These schemes were designed to be delivered using DfMA (Design for Manufacture) techniques and required extremely close collaboration between Architect and Engineer, a collaboration which culminated in Richard joining Bryden Wood some years later.. Richard’s Engineering background coupled with a strong cross discipline understanding enables him to harness the full breadth of skills at Bryden Wood, with a particular focus on the delivery of hi-tech and complex facilities, where appropriate using DfMA and Offsite delivery techniques.
We allow designers to make educated guesses for design decisions only for subject matter experts to critique and change.Finding ways to get the right people to do the right work at the right time is the first principle of an integrated approach.. Design is not a linear and regressive process.
My second principle is the same principle that I have written about in relation to AI and general intelligence.Any intelligent system cannot be left to operate in isolation or disconnected from the.without regular checking-in; it is like leaving an AI-robot in-charge of your children.
No matter how detailed or how explicit you are with information, data and rules there will be some critical implicit knowledge input that is constantly required to deliver success.The design process needs to be formed and managed with frequent check-ins across the design spectrum.
Many times, have I experienced very unpleasant shocks on projects which have not deliberately iterated in this way.
The other reason, this is required is that we cannot pretend that, even in the more detailed levels of design, ideas, drivers and decisions, will not continue to evolve.A ‘tree plantation’ unlike a forest, may not enhance biodiversity and may have a reduced capacity to store carbon in the soil.. One major risk related to carbon accounting and forest management is that Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) may not adequately account for the carbon released from decaying root net and from the soil when cutting trees.
This can be largely underestimated for most timber products.. We must also acknowledge that sustainable foresting cannot produce enough timber to respond to global construction needs.Engineered timber cannot substitute or offset the use of concrete and steel but its use should be prioritised in the right type of buildings.. Our response is to:.
- Ensure timber specified is of a sustainable nature, by using PEFC or FSC certification schemes.. - Have a critical view about sustainable forest management and explore alternatives.. - Interrogate timber manufacturers on their root and soil carbon accounting.. Acoustic performance.When designing with engineered timber special attention is required to reduce vibrations, noise transmission and reverberation time..