Design and sustainability

Good design is an important part of making places successful. This involves giving people the opportunity to live in buildings that suit their circumstances throughout their lifetime. It also means adapting existing buildings to our changing climate and helping residents to reduce their energy consumption and save money.

Here you'll find guidance and expertise from projects setting new standards in design and environmental sustainability and advice about what needs to be delivered for projects we're helping to fund. This includes details on our design standards.

There are resources that can help you to build carbon management into everything you do, whether it’s improving energy efficiency in buildings, creating green spaces in cities or connecting rural areas through affordable transport links.

See what we're doing to promote sustainable development, including the Carbon Challenge

Find out more about the Government’s priorities for building regulations and sustainability, including measures to improve the energy efficiency of buildings