News | Arboreal Architecture

Planning permission granted for Cadogan!

28.01.26

We are delighted to announce that Arboreal Architecture has recently been granted planning permission for an exciting retrofit project near the beautiful Victoria Park.

This project reflects our ongoing commitment to thoughtful, sustainable design and sensitive retrofit work within established urban contexts.

If you are considering a retrofit or require support with a planning application, please get in touch to find out how we can help guide your project toward a successful planning outcome.

More info about the project here.

How do you future-proof pioneering architecture without losing its spirit?

26.01.26

Segal-method self-build homes were radical in their time, but today they typically fall short of modern energy standards. Their "dry" construction can lead to draughts, heat loss and ageing materials, with insulation and membranes often nearing the end of their life.

Built in the 1980s using Walter Segal’s innovative self-build system, this home on Walters Way, SE23 3LH, London was always designed to evolve. The flexible, modular timber structure allowed residents to adapt and extend their homes as needs changed - a principle that remains central to the site’s identity.

Arboreal Architecture has retrofitted the house to the Passivhaus standard, dramatically improving thermal performance while respecting the original design intent. The upgrade enhances comfort, reduces energy demand and remains entirely in keeping with the ethos of the Segal Method.

Walters Way is locally listed, recognised for its architectural and social significance - and for the fact that alteration and adaptation are integral to its original concept.

Get in touch for your architectural journey with us!

Let's talk about waste - because the construction industry is broken.

21.01.26

In the UK, construction creates 59% of all waste. More than four times that of households. This isn’t a recycling problem - it’s a design problem. Reuse Flat proves another way is possible. Instead of demolishing and dumping, we designed for reuse. A new interior lining upgrades airtightness and thermal comfort while transforming the space - built from reclaimed wood, cotton insulation made from recycled jeans, and assembled with no glue. Every fixing is reversible. Every material has a future. Nothing was treated as waste. Bricks, concrete and timber became a living gabion garden wall. The old floor became wall lining. Windows became a glazed partition. The granite worktop was re-polished and reused.

Power and lighting are surface-mounted, exposed and honest - designed to be removed, reused and reconfigured. The results? Airtightness meets new-build standards. Thermal performance is 30% better than regulations. From 20m³ of “waste” (250 bin bags): • 43% reused on site • Almost everything else recycled • Just 3 bin bags sent to landfill. In construction: • 22% of materials came from the existing building • 57% came from reused sources. The finished flat is a material bank. 89% of materials can be reused, 10% recycled, only 1% waste.

Design for disassembly. Design for reuse. Design like resources matter. Get in touch if you want to make a difference in your design or construction work.