Our Story
Traditional servicesdelivered personably,simply and brilliantly
After years of low energy and environmental focused engineering design the needs of the user have often been forgotten.
“Problems like poor health; loss of productivity; complex building monitoring and control failures; exposure to air pollution and the requirement for extensive alterations to satisfy increasingly flexible spaces are often consequences of inappropriate engineering strategies”
We carefully consider both the current and future social and environmental factors at play to design innovative solutions for our clients and their building occupants.
Designing for the future is not about saving the planet – earth is here to stay – it’s about saving people. We seek to balance social, health, wellbeing, energy and environmental factors and put the human livability element back into design.
This unique focus on the end users, combined with our passion for technical design helps us create inspirational schemes that are fit for purpose, environmentally robust and are advantageous economically both to build and operate.
The Partners
We design for...
healthy and happy buildings
When occupants are excited by their space they embrace it and use it more efficiently – reducing the impact on the planet, improving productivity and lowering operational expenditure.
The needs of the occupant’s health and well-being are paramount in our design approach, we always ask the question “how can we increase happiness and well-being both psychologically and physically?”
To achieve this we strongly believe that it is vital to design…
- … for true thermal comfort – the combined perception of air temperature, air movement, humidity, and personal behavior rather than just air temperature alone.
- … with an appreciation of how both artificial and natural light affects humans circadian rhythm and its effect on occupants health and performance.
- … with a better understanding – attained from our ongoing research and collection of data within the built environment.
We design for...
indoor air quality
The failings of the UK Government to tackle illegal levels of air pollution are frequently highlighted in the news.
Our ongoing air quality testing of buildings has consistently proven that in the urban environment there are often non compliant, high levels of pollutants within indoor air.
Air quality monitoring at all stages of a project is critical and we must work with data from a variety of sources to build a comprehensive picture.
Through continued innovation, we have been at the forefront of advising authorities and engineering highly effective solutions to this politically charged issue.
Without exemplary levels of air quality monitoring and control, there is a strong argument that natural and mixed mode strategies may be viewed – for the foreseeable future – as a poor choice compared to mechanical ventilation systems with appropriate levels of filtration and purification applied.
CIBSE Journal February 2017, Pete Carvell & Mohamad Tabatabaee, H&V News Award Winners 2017
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We design for...
product development
Biophilia is of ever increasing importance to people’s health and well-being and plants are nature’s air purifiers.
Working in collaboration with Biotecture and Oliver Heath Design we continue to develop and improve a range of active green wall products to measurably improve air quality. Testing to date has shown the active wall to be 100% effective at removing harmful NO2 and Particulate Matter within a space; and ‘single pass’ testing by BRE has certified the wall to be up to 56% effective at VOC removal.
We have been very impressed by We Design For’s dedication, professionalism and ability to find innovative solutions to complex problems.
Michael Hall, Biotecture
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We innovate…
to close the gap
What constitutes a high performance building is the source of continuing discussion, however, one certainty in the modern built environment is that real life is often very different from theory.
The best considered solutions only work in reality if they help the occupant and are understandable. This may appear to be very simple, but in practice many buildings are failing simply because they are not being used correctly. The result is often a significant and measurable reduction in building efficiency, human health and performance.
We design for… actively challenge calculation procedures and prescribed assumptions of use. We seek ways to engage both our clients and end users to deliver tailored design solutions.
We know that usage patterns change and methods of conducting business, living and learning are constantly evolving. We encourage the gathering of data and monitoring not simply energy usage but the resultant environment throughout all design stages and post occupancy, to maximise value for our clients.
We can help you learn from any building and work with you to optimise actual performance.
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Solutions that work...
for both the planet and people.
We design for… fully embraces reducing consumption, minimising waste and lowering emissions to protect the inhabitants of our planet for future generations.
Sustainable design in our mind needs to be…
- Specific to the site, local environment, users and client;
- Meaningful makes real measurable environmental, social and economic improvements;
- Agreed understood and accepted;
- Realistic achievable and deliverable;
- Timeless fit for now and the future;
This approach generates the building blocks to create right solution for any project.
We design for… look at things differently. Sustainable design is not, and should not be achieved simply by ticking boxes on environmentally biased and relatively generic checklist.
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We design for…
the future
Climate extremes alongside the call for reductions in air pollution will stimulate movement towards greener types of energy in the very near future. Electricity will become the primary form of energy, particularly in our cities. So why are some buildings still only designed to use fossil fuels?
We believe it’s just not acceptable practice to simply rely on an early stage energy calculation such as SAP or SBEM when designing for the future.
We design for… explores difficult questions and the impact of environmental factors. We help clients identify real lifetime costs of the project. Armed with our expertise, our clients are in a position to consider the future.
Sustainability, renewable energy, health, wellbeing, safety and the comfort and welfare of people in their working and living environments are all growing in complexity and importance and deserve careful consideration and analysis
Jamie Hillier, We Design For…
Rapid advances in technology allow us to easily gather data and analyse trends throughout design, construction and post occupancy stages to help us understand the built environment and its users. This informs our designs and ultimately improves building operation.
We design for… buildings that are resilient, robust, and timeless
wedesignforthefuture
We design for…
the past
We design for… appreciates existing and historic building design. History, with all its success and failures helps us learn and define our future.
The UK is particularly rich in historic buildings with over 20% of its building stock constructed prior to the 1920’s.
We believe the character; cultural and economic value of our historic buildings can be sustainable into the future. Our expertise in understanding and retrofitting existing buildings, inclusive of historic buildings, ensures they are fit for the future
Study the past if you would define the future.
Confucius
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