Catherine Sinclair

Head of Research at SPACE Architects

Architect, Passivhaus Designer, and Head of Research at SPACE Architects, Catherine Sinclair leads the practice’s pioneering work in whole-life carbon reduction. Her research and leadership are helping redefine how architects approach design in the context of the climate emergency, bridging academic rigour with practical application in the studio.

Over the past two years, Catherine has led an Innovate UK-funded Knowledge Transfer Partnership between SPACE Architects and Northumbria University, which has culminated in the creation of D-CARB; an open-access tool designed to help architects and designers calculate and cut whole-life carbon from the earliest stages of a project. The tool integrates embodied and operational carbon data to provide a complete picture of a building’s environmental impact, giving design teams the insight needed to make informed, low-carbon decisions from the very beginning.

Catherine’s work sits at the intersection of research and practice. Her role ensures that innovation and sustainability are embedded within every stage of SPACE’s design process. She continues to share her findings widely, from contributing to international research conferences such as EC3 in Crete to delivering lectures at and leading discussions at industry events across the UK.

The final panel of _shift 2023 was chaired by Chris Hines and featured two young founders of analytics-driven companies, and Catherine Sinclair, Specialist Net Zero Architect of SPACE Architects.

During _shift 2024, Catherine Sinclair delivered a compelling talk on reducing whole-life carbon through early-stage design decisions. Her research and practical insights offered architects and built environment professionals a clear path toward aligning their practices with net-zero goals.

At this year’s _shift 2025 conference, Catherine formally launched D-CARB, marking a milestone moment for SPACE Architects and the wider industry. The tool represents years of collaborative research and a commitment to making decarbonisation in architecture more transparent, measurable, and achievable.