Cagni Williams Associates launches Cagni Williams Energy on the back of a groundbreaking community energy project in South Kensington, London, UK.
Cagni Williams Associates has launched a sister practice Cagni Williams Energy, to focus on project decarbonization, particularly decarbonising dense urban areas. The practice believes this is the first time an architectural studio has set up a sister company dedicated exclusively to energy and decarbonising the built environment, new or existing.
The Cagni Williams Energy team offers research-based innovation, technical expertise and a practical approach to providing the best, most effective energy solutions for refurbishment, repurposing and retrofit projects and new built projects.
The practice is currently working on The Sidney Street Heat Network, a pilot project that will decarbonise a dense London area while providing more affordable energy for residents. The project offers connections from a ground source bore hole ambient loop to the heat pumps in homes and the stakeholder’s technical facility. It relies on boreholes dug deep beneath the public highway, connected via an ambient loop heat network enabling multiple buildings to share renewable energy efficiently. It is a system that could be rolled out across the UK to decarbonise millions of homes. As far as the team can tell, this is the first time a scheme like this has been approved for an existing city centre area. The project is strongly supported by RBKC’s deputy leader Kim Taylor-Smith who believes community heat networks are the future for dense urban areas. (see more information below).
Cagni Williams Energy provides dedicated support to clients with ambitious decarbonisation goals. It brings together the best specialists to empower developers, community groups, local authorities, and homeowners with practical and implementable solutions to decarbonise their projects. From designing ambient loop heat networks for local communities to crafting comprehensive energy plans for homes and estates, the team’s on the ground experience, hands-on approach and innovative thinking is dedicated to decarbonising buildings and urban areas, delivering solutions that are sensible, effective and in the long term, cheaper.
For over ten years the firm has implemented progressive energy strategies to decarbonise all projects, see here, Cagni Williams Energy is embarking on a journey of decarbonation energy and climate conscious clients and communities. Cagni Williams Energy is founded on the principles of collaboration, knowledge sharing and working in partnership.
Cagni Williams Associates has always worked hard to make our projects carbon-neutral. At the end of 2024 it successfully completed the Sidney Street Heat Network feasibility study in collaboration with Genius Energy Lab and Kensa.
The Sidney Street Heat Network project decarbonises a dense central London city area while providing affordable energy and helping the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea meet their net-zero goals. This innovative urban project is designed to provide heating and cooling for 300 homes plus a variety of other stakeholders, hospitals, church, school, late living homes. The project offers connections from a ground source bore hole ambient loop to the heat pumps in both homes and the stakeholder’s technical facility. The system relies on over 140 deep boreholes beneath the public highway, connected via an ambient loop heat network. This pioneering solution allows multiple buildings to share renewable energy efficiently, drastically reducing reliance on fossil fuels. The project’s design supports a long-term vision for decarbonising the UK’s 25 million existing homes.
Beyond technical design the project includes stakeholder engagement and project coordination, ensuring the scheme’s feasibility and successful implementation. By integrating sustainability into every aspect, the Sydney Street & District Heat Network represents a scalable blueprint for future community-based heat networks.
