Raising Value

Prior to founding MARR Architects, Laura developed a reputation for successfully leading, designing, and completing projects with multi-disciplinary teams for property developers, local authorities, and domestic clients. These projects were design-led while being responsibly cost and resource-conscious.

The approach is to add value through imaginative strategic design thinking and exploration, maximising the potential of the final built project by clearly identifying the specific context constraints, challenges and opportunities at the outset, during the design and the delivery process.

Skilled at balancing innovation and pragmatism, the aim is to produce proposals that are viable, perform well, are beautiful and improve lives.

Sustainability

Longevity and sustainability are central to our objective and intrinsic to our approach.

We like to retain existing building fabric, with its locked in carbon, where practicable. We employ a fabric first approach which we have found, through analysis by a leading housing developer client, to be the most cost-effective way of working towards net zero carbon in use.

We have extensive experience in reviewing sustainability options with key consultants and contributing to environmental assessment - ensuring projects exceed Building Regulation requirements and meet Greater London Authority (GLA) higher sustainability targets. We are well-versed in BREEAM, the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP), and can design to PassivHaus standards if desired. This positions us well to develop proposals that align with the emerging Future Homes and Buildings Standard, expected to be introduced in 2025, which aims to significantly reduce carbon emissions in new homes.

Although many urban sites are constrained and programmatic requirements take priority, we always seek to create low carbon, passive buildings that are shaped by their context and orientation, and also consider thermal mass, natural materials, maximising daylight (whilst avoiding overheating), ventilation (whist avoiding noise and pollution), and connection to nature and biodiversity. These are all aspects that are proven to improve wellbeing. Heat recovery ventilation systems such as MVHR, circadian lighting and biophilic design can also improve mental and physical health, if designed and maintained well. Cities offer opportunities for good social connection, arts, culture, and diversity. We believe that creating buildings and surroundings that are cultural places with artistic identities, thoughtful connections, and which are inclusive, should be prioritised to engender healthy communities.

Ultimately, we believe that buildings and places must be loved to be truly sustainable and stand the test of time. To this end, and to create a long-lasting positive impact, we place great importance on high quality healthy design, including durability, adaptability, and also on the way buildings look and feel.

MARR Architects is a signatory to Architects Declare and is committed to the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge targets.

MARR Architects keeps abreast of the latest thoughts on sustainability and the built environment and follows journals and thought leaders including: RIBA, Architecture Today, the Developer, Leti, Timber Development UK, Built by Nature, The Good Homes Alliance, the NLA and the RSA.

Holistic Design

To achieve our vision we employ a holistic approach to design which includes significant early test-evaluate-refine processes, taking into consideration the potential outcomes at the beginning. This is an iterative design process from inception to completion.

Our extensive back catalogue of delivery experience gives us a good head start allowing us to focus our energy and creative effort on developing proposals with conviction (with the input of the wider team) that are integral and purposeful, whilst also being unique and uplifting.

With this approach the design is not compromised by the reality of compliance, safety, materiality, detailing, craftsmanship, and buildability, but enhanced by it.

This holistic approach and broad experience make us better at managing and producing realisable, beautiful, and sustainable designs, demonstrating a careful attention to detail whilst keeping an eye on the wider context.

Teamwork

We believe that the journey is as important as the destination, and that working in an organised open way, collaboratively at all stages with clients, consultants and specialists, with a shared vision, common goals, and objectives, is the best way of getting the most efficiency and joy out of the process and the design outcome.

MARR Architects also believes in reaching out into the industry to promote better futures in the built environment, supports diversity and inclusion in the profession and follows groups including: HG+, Part W and Open City.