This month, Andrew Tam, Associate at Gort Scott, joined Sarah Le Gresley and Emily Herbert on Michelmersh’s Forming the Future podcast to discuss the intersection of architecture and climate change.

The conversation explored the environmental impact of design decisions, the challenge of collecting robust data for whole life carbon assessment, and why sustainability must be embedded from the outset. It also touched on future homes standards, circularity, retrofit, biodiversity, and the behavioural changes needed to reduce carbon across the built environment.

Thank you to the Michelmersh team for the invitation and for creating space for such an important discussion on how we can help form a better future.

Visit Michelmersh.co.uk to listen to the podcast.

Maximising the benefit to local communities has always been central to how we design and deliver our projects.

Our Social Value Strategy sets out how we embed this thinking into our practice — not as a compliance exercise, but as a genuine expression of how we work. It is both a practical guide for project teams and a shared statement of intent: a commitment to ensuring that every project creates meaningful, lasting benefit for people and communities.

The strategy standardises our approach across the practice, creates a baseline against which all projects can be assessed, and ensures it is applicable to every project, regardless of scale.

We are interested in asking how we can do more. One key action lies in asking better questions earlier, listening carefully, and measuring what matters. Social value is not simply an ‘add-on’ at the end of a project — it is part of how we think and what we choose to take on.

The strategy also outlines how we track progress and remain accountable, for example through Impact Reviews, which provide a structured forum to identify risks and issues relating to impacts on people and planet, while exploring opportunities to maximise social value. It also includes post-occupancy evaluation and costing social value activities as a practice investment.

Launching this strategy during B Corp Month reflects the connection between our values and our actions, and our commitment to continually improving the positive impact of our practice.
 

Sela-Jaymes Taylor has been appointed to the Oxford Design Review Panel, an independent body that provides expert design advice to support high quality development across the city. As part of the panel, she will contribute her expertise during the pre-application review process, helping to guide projects within Oxford’s sensitive and historic urban context.

Sela is an experienced Specialist Conservation Architect whose work spans complex regeneration, housing and community focused projects. She brings a strong commitment to design excellence, sustainability and placemaking. These values align closely with the Oxford Design Review Panel’s mission to promote well considered architecture, public realm and landscape design throughout the city.

She joins a multidisciplinary group of leading built environment practitioners who support thoughtful, sustainable growth and champion design quality that benefits local communities across Oxford.

We’re pleased that The Portman Estate Head Office has been shortlisted for the BCO Regional Awards 2026, in the Fit-Out category for projects up to 2,500m².

Shaped through close staff collaboration, the Marylebone workspace sets a low carbon benchmark for future commercial developments across the Estate. Low carbon and high recycled content materials – including Scandinavian redwood stud partitions, wood fibre insulation, clayboard and clay plaster – reduce embodied carbon while creating a warm, natural interior. 

The design balances openness with functionality, supporting hybrid, remote and in person working. A varied mix of spaces includes large meeting rooms, call booths and a flexible café style area suited to collaboration and events. The layout retains distant views to Hyde Park and incorporates curved corners that subtly reference the building’s Art Deco heritage.

The project was visited by the BCO Awards Judging Panel and the London Regional Awards will take place in April.