RISE Design Studio Blog: Modern Architecture & Design Insights | Sustainable architecture

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Backland Development - Turning Hidden Plots into Purposeful Places

by Sean Hill on Aug 10, 2025

A modern brick backland development designed by RISE Design Studio in London, featuring sustainable design, generous glazing, and landscaped gardens, showcasing how hidden plots can be transformed into high-quality homes that blend with their surroundings.

In the spaces most people overlook - behind houses, between gardens, down forgotten lanes - there is an untapped opportunity.

Topics: Sustainable architecture Backland Development

Building Within: The Sustainable Potential of Backland Development

by Sean Hill on Aug 6, 2025

Architectural rendering of three contemporary backland homes in Greenwich, designed by RISE Design Studio with curved brick forms, pitched roofs, and wildflower landscaping, showcasing sustainable urban infill development surrounded by mature trees and soft natural planting.

When people talk about development, the conversation often looks outward—towards green fields, new suburbs, and yet more concrete on untouched land. But what if the answers lie much closer to home?

Topics: Sustainable architecture Backland Development

Breathing New Life Into Old Walls: Extending Georgian Homes With Purpose

by Sean Hill on Aug 1, 2025

Rear view of a Georgian house with a contemporary copper-clad extension featuring large sliding glass doors, opening onto a minimalist garden terrace designed for low-energy living.

Georgian homes have a quiet kind of confidence. They don’t shout. They simply endure—with their symmetry, tall sash windows, and understated grace. Built during a time of enlightenment and elegance, these homes are more than just bricks and mortar—they are part of our cultural memory.

Topics: Sustainable architecture Georgian Extension

Tennis in an English Garden

by Imran Jahn on Jul 31, 2025

Aerial view of RISE Design Studio’s proposed new clubhouse at Elmwood Lawn Tennis Club in Kensal Rise, featuring a pitched roof, rooflights, outdoor seating, and landscaped gardens beside the tennis courts, designed for community use and low-energy performance.

Reimagining the Elmwood Lawn Tennis Club Pavilion

Topics: Sustainable architecture Tennis Pavilion Sustainable Tennis Pavilion

How to Retrofit a London Home to the EnerPHit Standard

by Imran Jahn on Jul 30, 2025

Rear view of a Victorian London home featuring a contemporary timber-clad extension with triple-glazed sliding doors, designed to EnerPHit standard for low energy use, airtightness, and sustainable performance while respecting the original architecture.

How EnerPHit retrofit principles are shaping London's low-carbon future

Topics: Building energy Sustainable architecture enerphit

Building on Brownfield in 2025

by Imran Jahn on Jul 26, 2025

Row of contemporary brick houses with pitched roofs and timber detailing, designed by RISE Design Studio on a redeveloped brownfield site, showcasing sustainable urban housing with landscaped frontages and integrated solar shading.

Why the Future of Housing Might Be Hiding in Plain Sight

Topics: Sustainable architecture Sustainable Affordable Homes Brownfield Development

Building from the Ground Up: How to Get Planning Permission for a New Build Home

by Sean Hill on Jul 22, 2025

Modern self-build home with brick and timber façade, large glazing, green roof, and landscaped approach. Designed with sustainable principles and planning sensitivity, showcasing low-energy architecture in a contemporary UK residential context.

How to secure planning permission for a new build or self-build home

Topics: Sustainable architecture New build New Build House

Building Better, Faster, Lighter

by Sean Hill on Jul 16, 2025

Factory setting showing timber-framed modular units under construction, highlighting the precision, efficiency, and sustainability of offsite housing methods.

How offsite manufacturing is reshaping sustainable architecture

Topics: Sustainable architecture Innovative Architecture Offsite manufacturing Modern Methods of Construction

Retrofit or Rebuild? The Developer’s Dilemma in a Carbon-Critical Age

by Sean Hill on Jul 16, 2025

A sustainably retrofitted brick building in London by RISE Design Studio, featuring arched windows, contemporary extensions, and a landscaped garden – showcasing the harmony between heritage architecture and modern low-energy design.

☉ In an era where buildings must do more with less – less carbon, less waste, less time – we find ourselves rethinking everything.

Topics: Sustainable architecture Retrofit New build Rebuild

A New Tennis Pavilion for the Next Chapter

by Sean Hill on Jul 14, 2025

Existing single-storey timber pavilion at Sutton Churches Tennis Club with corrugated metal roof and multiple windows, showing signs of age and wear, set against a cloudy blue sky.

We’ve just been appointed to design something quietly ambitious for Sutton Churches Tennis Club.

Topics: Sustainable architecture Sustainable Design sustainable materials sustainable structure Sustainable Tennis Pavilion

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