Peter Rogers wins the 2025 IOA sustainability award

Peter Rogers, MD at Sustainable Acoustics Ltd won the IOA 2025 Richard Cowell Sustainability in Acoustics Award. He is only the second recipient of this prestigious commendation.

By Coby Mumford and Di Rogers

Above: Peter at the Winchester Science Centre

David Waddington, President of the IOA, congratulated Peter, saying: “We are delighted to present the Richard Cowell Sustainability Award to Peter Rogers in recognition of his outstanding commitment to sustainability and his leadership in aligning acoustics with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Peter’s work has made a lasting impact, setting a benchmark for sustainability in our field and inspiring others to take action.”

Initially called the IOA Sustainable Design Award, The Richard Cowell Sustainability in Acoustics Award was created in 2019, and is granted for pioneering sustainability in acoustics. We are delighted that Peter’s trailblazing work has been recognised by the IOA, specifically his successes in introducing sustainability into mainstream acoustics and engaging professionals within the wider environmental arena. We want to take this opportunity to share our journey to inspire others in the industry and related fields, and to offer our support to like-minded businesses that embark on this process.

How it began
More than two decades ago Peter was an acoustician based in Manchester with an ambition to deliver acoustics for the 21^st century. When he met his now-wife, Diana, an environmental analyst working at WWF, these ideas became a concrete vision – sustainability and acoustics could complement each other and help the planet flourish. Peter saw acoustics playing a proactive and positive role in society, instead of simply managing the harmful impacts of noise, euphonic, contextual and natural sound can add to our positive experiences within the built environment and connect us to the natural world. The central challenge was articulating this effectively to others in the field. This marked the beginning of Peter’s increasing involvement with the IOA and together with Richard Cowell (whose legacy is commemorated through the award), they encouraged events and discussion concerning sustainability. During this time the pair stressed the importance of long-term thinking among those in the industry and the need to deepen conversations about sustainability.

Sustainable Acoustics is formed
In 2012, industry discussions around sustainability were still in their infancy. Peter felt he could most significantly add to the development of sustainable acoustics by living it through his day-to-day work, which led to the idea of starting a company that embodied this purpose. The English Cogger Partnership (TECP) was a small acoustics company in Winchester, owned by acousticians Colin English and Nigel Cogger. Coming with a great reputation and industry links to ARUP, Peter and Diana bought TECP in April 2014 and, after a transitional year, rebranded the company as Sustainable Acoustics. Maintaining two talented acousticians, Louise Conroy and Chris Heal, the company launched its new mission – continuing acoustic excellence with sustainability front and centre.

Putting sustainability front and centre
Sustainable Acoustics Ltd began life in April 2014 – three days before Peter and Diana’s second child was born. Peter described how becoming a parent brings the future into sharp perspective, saying: “In many ways, it was becoming a parent which marked the moment I knew I wanted to help make the world a better place for the next generation, but it was not until I had a vision for Sustainable Acoustics that the pieces of that puzzle fell into place.” Since then, sustainable acoustics as a design concept has made the leap from theory into practice. Peter says he is proud that today there are many acoustic consultancies who embody the principles of sustainability in acoustics. He said: “Despite lots of positive changes in the industry, the challenges facing humanity have deepened dramatically. We face a global poly-crisis which requires us as engineers, to help provide solutions to this highly complex, multifaceted problem.”
 

There are numerous ways acoustics can contribute to delivering social and environmental value and help communities to prosper. One example of sustainable acoustics in action is the application of Agent of Change. Making urban spaces work for the range of stakeholders within communities is a key part of delivering sustainability within the built environment. Recently, Sustainable Acoustics Ltd has been working on two existing live music and nightclub venues (the Cumberland Arms, Newcastle and The Nightingale, Birmingham). The process has involved quantifying the acoustic baseline of the venues robustly, covering all types of events and establishing collaboration with the developers seeking to place new homes nearby. The Agent of Change principle is enshrined in planning policy but takes time to implement successfully and the company’s work with the stakeholders in this example allows residents to have suitable conditions for living (especially sleeping) whilst ensuring that the venues continue to operate unhindered.

Looking ahead
A recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report highlights alarming trends, including unprecedented warming, rising sea levels and extreme weather events. Spring 2025 was the driest since 1852 and biodiversity is in widespread decline – this requires urgent action. Sustainability is about setting progressive goals and taking action. As part of our work amplifying our impact across our value chain, we are currently undergoing the B Corp assessment. Already a carbon neutral company, we are also working with the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) to make concrete commitments to further reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Sustainability is also about getting your own house in order, so to this end, we have recently acquired ISO14001 certification, and we maintain our commitment to reaching net zero by 2030. It is through the work that we do that we can have the largest effect. The UN Sustainable Development Goals have become a foundation for our work at Sustainable Acoustics, and we are excited by the appetite for holistic thinking within government and the private sector. Peter’s Sustainable Acoustics Lexicon has updated Lindsay’s Wheel to provide a framework for the next generation of acousticians, now adopted by the ANC. We welcome the interest in combining traditional acoustic practices with forward-thinking environmental and socially focused goals.

How the wider industry can help
Accepting his award, Peter called on members of the industry to join him on the sustainability journey saying: “Sound is ubiquitous and affects us all. It is an honour to be recognised by the IOA for being a leader in the field where acoustics and sustainability is concerned. We need to think bigger and move more quickly to help humanity get back on the right pathway. I call on the rest of our industry to follow our lead and hope to see this award won by many following in our footsteps.”

Peter continues to dedicate a significant amount of time to inspiring change in others by delivering talks about sustainability, acoustics and embedding the sustainable development goals into acousticians’ work. Furthermore, as a company, we are aiming to expand our relationships in policymaking circles and continue to liaise with government departments, local representatives, charities, foundations, universities and other institutions to ensure that healthy soundscapes and connection to nature are not overlooked by those constructing and cultivating the environments of tomorrow.

Below: Sustainable Acoustics’ ‘away day’ 2023