Sustainability
The way Berkeley approaches sustainability is intrinsically different to many other developers. This difference begins at the point of land acquisition, with the purchase of the best sites in well connected locations where we can create low carbon communities. Bespoke design then gives us a way to transform these sites into successful places.
As we move into construction, community engagement, health & safety and environmental responsibility are fundamental to our approach. This culminates in offering our customers a home with sustainability woven right through it, without the glaringly obvious kit and style typically associated with 'green' housing.
We know that people are looking for the chance to buy a home in a place where they will be comfortable and content. These qualities in a place are created through investment in the landscape as well as the architecture of each development. In that respect, we think sustainability is about the spaces between the buildings as much as the buildings themselves.
Over the last few years, the focus of debate in government and the housing industry has been on climate change and carbon reduction. These issues remain fundamentally important, but they are not the whole story. Sustainability is also about creating places where people feel involved, valued, healthy and safe.
The recent English city riots show how important it is to create places that deliver on these social dimensions of sustainability. This agenda is much less well understood and Berkeley intends to ensure we can define, measure and deliver places that deliver on all three pillars of sustainability.
During 2011, we published an essay setting out what we mean by social sustainability and why it matters. This now forms the basis for an ongoing research programme, applying the ideas to our sites and helping us learn and continually improve the way we create successful places. You can find the essay here. Or click on the links to the left to read about how we manage sustainability in the business and our recent performance.
