London-based sustainable architect opens Preston office

ECD Architects has expanded into the North with a new office in Preston and plans to recruit a team of 25 over the next five years.

The practice, which has offices in London and Glasgow, specialises in low energy, low environmental impact design services.

The team is currently retrofitting over 10,000 homes through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF), ECD works with local authorities, housing associations, government departments and developers throughout the UK.

ECD is also providing expertise on building safety and cladding remediation projects, including tower blocks, viable decarbonisation and Passivhaus. The company has a Passivhaus Certifier in house and 25 per cent of its operational staff are Passivhaus designers.

It has recently been announced as an AJ100 Champion and shortlisted for the AJ100 practice of the year awards 2024 – the Architects’ Journal ‘gold standard’ accolade awarded to firms with proven commitment to sustainability, as well as driving positive change in their own projects and the wider industry.

The company is also one of the very few practices in the country to have achieved Building Safety Charter Champion status, a marque awarded by Building a Safer Future (BSF) and reserved for companies wholeheartedly dedicated to improving building safety.

James Traynor, RIBA architect, author and managing director of ECD Architects, says: “Our new Preston base links our existing offices in London and Glasgow and means we can act on the imminent requirement for sustainable housing, retrofit and cladding remediation at scale in the North. The Levelling Up fund is turbocharging regeneration here; as a northerner myself, I’m excited to be back in Preston, see what is happening and be part of this change.”