically reliant on significant energy use.

We lead our clients through the BREEAM, LEED, WELLNESS processes within strategies to understand their vision and deliver their projects through the prism of carbon neutral design processes. We have always designed to exceed NZEB targets by 20% and verify this with our stakeholders through post occupancy reviews of all our building typologies.

We are members of RIAI Green Initiatives, the Green Foundation Ireland and the UK Green Building Council.

Implementation

We commit to:

• Operate in compliance with all relevant environmental legislation.
• Manage our environmental impacts from our operations through a Social Governance Strategy which is incorporated into individual studio action plans.
• Fulfil all our own voluntary obligations and those set by our clients in relation to our designs.
• Undertake regular reviews of our business operations and design reviews for projects checking for environmental non-compliances, which are noted and followed up at subsequent reviews.
• Educate and train our employees in the environmental issues, compliance obligations and the environmental effects of the company’s and their own activities, promoting environmental stewardship.
• Support regular initiatives (talks, training, competitions) run by our in-house environmental experts.
• Continually improving our environmental performance by setting environmental objectives and targets, based on our most significant direct and indirect aspects and their impacts, and to regularly monitor and record our progress.

Governance

• This policy is set by the Executive, who review the Social Governance Policy annually with a view to making recommendations for improvements.
• The identification of aspects and impact is also regularly reviewed against any changes to our operations and design services to ensure our significant aspects are relevant to both.
• The practice leader for sustainability Lisa Wynne acts for Reddy A+U in developing a plan to enable us to reach the commitments set out in this policy while fulfilling applicable legal, regulatory and other requirements.

Energy Reduction Initiatives

• Committed to reducing our carbon footprint by 12% by 2030
• Refurbishing our offices to renewable energy + efficient lighting LED

 

Reddy A+U is fully committed to addressing the climate crisis by integrating environmental and social sustainability into all aspects of its operations and design processes. By setting clear goals, such as achieving carbon neutrality and leading in the design of regenerative buildings, the firm prioritises the reduction of its environmental impact both directly and through the projects it delivers for clients.