Designscape came second in a European wide competition for the new £20m headquarters for the Soil Association on the Harbourside site in Bristol. The design sought to put the building users first and create a healthy and respectful workplace which would reflect the core values of the charity: A work environment for ‘free range’ employees. The proposal demonstrated a holistic approach to environmental design by minimising energy usage, using low embodied energy materials and maximising the passive energy potential of the site. This was an opportunity to design a prototype office building fit for the future and the ideas generated are relevant to many situations. We look forward to putting these into practice in future projects.