Bryden Wood is an industry leader in the adoption of Platforms-based Design for Manufacture and Assembly (P-DfMA) and has always shown a keen interest in the adoption of the newest and more advanced sustainability certification schemes, such as Passivhaus.. Our experience indicates that the standardisation process of P-DfMA, can be a suitable approach to counterbalance Passivhaus’ challenges described above, as follows:.
Early decision making will give developers and funders confidence in design and construction choices and will have the largest impact as a result..The following are suggestions of how risk can be minimised whilst maximising impact and implementing sustainable construction:.
Ask yourself whether you really need to build a new building or whether repurposing an existing building could achieve the same end goal..Undertake a pre-demolition audit to understand the potential for reuse on the existing site.Use this information to develop sustainable construction design solutions..
Understand the potential reuse of buildings or building components locally, including the need to transport and store materials.. Balance cut and fill to reduce off-site waste and new material brought to construction sites.. Use lean design principles to reduce the amount of material overall.This will also reduce the embodied carbon..
Consider design for deconstruction at the start of the design process rather than try to retrofit it into the design part way through.. Be clear on the potential flexibility that is needed by the proposed occupants and consider what future flexibility could be included with minimal additional materials, allowing the building to be adaptable and future-fit..
Embrace digital design to have more understanding and control over the design decisions and material quantities.. Use recycled materials wherever possible and adapt project aspirations to suit..The power problem.
This situation is unlikely to change.DCs and the wider data infrastructure are increasingly being seen as critical national infrastructure, alongside energy, telecommunications, water and waste systems..
The hunger for reliable power is driving a move towards on-site power generation and the diversification of power-sellers and other companies to invest directly in distribution infrastructure.The hope is they can do it more quickly than state-run projects..