The facade performance in a Passivhaus building goes well beyond current UK Building Regulations, though a combination of highly insulated walls, high-performing windows and by ensuring “thermal bridging” around windows, doors and junctions is reduced to as close to zero as possible.
Although the client was looking for the most efficient replacement factory, the Design to Value approach – combined with clever thinking and seismic modelling – came up with a solution to support the existing building.This eradicated the need to replace or shut down the operation, saving the client more than £120 million – not to mention tonnes of embedded and emitted carbon in the construction of a new asset..
If building is the only option, then the hard questions need to continue:.What would a zero-carbon building look like across its whole lifespan?There is a pressing need to reduce carbon emissions in the short term, so although having an efficient building over a 50-year period is a good outcome, it is insufficient if it causes a huge emission of CO2 in the next few years.
There are technologies being developed that extract CO2 from the atmosphere to incorporate into building materials.These ideas offer the opportunity to make the construction of an asset carbon negative.. How can we build and not just protect diversity (e.g.
move a threatened species) but provide the foundations to increase natural habitats?
This is not just putting money aside to plant trees, it’s about working with environmental groups – not to seek reluctant acceptance but instead enthusiastic support and ideas.Designers apply DfMA by considering, evaluating and applying the toolkit of innovations collectively referred to as MMC..
The MMC toolkit includes a range of systems, components and material and process innovations including off-site and site-based solutions.New MMC innovations are developed all the time.. Design to Value: moving forward with DfMA.
As designers we at Bryden Wood believe strongly in the DfMA approach and have used it successfully on many projects to achieve considerable benefits.. We advocate for any designer of buildings to apply a DfMA approach by considering efficient construction methods to leverage the benefits of manufacturing and assembly, and design with them in mind from the earliest stage.. Getting started with DfMA is the hardest part and too big a topic to discuss in detail here but a great first step is to keep up to date with MMC innovations and think about how those innovations can be used to deliver better project outcomes.. Clients can support greater uptake of DfMA by demanding the best value project outcomes to ensure a benefit-driven approach to MMC adoption is applied on their projects.. As the MMC toolkit grows it becomes more and more powerful.It is great to see players across the whole construction industry developing new innovative approaches to construction that expand the MMC toolkit.. To help the industry move forward, governments also have a role to play by encouraging and rewarding innovation and providing streamlined (but still robust) regulatory approvals processes for MMC innovations.. With a strong and diverse MMC toolkit and growing DfMA experience in the design professions, the industry as a whole will be better positioned to seize the opportunity to deliver better performing buildings, with less resources, that deliver maximum value to clients.