ech₂o was set up in 2004 by Cath Hassell, an expert in sustainable building services. She worked for 10 years as a plumbing and heating engineer on major new build and refurbishment sites, and became involved in sustainable construction 12 years ago when she began installing solar thermal systems. From 1998 - 2005 she worked as a product specialist at Construction Resources, the UK’s first environmental building centre, designing and implementing sustainable water systems for domestic, commercial and industrial sites.

Cath uses her extensive experience of conventional and sustainable building services to successfully incorporate both water efficient and carbon efficient systems into the built environment. She has addressed many audiences on the sustainable use of water and carbon efficient energy systems, both in the UK and abroad. To supplement her technical qualifications she has an MSc in Architecture: Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies. She is a committee member of the AECB and represents this body on Government reviews, most recently the revisions to Part L and the proposed revisions to Part G.