The Social Objective

The Arkitrek Social Objective is; “To Conserve Nature Through Design and Education.” In practical terms this means that we practice sustainable design with the following core principles, and our designs are known for their innovation with materials, a light touch on the land and a strong connection to nature:

Energy
We believe that all buildings should become renewable energy power stations, either connected to a smart grid or stand-alone. We minimise embodied energy by recyling both structures and building materials, and by using natural building materials.

Natural Resources
A natural ecosystem recycles matter endlessly with very little wastage. This is our cue for the construction materials and the water used in buildings. Cradle-to-cradle design and natural composition-decomposition cycles will both ensure that materials and water are made available to be re-used, whilst avoiding waste and pollution.

Prosperity
Our buildings create meaningful employment, keep people healthy and protect indigenous cultures. We practice architecture to support resilient communities. Where sustainable building materials are not available we create the capacity in local communities to produce them.

Ownership
We try to influence building ownership models to generate benefits for the commons.

We measure our social impact both directly through the resources that our building designs consume and indirectly by how communities are engaged in construction projects. Arkitrek is about a holistic approach to building design, which brings long term benefits to both people and nature.

Further reading:
The Arkitrek Manifesto is a statement of our values written in 2011.
The Nitty Gritty on Social Enterprise is an article about our corporate structure and comment on social enterprise models.
The Arkitrek Principles of Sustainable Design are how we integrate our work with with our values.