Sustainability
We’re Proud To Be A B Corp
In March 2023, Cumulus Studio became only the second Tasmanian-owned business to become a B Corp.
As a B Corp certified architecture firm, we’re part of a globally recognised community of businesses that meets high standards of social, cultural and environmental corporate governance. Our B Corp certification verifies the impact that we are making through environmentally-friendly architecture and sustainable building practices, and provides a framework by which to measure our impact, as well as a pathway for continuous improvement.
How did we do it?
B Corp certification requires a rigorous assessment process by certifying body B Lab.
Our existing commitment to protocols and certifications, including ISO certifications (Environmental Management Systems, Quality Management Systems, and Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems), a Trace-measured carbon-positive assessment, and our own Sustainability and Reconciliation Action Plans, simplified our B Corp certification process. Similarly, the various working groups in which we invest to educate, empower and advocate for our staff, demonstrate our commitment to creating a positive workplace as we work towards Net Zero as a company by 2030.
To maintain our B Corp certification, we must undertake a thorough assessment and verification process every three years to demonstrate that we continue to meet B Lab’s standards, which are themselves always improving, with ongoing input from external stakeholders.
B Corp certification does not mean that a company is perfect, nor that it has yet achieved its highest impact. It does demonstrate that it is part of a global community of businesses who are committed to meeting rising standards for social, cultural and environmental performance.
Environmental Design
‘Sustainability is not just about doing less harm, it’s also about doing more good.’ - Jochen Zeitz, philanthropist and sustainability champion
We understand that architecture is an important part of a more sustainable and responsible future, and can shape how our communities interact with the built and natural environment. We consistently aim to find project-specific approaches to ensure the right sustainability outcomes are delivered.
Embedding these principles into the fabric of our business helps to refine our design choices, and encourages open conversation on sustainable solutions to promote positive changes across our industry. Buildings should tread lightly, be robust and resilient to the impacts of climate change, and aim to reduce carbon emissions throughout their life cycles. We rigorously review our projects and designs to ensure we select materials that are low in embodied carbon, and healthy for the environment and users.
As a business, we constantly seek the improvement of our internal operations, looking for innovative solutions to minimise our impact on the environment. In addition to our B Corp certification processes, our Environmental Management System working group, run by our dedicated Sustainability Lead, manages and maintains our frameworks, and provides sustainability support to the greater team.
At the project inception stage, we create a Sustainability Strategy to create the sustainability road map for each project, to be implemented during all project phases. The most important phase is the first phase, where all the key decisions are made.
Our Sustainability Action Plan outlines our commitments towards a more sustainable and equitable practice, and sets performance benchmarks to design and build better than the minimum legal requirements of the National Construction Code.
As architects and designers, we understand that all projects, both and unbuilt, have a relationship with Country. As defined by a Ngunnawal Elder Jude Barlow, Country is everything. It’s family, it's life, it's connection. It is a complex system that combines aspects of culture, land, the environment, and identity.
At Cumulus we endeavour to create meaningful architecture and support experiences that have a positive and lasting impact on both people and place. Our core business value of accountability instils a studio-wide practice of acknowledging, supporting, and collaborating with First Nation Australians to develop built outcomes that nurture and celebrate the continuation of centuries of cultures on Country.
Engaging with, learning from, and celebrating First Nation Australians is, to put it plainly, good business. A process of shared benefit that has deeply enriched our work, broadened our thinking, and created outcomes that sit outside the colonial cannon, ones that represent the possibilities and what we believe to be the future of Australian architecture. A built environment that is inclusive and empowered by the many and varied narratives that inform our shared history.
During the project inception stage, we implement an information gathering process whereby we seek to gain an overarching understanding of the possibilities of the site. During this process we aim to work directly with local Aboriginal representatives, communities, and organisations, to ensure that First Nations perspectives inform our designs. This working relationship can inform the project outcome in various ways including but not limited to; conceptual co-design, integrating cultural narratives and knowledge with aboriginal co-authors, traditional land management, re-establishing or maintaining native/endemic habitat, and sensitive and strategic design approaches to important cultural places and stories.
Our studio is committed to embedding a cultural and Caring for Country lens through our Reconciliation Action Plan. For us, the document will help guide our work to create meaningful change in this space.