Architect and TV presenter Charlie Luxton has claimed a lack of incentivisation and ambition by Government is stifling the success of sustainable design.

Although he refuted any suggestion sustainability was still a counter culture, Luxton commented it’s “not very well executed” in mainstream building design.

Having become interested in sustainability at the age of 19, Luxton says people still don’t seem to understand or be prepared to take short-term sacrifices for long-term gains.

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He believes there is still a training requirement in the architectural and design community but believes Government must also play a greater role in incentivising sustainable buildings.

Charlie Luxton and his wife Kate welcomed the press into their Cotswolds home for the launch of Franke’s stainless steel worktops in the UK

Speaking to one side, at the launch of Franke UK’s stainless steel worktops, Luxton said within building control documents there was a “staggering lack of ambition” to improve sustainability.

He continued stating the reason was because building control is process driven not outcome driven, as he explained: “No-one ever asks how much water are you actually using? They say you can’t use that tap or that shower and the day you walk in, you can change it [the fittings]”.

Luxton added: “We need to create incentives within the system to make it more sustainable.”

He pointed to the possibility of escalating electricity tariffs which would increase in price over a set target, so people would be penalised for excessive water use.

Luxton adds: “There’s a lack of incentivisation in cost structure. If the Government was more clever with the way it did taxation, it would make people do the right thing. We need to nudge, far more, towards sustainability.”