Developing sustainable luxury properties

Andrew Murray, Director of Morpheus Development

“I started in the construction business in my second-to-last year at school in 1988 when I persuaded a friend of my father to let me decorate his office block in the school holidays. It involved overseeing 14 people from my school to do it. Inspired by this, I later started full time painting, decorating, building, carpentry, electrics, plumbing – pretty much whatever needed doing.

“I asked an architect to let me pitch for the refurbishment of a completely derelict six-bedroom house in Stockwell, South London. Amazingly, he said yes and as this was a £500,000 job it provided me with a cushion. Then I met Richard Thirlby who had a significant rental portfolio in Mayfair and I started working with him on the renovation of his apartments.

“That was the start of a 12-year working relationship and gradually the jobs grew in scope, specification and cost. It culminated with the development of two of the most prestigious 5,000sq ft penthouses in the UK, at Avenfield House on London’s Park Lane. There has been a natural progression all the way through from the early days until now when we are undertaking major projects at the top end of the prime central London residential market.”

Changes in technology

“Currently we are building three Code for Sustainable Homes Level Three, contemporary in aspect, of around 4,000 square feet each in South Kensington’s Pond Place, central London. We acquired a site that we started to demolish in December 2009, and because it is outside any kind of conservation area, we have been quite bold with the look of the properties.

“Morpheus keeps abreast of changes in technology as they happen. The overall principles haven’t changed that much – rather, it is what you plug onto the end of the cable that has altered. At one point everything was going towards wifi, but we’ve actually gone back to wired solutions with wifi add-ons.

Clareville Street, London

“I was asked recently what is achievable by the mandated zero carbon 2016 target in terms of sustainable, eco-housing. Three years ago the building regulations changed sharply and with our three Clareville Street houses in London’s SW7, 25 per cent of our light fittings had to be from a low energy, sustainable source. The problem is that with regard to ceiling halogens, the low energy LED versions do not meet high-level client expectations.

“The challenge comes from aligning the available technology with the new legislation concerning sustainability. Often high enough quality products are not yet on the market and we have to wait for the products to catch up with what we need and our clients’ demands. With lighting, designers and suppliers are doing well to create within the constraints, and the products on offer are improving.”

“With our three houses in Pond Place we are looking to achieve Code Three, and we are looking into the cost and timing implications to reach Code Four. It is something we have set our sights on – Morpheus’ ethos is ‘Sustainable Luxury’ – but at the moment there are only a few instances where you can truly apply it. It is impractical to attempt one of the top levels of sustainability for the penthouses on Park Lane, for example – the building already exists, so to try and implant the radical technologies needed is not possible.

Sustainable luxury

“We have achieved the ISO 14001 accreditation which sets out requirements for an Environmental Management System (EMS) and this means that as a company we must have a sustainable approach to business.

“A current example is the 1960’s building we have demolished in Pond Place. We made sure that the demolition company had a solid recycling policy – they have recycled 90 per cent of the whole building. All our suppliers have to reflect the same ethos we work to, as we are measured on the sustainable credentials of our business partners. It is not just the end-user who might want sustainability – it applies to everybody up the chain.

“I went to three or four demolition companies and asked each one to outline their sustainability policy. Everybody is having to respond. The social awareness and understanding in the industry, as well as the regulations, are driving standards forward. You suddenly find yourself demanding, as I said, 90 percent demolition recycling or more.”

Lower the carbon footprint

“I would dearly love to see the next government take the VAT off the cost of sustainable building products – it would encourage anyone undertaking a refurbishment to afford things they would not normally consider, and by that same token you would lower the carbon footprint of the country as a whole.

Detail of the reception showing Park Lane view in the West penthouse of Avenfield House, Park Lane, London

“We should look overseas for inspiration – for example, the cost of refurbishment in France is just five per cent VAT. If the government did that here, they would boost the whole industry and it would encourage people to make their own properties more thermally- and eco-efficient. In addition, it is worth remembering that the construction industry is one of this country’s main employers.

“We would also call upon the Government to resolve the bureaucracy and red tape that exists for builders. Improvements need to be made in the Construction Industry Tax Scheme, which has effectively made the construction employer a tax collector. I cannot pay an employee, any of my on-site staff or sub-contractors without first having their identity and other details verified by the HMRC. I am then constrained by how I can pay the sub-contractor and I whether I need to collect a 20% tax directly for this before relaying it to the government.

“In the next 10 years Morpheus will be focussing very much on development management and on joint venture projects. Three years ago I decided to grow the senior management and bring in individuals with complimentary areas of expertise. Giles Green, Nick Hewson and I are now all responsible for taking the company forward into the next stages of its development.”

For more information, go to: www.morpheuspg.com