Vision
& Insight

Our process

We are an innovative design organisation with a can-do attitude to working with you to achieve your aspirations. We aim to develop an ideas based approach to create unique, one-off design solutions. All our projects are based on fresh thinking and sensitivity to their location and context, we are great communicators and we will add value to your proposals.

We work across a range of scales from landscape to urbanism to new individual buildings and the imaginative re-use and alterations to existing buildings. We are familiar with the latest building conservation practice having worked with listed buildings of all periods. We adopt a collaborative approach with our clients in order to develop a shared design vision.

We adopt a holistic approach to sustainability and energy management which is a central issue from the beginning of the design process. This means that we design buildings to be energy efficient in a passive manner based on site layout, orientation, construction and insulation methods, and the building products selected.

To get a better idea of what we have done in the past and what we’re working on now, please check out our projects page.

As members of the Passivhaus Trust, and with an inhouse certified Passivhaus designer, we can incorporate sustainability principles into the design from the outset, and help our clients successfully achieve Passivhaus accreditation.

As a worldwide recognised energy standard, Passivhaus is forward thinking and ensures projects are of a high-quality and thermal comfort and built towards zero-carbon and low-energy targets.

What we do

Urban intervention

The city is the site and the inspiration for much of ZONE Architects’ work.

With projects such as the East Market Street Arches, and the Hart Street and Wester Coates houses we have demonstrated how good contemporary architecture can sit comfortably in sensitive historic settings.

We aim to create meaningful and timeless architecture which communicates with both its immediate neighbours and the wider locale.

The ambition is to give our buildings a wider public presence within the layered and sedimented nature of our cities.

We undertake challenging projects in keeping with our mission: to design buildings that have a positive influence on the way our clients live, work, and play.

The design of each project is led by directors David Jamieson and Suzanne Ewing, and reviewed regularly with our clients and trusted engineers and contractors. State-of-the-art computer technology means that we are able to present 3D digital models of your space as early as possible in the design process. This enables all participants and stakeholders to fully engage with the design and share ownership of it.

Our commitment to architectural debate and research means that we remain fully conversant with new knowledge and techniques and their appropriateness for each individual project.

ZONE Architects Ltd is an equal opportunities employer working from a bespoke studio building in north Edinburgh.

Sustainability

Creating a sustainable built environment is fundamental to our design philosophy. Global warming and declining fossil fuel resources make it imperative that we understand our energy use and seek to reduce our demand for fossil fuels. The energy used by the UK’s buildings accounts for 47% of the country’s total CO2 emissions.

However, sustainability is not just about energy use. At ZONE Architects Ltd we endeavour to make buildings which will endure, which will weather well, and, where we are working within the fabric of historic cities, towns or landscapes, are at least as good as their neighbours. Flexibility and robust construction are key factors to this end.

Sustainability is given prominence within the design process for each of our projects: it can’t be bolted on later. We establish a sustainability or an energy section within the brief and this is considered at the outset. The brief would typically aim to set targets for reducing energy demand and the provision of on-site energy generation.

With each project, we aim to develop an understanding of the holistic nature of building design: questions of thermal mass, ventilation, daylighting, building materials and site orientation all have to be considered from the outset. The primary concern is to reduce energy demand – get the basics right. This includes site selection and layout, sheltering, orientation and opportunities for passive solar gain. Building insulation and airtightness is the first priority to reducing energy demand and are considered before the introduction of solar panels or other active measures.

Address

211 Granton Road, 
Edinburgh EH5 1HD

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