FBM are a Passivhaus practice with over 25 years’ experience in the design and construction of low-energy, sustainable buildings.

FBM Architects believe that fantastic architecture makes a positive difference to people’s lives. This is the inspiration that drives all that we do. We are an award-winning practice working for leading clients on a variety of exiting projects. Most of our work has originated through some form of competition. We have experience in delivering housing, from bespoke one-off homes to social housing. Recent projects include the regeneration of Pembury Circus in Hackney, providing new homes (50% affordable housing) and a community centre for Peabody. We have expertise in Passivhaus design. Our Passivhaus retrofit of a family home on the Thamesmead Estate was named in the Guardian as one of the top ten ‘eco homes’ in the UK. Our £29m sustainable refurbishment of the Cockcroft Building for the University of Brighton was named Higher Education Project of the Year in the AJ Retrofit Awards. We have a track record working within the arts and culture sector and with forward-thinking organisations whose success relies on innovation. Completed projects include the Museum of the Mind and Bethlem Gallery – the first venue dedicated to the history of mental health treatment in the UK.

We have completed numerous projects for organisations within the knowledge economy, including flexible high-performance workspaces for IBM and state of the art places to learn for the London School of Economics and other leading universities. Our New Science Building at the University of East Anglia in Norwich was named 2020 BIM Project of the Year. We have expert knowledge in the retrofit of post-war residential and education buildings and designed one of the top four Retrofit for the Future houses, achieving an 80% energy reduction. We transform large university buildings using innovative sustainable measures that radically improve the learning environment and have also designed Code Level 5 & 6 houses and BREEAM Excellent offices. We always look to adopt fabric-first measures that will deliver excellent results without the need for complex controls or high maintenance. In repurposing the Cockcroft Building at the University of Brighton, one of the largest retrofits of an occupied academic building in the UK, we transformed a building designed for the Atomic Age into a research environment for the Information Age. An innovative approach integrating architectural, building services and structural design has unlocked the environmental potential of the 10,500 m² building and enhanced this with the latest technology, including an aquifer thermal energy store. These measures are predicted to achieve a 57% reduction in energy demand, 59% reduction in CO² emissions and fuel savings of £82,000 each year. The highly ambitious project at Wolvercote Road aimed to refurbish a pre-cast concrete panel terrace house in the Thamesmead Estate, South-East London. The team created an innovative, robust and replicable refurbishment solution, which cut 80% of the dwellings carbon emissions, achieving high levels of comfort at attractive costs. The property was transformed from a four bedroom hard-to-treat property into a six bedroom super-insulated home supporting a 7-person family. The scheme includes external cladding, triple glazing and high levels of air tightness. Fresh air is provided by a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery (MVHR). Ten photovoltaic (PV) panels and a vacuum tube collector on the roof provide renewable electricity and water heating. A gas boiler is provided to meet the peak heating load. A key innovation is a highly-insulated solar-air heater containing a super-insulating aerogel cover integrated into the external insulation on the south facade that pre-heats the MVHR intake air.

FBM is a RIBA Certified Practice.