A Norwich architects has witnessed an increased appetite for sustainable buildings as the strengthening economy filters down into the construction industry.

David Andrews, partner at LSI Architects on Cattle Market Street, said a growing number of organisations were now willing to invest in energy-efficient technologies to save money in the long term.

The upsurge in interest follows a period of change for the firm which saw its balance of work swing towards the public sector during the recession when private sector investment dipped.

Mr Andrews said the region's housing targets presented a huge opportunity going forward because the construction industry had not come close to meeting them.

'We survived the recession because of our business strategy. We were 50pc public sector and 50pc private commercial, and became 80pc to 90pc public sector and picked up a lot of healthcare work,' he said. 'The money wasn't there to build new hospitals, but there was a lot of work to be done refurbishing the estates – there was a gap in the market.

'The impact that we see now is that people are able to invest in aspects of their building that will give them more efficiencies,' he added. 'In the recession people didn't have that money, but now people can now take a longer term view.'

'The housing targets for the east of England are huge and we haven't made a dent in them yet.'

LSI Architects recently revamped its branding and launched a new website. The company joined forces with students at City College Norwich and Norwich University of the Arts (NUA) to publicise the brand re-launch.

Students at NUA developed a video underscoring the values of the new brand, while City College Norwich delivered catering services at the launch event.