This could lead to a fundamental shift in project delivery, making it a pivotal point for the industry's evolution towards more integrated and collaborative practices..
HH: If we come along at a later date and try to apply a sustainable strategy or passive design measures to a building, it’s likely to impact on the architecture quite significantly.If, however, they incorporate it at the start, they can make it part of their building design and it can be a lot more effective and a lot more cost effective as well.. IP: How does the focus on sustainability manifest at Bryden Wood?.
HH: Sustainability is a broad term and I think you can separate it up quite a lot.In terms of what we do here at Bryden Wood, we’re mostly focused on the environmental side of sustainability.We have a focus on building physics, with the aim of reducing energy costs for occupiers, as well as reducing carbon emissions.
We’re also particularly committed to looking at the whole life of a building, so this also encompasses the embodied carbon within materials — from construction methods all the way through to how that material operates.It’s very much a cradle to grave approach.
We tend to not necessarily go for environmental ratings, so we can offer BREEAM, but it doesn’t have to be applied to every project.
It’s more about listening to the client, understanding what their drivers are, and then applying the best part of different ratings or standards in sustainable design so that the client actually gets what they need, rather than what a certificate says that they might want.. IP: What makes Bryden Wood unique when it comes to sustainable design?.The role of DfMA and MMC in Australia.
Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) and Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) are driving new ways of thinking in Australia, with uptake driven by schools and health.However, Lamont says these methods aren’t in alignment with the old ways of making money, and so MMC costs remain high.
There are also things happening purely from a compliance perspective, such as aluminum cladding replacement programs.These are government pieces of work, specifically looking for innovative techniques.