There is also a direct correlation with producing less waste both in the fabrication process and on site, meaning that low carbon design also saves precious materials.

It is also advised that in the event of further virus outbreaks, heat recovery devices are switched off – affecting the efficiency of HVAC systems.. Additionally, the recommendation to switch off recirculating cooling systems (fan coils and passive chilled beams) to limit the movement of airborne particles would affect thermal comfort and wellbeing due to overheating..These healthy design requirements can have a large impact on energy efficiency and increase pressure on carbon reduction targets and aspirations to design Net Zero Carbon buildings.

It is very important to balance these needs and think carefully about our HVAC management and controls.But most importantly, we need to design buildings which are resilient and adopt the principles of passive design.Buildings that adopt adequate solar control measures, good thermal insulation, good daylight levels and openable windows via narrow plates have the capacity to reduce peak heating and cooling gains and the dependence on mechanical ventilation, where feasible..

The growing importance of physical and mental wellbeing in architecture and design.Due to the side effects of COVID-19, physical and mental wellbeing are becoming a key priority for many building developers, designers and construction companies.. Buildings (residential and commercial) are places to live and work but increasingly also to play and move, with a strong focus on physical activity and active lifestyles.

Active buildings include changing facilities and bike storage to foster sustainable and healthier modes of transport, prioritise the use of stairs, and have flexible layouts and spaces to accommodate sports activities..

Mental wellbeing can be promoted through healthy design by improving visual quality (daylight levels, views out and adoption of circadian lighting), thermal comfort (improved envelope performance and equipment efficiency, allowing natural ventilation and enabling adaptive comfort via flexible dress codes) and acoustic quality (reducing noise intrusion, and reverberation times, provision of quiet areas, etc.)..The pods created a welcome amount of certainty and consistency in his day.

He could count on receiving them, he knew exactly what they were, and he could schedule his other work around them.This is the power of productisation, Marks says, elaborating on her previous metaphor by saying that when you build a “man-made reef in the middle of the ocean... ecosystems build around it.”.

Bringing up digital twins, she reiterates that it’s only through productisation, not process, that we’ll have the level of certainty needed to be able to do things correctly and to the best effect.However, she cautions that we can’t just jump straight from our current position, which she likens to “crawling out of the primordial ooze,” to an end goal of mass customisation akin to ordering a bespoke, Nike shoe.. Jaimie Johnston says that at the moment, there are still too many breaks in the digital chain to get us exactly where we need to go.. “We never get operational data in a particularly sensible format,” he says.