This year’s edition of the Sustainability Awards will see us usher in a new category, designed to reward the practices on the smaller end of the spectrum.

The Small Sustainable Practice category has been born from the desire to celebrate the architectural firms that are taking sustainability personally. It’s also an opportunity for us to showcase the smaller practices that are occasionally lost in the noise of a very constant news cycle.

The criteria states that the award is open to all architecture and design firms with 10 or less staff and recognises and rewards their achievements including those that demonstrate alignment with the UN 17 SDGs.

Those that have their work defined by sustainability principles and practices across business activities and outcomes are encouraged to nominate their workplaces. The firm will need to show what it has designed to achieve in terms of sustainable outcomes, describe how it has reduced its footprint, and to back it up via data and other evidence.

While not the winner of the Small Sustainable Practice last year, Alex Symes Architect’s success at last year’s Awards indicates why we should continue to place small practices on a pedestal.

Victorious in the Single Dwelling (Alteration) and Best of the Best categories for the well-renowned Pepper Tree Passive House (pictured), Symes and his modestly sized team constantly punches above their weight. It is certain that those who will be crowned as the winner of the Small Sustainable Practice category in the years to come will draw parallels to Symes’ operations.

We are delighted to bring Knauf on board as the inaugural Partner of the Small Sustainable Practice category in 2023. The global building materials company is inherently committed to sustainability, setting a number of targets to reduce emissions, utilise recycled materials and create better buildings. 

Knauf Insulation's ECOSE Technology, green roof solution Urbanscape and commitment to zero waste makes it the perfect Partner for the Small Sustainable Practice category, given it likely specifies for a number of firms that will be eligible for the award.

We are beyond excited to crown the inaugural winner of the Small Sustainable Practice category at the 2023 Sustainability Awards later this year. Know a practice or a person you believe is a perfect fit? We’d love to hear about it. Register here.