Where academic research meets everyday building performance
Our consultancy is grounded in active research — not just industry practice. Here's what that looks like, and some practical thinking that comes out of it.
What our team actively researches
Interoperable, BIM-based energy modelling
Our Managing Director contributes to the Building Energy Modelling IDM Expert Panel and has published extensively on interoperable, BIM-based solutions supporting multi-scale energy modelling — from individual buildings to national building stocks.
Embodied carbon & life cycle methodology
Ongoing PhD research focuses on embodied carbon and life cycle assessment methodology for buildings, directly informing how we scope and deliver LCA engagements.
National building stock modelling
Research experience spanning leading academic and industry research institutions in scaling building energy modelling from single assets to entire national stocks — directly relevant to local authority portfolio work.
Applied AI & generative AI for buildings
We track and apply emerging research in machine learning and generative AI/LLM tools for building operations, with a deliberate focus on where these methods are proven versus experimental.
Practical thinking on current building energy topics
Why NZEB compliance should start at concept design, not planning
Nearly Zero Energy Building compliance is far cheaper to achieve when fabric, HVAC and renewable strategy are set at concept stage. Retrofitting compliance into a design that's already progressed usually means costlier, less elegant solutions — sometimes a redesign. Early modelling gives architects and engineers room to make smarter, cheaper choices.
See our NZEB / TGD L service →Embodied carbon can no longer be an afterthought
As operational energy standards tighten, embodied carbon — from materials, construction and end-of-life — is becoming a larger share of a building's total footprint, and an increasing focus of certification schemes and funders. Measuring it early lets you compare structural and material options while they're still cheap to change.
See our embodied carbon service →The cheapest energy saving is usually a misconfigured BMS
Before recommending capital works, we typically find real savings sitting in schedules, setpoints and overrides that have drifted from their original design. A controls audit costs a fraction of a retrofit and often pays back within months, not years.
See our controls optimisation service →Working on related research? Let's talk
We partner with universities and research institutions on building performance, data science and AI research projects.
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