Our Mission

Our buildings hold decades, if not centuries, of value and will serve our communities into the future. More than 80% of the buildings that will exist in 2050 are already built.

But many are inefficient, draining energy, money, and social value. So, how do we prevent their decline or plan for a prosperous future?

Because of the complexities of adapting to changing use and the intrinsic challenges of maintenance and repair, few are taking steps to enhance these essential assets.

Eala is dedicated to reversing that trend.

We partner with organisations like yours to tackle building challenges and ensure a positive and sustainable future for communities.

Our data-backed recommendations provide long-lasting solutions.

Eala Impacts CIC (ˈalˠə) provide Building Condition (survey/holistic), Architectural (design/strategic) & Construction (procurement/long-term) services.

Our Approach

We are committed to bringing broad-impact success to your buildings and community. Here are a few key principles that guide our approach:

Utilise the Circular Economy

We prioritise resource efficiency; reducing waste and environmental impact while fostering sustainable development and collaboration among stakeholders.

Support the Doughnut Economy

Building development should be considered within social and ecological boundaries to ensure long-term prosperity.

Build frameworks of knowledge

We are actively helping our industry build frameworks of knowledge to ensure joined up thinking. Our clients benefit from our broad approach.

Make good data a bed-rock

We have helped co-design measurement systems and digital tools to enable sensible building practice putting us at the forefront of the construction industry. We believe that good data can create impactful and worthwhile change.

Collaboration is a multiplier

We believe that savings and efficiencies can be gained when we work together. Whether uniting disciplines, contractors, or buildings, we seek to find value for our clients in collaboration.

Build community wealth

Changes to our built environment must go hand in hand with changes to the distribution of wealth and power, putting both back into the hands of community.

We start where others finish

All our work starts at RIBA stage 7. Before considering construction and new-builds, we fully assess existing building use and current lifespan.

Conservation accredited

Buildings have a rich and complex history. We care about and understand how to preserve their legacy while preparing them for the future.

Buildings and places are connected

Many buildings are constructed collectively but sold or repaired individually. We consider buildings within their broader context and environment in order to assess their full impact and potential.

We prioritise lasting improvement

Sometimes the best architectural work is invisible. We prioritise a lasting and meaningful impact over visual acclaim.

Leading by example

Eala is a Community Interest Company (CIC). This means we are a not-for-profit social enterprise and are required to upload our social impact to Companies House each year.

We are a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) which means we can’t increase in value. We also added an asset lock, so no dividends are allowed to leave the company. Our profits are reinvested into our work and your success.

We pay ourselves a market salary, are a Living Wage and

4-day week employer.

As well as our competitive work, we do pro-bono work for communities and policy consultation.

As a CIC we have access to funding that keeps our practice cutting edge. We are actively involved in industry research and improvement programmes to help the construction industry.

Our Team

Joanne McClelland

Jo is an Accredited Conservation Architect with the RIBA. Jo’s twin passions of conservation and sustainability are shown in her work as well as memberships of the RIAS boards for both areas, as well as memberships of SEDA, SPAB and IHBC. Jo is the immediate past EAA President, a trustee of the RIAS, and Treasurer of the Edinburgh Building Retrofit & Improvement Collective. The Collective is a community support organisation to improve the relationship of people and their buildings in Edinburgh. She was responsible for the Edinburgh RIAS COP26 activities, including the steering group of SpACE – Space for Architecture Carbon and Environment. Jo is a tutor at the Edinburgh School of Architecture & Landscape Architecture (ESALA). Jo’s ability spans from masterplanning to detailing, social to commercial, and the global to the local. Full CV.

Aythan Lewes

Aythan is a Chartered Building Surveyor focused on how a knowledge of Building Physics and its intersection with triple bottom line sustainability can positively impact wider society. Aythan is currently a member of the RICS Scotland Sustainability Group and Chair of the Edinburgh Building Retrofit & Improvement Collective. Aythan was the sole Scottish representative in the group that re-drafted the RICS Whole Life Carbon Assessment Professional Statement. Aythan specialises in building pathology, condition surveys and analysis of building performance against the needs for triple bottom line outcomes from all built assets. This may take the form of maintenance planning, defects diagnosis and rectification, retrofit planning, material passports and pre-demolition audits. Aythan is also an experienced Project Manager, delivering rural diversification projects, large survey operations and complex contract management meeting a wide range of client and stakeholder aims including environmental and social outcomes. Full CV.

Our Community

Collective Communities

Edinburgh Building Retrofit & Improvement Collective: https://edinbric.scot

LOCO Home Retrofit https://locohome.coop/ Glasgow

Nesfit https://nesfit.org/ Aberdeenshire

Under One Roof https://underoneroof.scot/ Tenements across Scotland

Edinburgh Tool Library https://edinburghtoollibrary.org.uk/

Novoville https://novoville.com/home/shared-repairs/

We take our ideas and inspiration from a wide range of organisations, all of whom we’re grateful for going first, forging the way, and sharing their ideas freely with us.

Circular Economy Materials

ROTOR DC (Belgium) https://rotordc.com/

Resirqel (Norway) https://www.resirqel.no/

Concular (Germany) https://concular.de/

The Reuse People (US) https://thereusepeople.org/

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation on the Circular Economy: https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/

Move on Wood recycling (Scotland) https://moveonwood.org.uk/

Salvo (UK) https://www.salvoweb.com/

Plan A (Edinburgh) https://www.plan-a.scot/