The construction industry is ever evolving to meet the pressing environmental challenges of our time, embracing innovative practices and adopting low-energy design as a foundation for responsible, future-focused development. CBG Consultants demonstrate through their practices and projects that sustainability and performance can go hand in hand. From listed landmarks to affordable housing schemes, their projects showcase what's possible when forward-thinking strategies are embedded at every stage of the design and build process.

For CBG Consultants, low-carbon, low-energy design is a core principle, ensuring clients benefit from long-term efficiency, lower carbon footprints, and smarter solutions that perform in the real world.

This philosophy was brought to life with the award-winning Blenheim Grove development in Peckham Rye, when it recently obtained a RIBA London Award in 2025. Developed on a vacant brownfield site adjacent to a railway line, the scheme created seven new-build homes under the Greater London Authority's Custom Build Housing Programme. Unboxed Homes led the development, working with architecture studio Poulsom Middlehurst to design a series of shell-only dwellings, which buyers would later customise and fit out themselves.

CBG Consultants were invited by Yard Architects to develop one of the houses and join the project at RIBA Stage 3, following the initial planning. Working closely with both architect and client, CBG helped evolve the design into a low-carbon scheme, developing a performance M&E specification for contractor pricing and overseeing inspections throughout the process. Their role was pivotal in ensuring the homes delivered on their environmental potential.

Energy modelling was carried out to optimise building fabric performance before any technology was considered. This ensured the structure itself supported sustainable outcomes and laid the foundation for the low-carbon technologies that followed. The fit-out incorporated air source heat pumps for both heating and hot water, supported by underfloor heating and a heat pump-based air conditioning system to provide comfort throughout the year. Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery maintained healthy indoor air quality, while rooftop solar PV arrays paired with battery storage reduced reliance on the grid and increased energy self-sufficiency.

The result was a collection of homes that are not only energy-efficient but also comfortable and cost-effective to run. Importantly, they also address the social side of sustainability, offering high-quality housing that is affordable to live in. This aligns with CBG's commitment to ensuring that sustainable design serves both environmental goals and human wellbeing.

For many years, eco-buildings were seen as a premium product - aspirational, but out of reach. Now, as demonstrated at Blenheim Grove, they represent the new standard. With the right design approach and the use of modern construction methods, the industry has the tools to deliver low-energy buildings that are inclusive, resilient, and ready for the challenges ahead.

Andrew Payne (CBG Consultants Managing Director) commented: “One of the key challenges when obtaining M&E quotations for bespoke, multi-serviced dwellings is that tenderers often lack either the in-house capability or the time to fully engage with complex energy systems. This can result in limited or poor tender returns, which compromises the competitive edge of the procurement process and poor ROI for the owners.

Our approach on this and other projects was to enhance the performance specification with additional technical information to better articulate the energy strategy and outline indicative plant selections. By doing so, we aimed to clarify the complexity for contractors, supporting more accurate pricing and encouraging competitive bids.”

Project Credits

Architects - Yard Architects

Shell Contractor - Zog Enterprises

Shell Structural engineer - Alan Baxter

Fit out M&E engineer - CBG Consultants

Photography credit - Agnese Sanvito

ENDS

About CBG Consultants

CBG Consultants are an ambitious practice of building services consultants, covering a wide range of mechanical and electrical engineering solutions specialising in sustainability, building physics and Passivhaus.

In 2023, they established a new lighting consultancy division with the acquisition of Light Perceptions Ltd, so that they could offer their clients a more comprehensive service. They specialise in maximising the efficiency of buildings, through optimising fabric with efficient mechanical and electrical design solutions.

Their vision is to be a leading consultancy delivering excellence in building physics and engineering for better buildings that benefit their occupants and the environment - CBG Consultants - Building Services & Building Physics

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