Sustainability at Bluum: Built In, Not Bolted On

Dream: setting the brief with reuse in mind

We begin by understanding your ambitions, but we also look hard at what’s already in the building. Flooring, glazing, doors, lighting, furniture – we audit what can be retained, refurbished or rehomed before new is considered.

Design: specifying for people, planet and performance

In design, we balance creativity with more responsible choices. That means FSC-certified and PEFC timber, low-VOC paints, energy-efficient lighting and UK-based manufacturers wherever possible to cut transport emissions. Layouts are planned for modularity and future adaptability, so next time you need to flex the space, you don’t need another full strip-out.

Deliver: controlling waste and carbon on site

On site, our teams work with vetted waste carriers who divert materials from landfill as standard. Furniture and fixtures are sorted for reuse, refurbishment or donation, rather than treated as a single waste stream. Partners like Milliken support carpet-tile takeback across multiple manufacturers, turning a traditional high-waste item into a circular one.

Develop: protecting value over the long term

Once you’re in, we stay close. As headcount, technology and ways of working change, we focus on reconfiguration rather than replacement – adapting meeting rooms, furniture layouts or zones instead of ripping everything out. That protects both carbon and capex over the life of the lease.

“We always start by seeing what can be retained from an existing fit-out. It’s the first question we ask, not the last.”

Neil, Project Manager

Real projects, real outcomes

Sustainability isn’t an ambition for “one day”. It’s visible in the projects going live now.

At Pinsent Masons, we worked with Milliken’s takeback scheme during a major carpet replacement: 16 floors of tiles were uplifted and diverted entirely from landfill, with material donated into a social housing programme. The client refreshed their workspace while supporting wider community outcomes.

At Red Brick Road, the brief was all about character. We retained the existing reception desk, re-used key furniture pieces – including a table made from beams from Nelson’s warship – and integrated existing lighting into the new scheme. The result was a distinctive workspace with a significantly lower material footprint than a complete replacement.

Across recent schemes, we’ve diverted 100% of uplifted carpet from landfill where takeback schemes are available, and we’re now starting to track reuse and diversion volumes across other material streams so clients can see the impact in black and white.

The practices that matter

On a Bluum project, sustainability shows up in practical, repeatable ways:

• Reusing and repurposing existing doors, glazing, partitions and furniture wherever viable
• Auditing furniture and fixtures, then donating surplus items to charities and social projects
• Specifying certified timber, recycled content materials and low-VOC finishes
• Choosing UK-based and local suppliers to cut transport emissions and support local economies
• Working with waste partners who divert construction and strip-out waste away from landfill
• Designing for flexibility – modular layouts, reconfigurable zones and furniture that can move with you
• Starting to measure reuse and diversion so clients can see the benefit in clear, simple metrics

These aren’t one-off gestures. They’re becoming the baseline for how we deliver workspaces.

Looking ahead

We know expectations are rising – from ESG teams, investors and the people who use the space every day. That’s why we’re moving in three directions at once:

• Building out a simple, robust sustainability playbook that underpins every Bluum project
• Strengthening partnerships with circular suppliers and waste specialists so we can do more, faster
• Exploring formal standards such as ISO as a way of locking in and evidencing the way we already work

The market will keep shifting, and so will we. Sustainability isn’t something we “add in” when it’s requested. It’s becoming part of the way Bluum thinks – about briefs, about budgets and about what a successful project looks like over the life of a building.

If you’re looking to transform a space – and want to know it’s been done with care for people, planet and long-term value – we’d be glad to talk. Designing for what’s next, not just day one. That’s Bluum.