This is delivered through a keen focus on a fabric first approach that seeks to reduce space heating demand which can be met either through useful solar gains, internal gains or via modern, high efficiency and low carbon heating systems..

As society’s awareness of its impact on local ecosystems grows to a realisation of the global impacts of climate change and the continued and rapid destruction of habitats, diversity and the planet’s interdependent networks of life, Design to Value offers the opportunity to respond with purpose and adequacy.Although the green agenda has been around for a couple of decades, the response has been piecemeal, discreet; some would say derisory.

The focus on meeting standards or gaining accolades has at best stifled major impact and at worst has lulled the industry and society into the idea that we were making great strides and further action was not necessary..The facts are becoming increasingly clear: putting grass on roofs or achieving a gold plaque changes almost nothing; we need ambitious and holistic solutions at every level..In the past, shifting a project to prioritise the environment was often and easily rejected or written off as something that could be and needed to be sacrificed on the altar of cost.

Design to Value naturally seeks wider and synergistic value, leading, supporting and embracing these needs as an opportunity to innovate: the environment is not an encumbrance, but a space for crucial change through design..Thinking beyond standards, Design to Value can look at absolutes and even further can look for redemption.

The most significant and perhaps difficult question needed to be addressed in every project is: how can we not build things we don’t really need even if they have a financial return?

A factory in Japan was due for closure and demolition as it no longer met the requirements for withstanding an earthquake after rules were changed following the earthquake and tsunami of 2011.In every other facility I know of, extracting at low level is done with ductwork.

It's inefficient because you can only put ductwork in certain areas, as people cannot be required to step over it as they move around the space.Worse, because of the way ductwork is made, the extraction actually takes place about 15cm from the floor, which would allow the cold nitrogen to completely miss the extraction and bleed out into the room..

So we designed a trench system, covered with a grille, to surround all the critical areas, and we extract the air from the trench.Any nitrogen is pulled into the trench by the extraction (we’re extracting the air from the whole space through the trench), but also by gravity because it’s heavier than air.