He is committed to the betterment of lives through individual and collective endeavours.. As well as his business and pharmaceutical experience, Dyson is Professor of Human Enterprise at the University of Birmingham, focussing on project management, business strategy and collaboration.. Additionally, he is a qualified counsellor with a private practice and looks to bring the understanding of human behaviour into business and projects.. To learn more about our Design to Value philosophy, read Design to Value: The architecture of holistic design and creative technology by Professor John Dyson, Mark Bryden, Jaimie Johnston MBE and Martin Wood.

Using fewer materials overall means less embodied carbon in the extraction of raw materials and their fabrication into building products.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.

With the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM), we can know the exact quantities of materials required, which limits over-ordering to site, and aids sustainable construction.Using a DfMA strategy allows for deployment of resources and materials to be carefully pre-planned, making it even easier to monitor and limit over-spend..When you need fewer materials, there is less to be transported to site, meaning fewer transport movements, lower emissions and a reduction in local air pollution.

There can also be less packaging used.(And in the future we should all be striving for packaging to be reusable, eliminating waste from packaging altogether).. A further benefit of reduced quantities and transportation of building materials is lowering the capital cost.

We can achieve this through the reduction of raw materials, excavation and construction works, but also through shortened construction programme, which limits overhead and prelim costs, as well as creating a path towards more sustainable construction.. Low operational carbon.

Alongside developing the architectural design to reduce the overall building volume, we should adopt passive design measures, such as considering building orientation, using optimised facades to balance winter heat loss and summer heat gain, enhancing daylight and using natural or mixed mode ventilation.This is due to the lack of ventilation, cooking, the use of chemicals for cleaning and emissions from construction materials and furniture, which cause an increase in the density of pollutants.

The range of measures to improve indoor air quality and hygiene is quite wide.Primary prevention measures should include the selection of non-toxic materials, products with low levels of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), furnishings without fire retardants and cleaning products without harmful chemicals..

In areas with potentially high pollution levels, the adoption of adequate monitoring is recommended, combined with air filtration systems (HEPA filters for PM2.5 particles, carbon filters for VOCs and UV light filter for airborne pathogens)..Measures to improve hygiene and reduce the transmission of pathogens include the adoption of touchless technology (light switches, lift buttons, doors), antiviral coatings and the provision of hand sanitiser dispensers.