Riverside Sunderland

Expedition provided comprehensive sustainability and energy consultancy for Sunderland’s largest urban regeneration programme, transforming the city centre and Riverside into a model for low-carbon living. From the outset, we worked closely with the client team to establish a clear Sustainability Vision and Framework that underpins every aspect of the masterplan.

Collaborating with architects Proctor Matthews, Faulkner Browns and Mawson Kerr, we embedded sustainability requirements within the design codes and detailed plans for the first-phase Vaux site.

With the energy sector undergoing a significant transformation, the introduction of net zero targets marked a major shift in design priorities. We undertook detailed analysis to assess these evolving requirements, exploring innovative materials, systems, and renewable technologies, including, at the time, innovative ambient loop communal networks.

Through detailed energy and sustainability statements, we ensured all planning requirements were met while supporting the client’s ambitions for outstanding urban design and architecture. This approach created a strong foundation for embedding sustainability principles across all future development phases.

Our work included securing additional funding to deliver high-performing low-carbon homes, including our Homes England Home of 2030 competition winning design ‘+ home’, which will form part of the Future Living Expo.

This collaboration with igloo builds on our award-winning design research and demonstrates how sustainable innovation can move from prototype to reality, creating a blueprint for inclusive, low-carbon urban regeneration.