Inspiration and Progress

The pace of change in the built environment over recent years has been nothing short of inspiring. We’ve had the opportunity to engage with increasingly complex design challenges – particularly through our early involvement with NABERS UK and the integration of the Design for Performance (DfP) framework into the UK market.

What makes this especially powerful is the way it allows Hilson Moran to draw on our long-standing, in-house expertise in simulation and data analytics. It enables us to play a part in a framework that rewards real-world, operational outcomes, aligning all stakeholders around a shared ambition to deliver measurable, meaningful building performance.

That said, it’s not always about complexity. Some of the most effective solutions have come from simple, common-sense thinking, enabled by close collaboration and continued engagement throughout a project’s lifecycle.

What is NABERS UK?

NABERS UK is a performance-based rating system for commercial buildings, adapted from the successful Australian model (a national, government supported initiative). It assesses and verifies a building’s operational energy use, providing a star-rating that’s easy to understand for all parties, as well as being highly relevant to specific buildings and their components.

As part of the Design for Performance initiative, NABERS UK promotes in depth simulation and analysis during the design phase. This enables design teams to identify opportunities, reduce risk, and make informed choices that will impact how a building will perform once operational. Crucially, these plans and simulations are independently reviewed, helping ensure that targets set in design can be delivered in use, and safeguarding the credibility of the rating system.

Our Contributions

At Hilson Moran, we’ve taken on a variety of roles across NABERS UK projects, including Independent Design Reviewer (IDR) and Tuning Consultant. Through this work, as well as our contributions to CIBSE working groups and wider industry initiatives, we’ve developed a well-rounded perspective that enhances every project we are involved in.

Our team has been key in reviewing design stages, interrogating simulation data, and applying insights from operational buildings to help ensure buildings meet—or exceed—NABERS UK expectations. This includes analysing metered data to establish accurate ratings based on actual building performance.

Project Success

We’ve drawn on our legacy of high-performance building analysis -such as our early work on the iconic 30 St Mary Axe – to contribute to some of NABERS UK’s flagship projects.

Another standout example is British Land’s 1 Broadgate. One of the UK’s first, pioneering NABERS projects, it was the first to receive an independently reviewed DfP certification. Our involvement spanned simulation, tenant integration, and risk analysis—demonstrating the importance of early and ongoing engagement across stakeholders.

We’re now building on this success with even more ambitious projects, such as a 75,000 sq ft office within the St Helens Town Centre Masterplan, which is targeting a 5.5-star NABERS rating. Our expertise in operational buildings and building management systems (BMS) has proven invaluable enabling us to support buildings from design through to operation.

We’re also applying our knowledge to refurbishments, such as YY London, where constraints are often more complex but with the potential to make a real impact. Here, tailored solutions as well as heritage and contextual understanding are vital.

Looking Ahead

Our work with NABERS UK reflects Hilson Moran’s commitment to sustainable performance and technical excellence, as well as an understanding of the latest tools and thinking across the built environment. We continue to collaborate with clients, tenants, and project teams to deliver buildings that don’t just meet expectations but exceed them.

This ongoing dedication is helping push the boundaries of what’s possible, project by project, driving both environmental impact and long-term value for our clients.

We continue to offer our Independent Design Review service by being one of 10 NABERS UK IDR Panel Members.