Sustainability

Strong in sustainable choices.

The approach to the topic of sustainability is shifting rapidly as the world around us shows that the trigger is becoming more and more concrete. Temperature extremes, abundant local rainfall, long dry spells show that the goals stated in the Paris climate agreement are based on a concrete need. This calls for mitigation and adaptation in climate change.

For the energy transition: 29% of CO2 emissions are (ge)construction-related. For material transition: 11% of CO2 emissions are (ge)construction-related (source: Nature today).

The measures being taken to counteract that lead to new challenges, such as grid congestion and the need for circular design and construction. Designing and constructing with sustainable principles are a social responsibility that our profession must address.

Important here is to incorporate the technical possibilities for this into the design strategy. In new construction, the palette of possibilities is broad; in transformation, it tends to be more limited but a predictable end result is important.

Importantly, at the beginning of a design process, the options are also still broad. Our job is to provide the right information in a series of explorations to make fact-based decisions. We like to call that “drawing and calculating.

Databases as input for computation

Today’s design practice is increasingly based on data management where knowledge from well-developed databases is applied in the design strategy.

There are specialists in the market who have data sourcing and database building as their strongest attributes. That is a profession in its own right. And there are specialists who use that data and the right tooling to make optimal and effective design proposals. ÓOur profession is to understand real estate and, with the right data and tooling, make and substantiate transparent design proposals and thus make effective decisions transparent.

3d models to calculate real estate

The tools we deploy start with our 3d models that hold the data to be computed with. The data (quantities and material properties) embedded in the models enables efficient analysis and calculations.

Material Transition

Our architects and designers make sure they have a good understanding of what is currently on the market and why new materials have been developed. To reduce CO2 emissions in construction and operations, material selection and application is essential. It starts with an analysis of possible reuse and circularity.

We guide a design in the material transition by linking our design models to material certificates from the National Material Database of the Dutch Green Building Council (DGBC). In this way, we can already provide insight into the MPG score and CO2 emissions in the design phase and operational phase.

Energy Transition

To calculate energy label and property improvement costs, we perform condition measurement of property, combine that with construction period of property (input BENG calculation).

In our design software, we link a building cost database to interventions that reduce the energy consumption of the building. This allows us to provide insight into the consequences of design choices for energy transition including the costs of those interventions as early as the design phase.

This makes the pursuit of an energy label a transparent and informed choice as early as the design phase.

We make a Trade Off matrix of design proposals: a weighted decision in functionality (PoA), sustainability, feasibility and costs. In this way we ensure that the various disciplines within the client are weighed up and that balanced decisions can also be made within a design phase.

Strong
in green developments