Latest news with #ECOnsult
CairoScene
21-05-2025
- Business
- CairoScene
Woman-Led Firm ECOnsult Turns Local Sustainability Into Global Impact
From carbon-neutral homes to corporate green buildings, ECOnsult is proving that sustainable design is within reach. We no longer ask, Why go green? The real question is, Why not? This shift in mindset - this urgency - is at the heart of ECOnsult, Egypt's pioneering force in sustainable architecture. Founded in 2013 by Sarah El Battouty, a climate entrepreneur who refused to accept the status quo, the company has proven that affordability and sustainability can coexist. For over a decade, ECOnsult has been altering Egypt's built environment, project by project. At a time when green design was dismissed as an expensive luxury, the company took a different approach - one rooted in practicality, innovation and deep environmental responsibility. 'Sustainable design is at the core of what we do, bridging the gap between climate responsiveness, affordability, and accessibility,' Sarah El Battouty, founder of ECOnsult, tells SceneHome. 'A 'green' building is a building that, through environmental design, seeks to lower its environmental impact and maximize social and economic value over its whole life-cycle - from design, construction, operations, and maintenance, to renovation and demolition.' Architectural education for El Battouty has always been more than just a foundation—it's a guiding force. After earning her bachelor's degree from Cambridge, she continued to push the academic envelope with a master's in Climate Policy and Project Management from SOAS in London, where she began to reimagine the boundaries between academia and real-world practice. 'I wish to see more integrated environmental and social education across all fields,' she shares. 'So future generations can approach global challenges with holistic, not siloed, thinking.' That vision continues to shape her path today. As a board member of the American Chamber of Commerce Cairo, an advisor for AUC Architecture, and a fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, El Battouty blurs the lines between disciplines. Through ECOnsult, she brings that same methodical, mission-driven approach—designing not just buildings, but strategies, systems, and advocacy for better livelihoods. As the first Egyptian architect nominated for the Earthshot Prize, Sarah El Battouty put ECOnsult at the forefront of climate innovation. Her influence goes beyond design, championing women in sustainability on Egypt's National Council for Women and driving impact across African communities, earning recognition from King Charles' Commonwealth Entrepreneurs Initiative. Ranked among the 100 Most Impactful Women in Climate and recognized alongside visionary designers like Sir Norman Foster, Stella McCartney, Anna Heringer, and Francis Kéré, she proves that true power lies in rooted, local practices. For her, architecture isn't just about buildings, it's about people, progress, and a thriving planet. ECOnsult's defining moment came in 2020 with North Africa's first Carbon Neutral Residential project, a breakthrough in sustainable design that achieved a 10-degree temperature reduction without mechanical cooling. Recognised by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Ashden, the project proved that green architecture wasn't just about cutting emissions - it was about transforming daily life in an era of rising temperatures. That vision extended beyond individual homes to entire communities. In Royal Herbs Village, deep in Egypt's Western Desert, where summer temperatures soar past 50°C, ECOnsult took on a challenge few dared to attempt: designing rural homes that could remain cool without costly, energy-draining air conditioning. The solution wasn't high-tech - it was smart. Local materials replaced energy-intensive alternatives, airflow was redesigned for maximum ventilation, and shaded courtyards became essential living spaces. On a 4,200 sqm plot, the practice built a self-sustaining complex of eight structures, housing 120 people, including workers, engineers and visitors. The village included a cafeteria, a clinic, meeting and training rooms, and a worship area, all designed to function efficiently in extreme conditions. Royal Herbs Village became the MENA region's first Carbon Neutral project, proving that resilience doesn't have to come at the cost of comfort. The impact was global. ECOnsult's work set a new benchmark for climate-responsive rural development, earning international recognition. Among its milestones was the world's first Green Communities Certification by the World Green Building Council. El Battouty's influence extended beyond design. As a senior advisor to the Egyptian President since 2014 and a UNFCCC Global Ambassador, she has positioned herself at the crossroads of policy and practice. 'With the largest portfolio of environmental and green transitions for Egypt's largest corporations, ECOnsult is also dedicated to advocacy, addressing how the building sector can further mitigate emissions and adapt to local needs. A women-led company, ECOnsult is now making accessible and affordable green buildings in Egypt,' El Battouty says. Innovation is embedded in every aspect of ECOnsult's portfolio. From the Pavilion Café in Italy, constructed using discarded refrigerating casings and waste wood, to Banque Misr's green-certified branch in Egypt, ECOnsult has consistently proven that sustainable solutions can be both high-impact and cost-effective. 'Climate action in the building sector is no longer optional; architecture for better livelihoods is now an integral part of all business growth,' El Battouty adds. Photography Credit: ECOnsult
Arab News
11-02-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Sustainable living should focus on comfort over beauty, says climate-focused architect
RIYADH: Architects need to shift their focus toward comfortable, climate-friendly designs rather than reaching for the stars with often unsustainable skyscrapers, said Sarah El-Battouty, founder of ECOnsult at a conference in Riyadh. According to El-Battouty, who is also a UN Climate Change High-Level Champions global ambassador, buildings are the most used product on Earth, so modern designs must reflect modern needs. 'Everything is moving forward — machines, products, food, communication — except buildings,' she said. ECOnsult, an Egypt-based architecture company specializing in green building and environmental strategy, developed the People's Brief, which examines the essential components people need in daily living. At the top of that list is comfort. 'We're no longer building things to impress. The future is to get the one target that is very difficult to achieve,' she said. 'I know it sounds simplistic, but it's really difficult to get people to sleep well, to feel firmer comfort when they're not too cold or too hot, to predict what is happening in the near future and accommodate the changes in seasonality, and fit all of that into an affordable, accessible, scalable, repeatable building.' The next step, she said, is integrating sustainable development goals into people's homes and using that foundation to design climate-resilient communities. Two years ago, ECOnsult introduced the Green Guidelines document, a set of standards for green architecture in rural, low-income communities. 'No one is sitting and figuring out how they're going to put these very advanced concepts and apply them to a completely different client… and whether these building technologies are actually scalable in rural communities.' El-Battouty emphasized the need for a direct connection between technology, forecasting, and accessible adaptation strategies, making them usable for everyone rather than a select few. Today, ECOnsult has developed the first World Green Building Council-certified small villages for green economies in Egypt. Five villages have been built so far, housing a total population of 500,000 in energy-, water-, and habitat-saving environments. By localizing goals and understanding the client, available technology at small scales has made a tremendous impact, El-Battouty said. ECOnsult has also built the first net-zero rural communities project in the Middle East and North Africa region: a mosque. Constructed from recycled brick and rammed earth and powered entirely by solar energy, the mosque's architecture supports 90 percent water recycling, material reduction, construction waste recycling, and the use of local materials. Governments worldwide are committing to net-zero pledges, such as Saudi Arabia's goal of achieving 50 percent renewable power by 2030 on its path to net-zero emissions by 2050. Developers in both the architectural and finance sectors are exploring green buildings and energy; however, 'why does it have to begin with the most expensive, large-scale?' El-Battouty asked. 'We are not there yet. We need to perfect this scale. 'Anyone who works in mitigation or quality assurance can understand that small is beautiful because you can test it,' she said. In most of ECOnsult's projects, they have achieved up to 10-degree cooling without mechanical assistance. With fresh air, adequate lighting control, stone, and strategic color usage, much can be accomplished affordably, El-Battouty noted. 'We need to use technologies that partner in informing us: today is a very hot day, your building is not doing well, I will adjust.' Some of the company's other projects include the Pavilion Café in Italy, a net-zero building constructed entirely from discarded refrigerator casings and waste food. Another project is a nursery/kindergarten in China, designed to combat outside air pollution by eliminating plastic casings, placing floor tiles on the ceiling, and ensuring an airtight structure. Royal Herbs Village is also the first carbon-neutral project in the Middle East and North Africa region. Located on a 4,200-sq.-meter plot in the Western Desert, where temperatures can reach up to 50 degrees Celsius, eight buildings have been constructed to accommodate 120 people in a complex that operates without energy-intensive air conditioning units. Other projects include a net-zero vocational school repurposed from an old structure using affordable local materials and a model for efficient tiny homes tailored to suit local climates. Rather than relying solely on advanced technology to solve the climate crisis, El-Battouty stressed that the real solution, with high market return and economic value, lies in catering to local communities. 'We're not innovators. Villages and people have been building for thousands of years, understanding exceptionally well what to do in the winter, what to do in drought. Otherwise, they wouldn't have survived. 'Our job is to integrate all of this so we don't come out on one end, isolated in a much smaller market, and then clap for ourselves that we have succeeded in changing the way we are building.' A small company with only 20 employees, ECOnsult has been working closely with the Saudi government, particularly in relation to UNCCD COP16, as well as with the Scottish government at the Glasgow climate conferences, to introduce climate-friendly and people-centric architecture into modern buildings and city plans.
