Resources | UK Architects Declare Climate and Biodiversity Emergency

AD Practice Action Masterclass Videos

From May to September 2022, AD held a series of Masterclass events expanding on the principles in our Practice Guide (see below). The 5 workshops - organised as part of our Practice Action collaboration with ACAN and in partnership with the RIBA - brought together a wide range of experts for presentations and Q&A with participants around key topics in implementing the Practice Guide. The videos last from 40 to 70 minutes approximately.

Masterclass 1: Climate Literacy (May 2022). This workshop helped participants to assess existing levels of climate literacy against the Climate Framework – an industry-recognised tier system for climate literacy.

Masterclass 2: Understanding Impact (June 2022). This workshop helped practitioners to measure and reduce their impact by developing an understanding of the relative impact of project and business carbon footprints, reporting against scope 1-3 emissions, and carrying out early-stage life cycle assessments.

Masterclass 3: Working with the Client (July 2022). This workshop helped participants to explore how to: work with clients to develop a project brief that achieves sustainable or regenerative outcomes; challenge weaknesses in the brief; overcome typical barriers during the development and delivery process; develop in-house office champions; galvanise support within the design team; develop a compelling business case demonstrating clear value to the client.

Masterclass 4: Collaboration & Learning within Practice (August 2022). This workshop helped practices to foster a culture of collaboration and learning: how to grow climate literacy and share expertise, galvanise action within design teams and draw on what is successful already.

Masterclass 5: Closing the Loop (September 2022). Including case studies of Post Occupancy Evaluation, this workshop helped participants to: develop a successful feedback loop looking at types of building evaluation; to engage other members of the team with the process; gain an understanding of how clients and practice benefit from such appraisals.

AD Building Justice: Crisis Solutions video

On 3rd November 2022, we held a special in-person event (with livestream option) on climate justice as a key aspect of the planetary emergency resulting from the failing systems that govern our built environment and economies. This event - kindly hosted by Levitt Bernstein in their London offices - took place ahead of the COP27 global talks, and as households, businesses, communities and professions seek to navigate the ongoing energy crisis. We had an excellent panel of speakers and you can watch all the talks and discussions in our video, which is just over 90 minutes.

Building Justice: Crisis Solutions event video

AD Designing your own Practice Roadmap video

On 22nd April 2022, we held a special online event to share expert guidance and participants' experiences on using the principles in our Practice Guide to build more sustainable and regenerative projects and practices. This video has all the presentations and Q&A discussion - as well as the launch of AD's Practice Guide Masterclasses series, developed jointly with ACAN and in partnership with the RIBA.

Designing your own Practice Roadmap event video

AD Practice Guide Introduction video & audio

On 26th November 2021 we held a special online event to introduce our new Practice Guide (see below), featuring a 'walkthrough' of the Guide and a short Question & Answer session:

Architects Declare Practice Guide 2021

Architects Declare has developed this Practice Guide to help signatories convert their declaration into meaningful action and build momentum within their practice. Part 1 is a Practice Roadmap that provides 5 simple steps to transform your business. Part 2 is the Project Design Guide, focused on the fundamentals of truly sustainable design and demonstrated through exemplars. It is intended to be a live, working document that helps fulfil the fourth point in our 12-point declaration by encouraging the sharing of knowledge and research on an open-source basis.

There is also a short form here for signatories to give their feedback on the document and for anyone who would like to help develop further versions of the document to register their interest.