'Design to Value: The architecture of holistic design and creative technology' - Excerpt 1

A digitised planning process will not replace humans with computers.

This digital process will then feed all the way down through manufacturing, assembly automation and construction, with the ultimate benefits finding their way onto site..Lean construction in practice: a virtuous circle of benefits.

All of these factors combine to deliver cost and material savings, while using fewer people and increasing productivity.We’re already seeing evidence that it’s possible to build a superstructure with half the number of people in half the time, representing a four-fold increase in productivity, as well as a 25% reduction in overall material and a 20% reduction in embodied carbon.And there are other benefits, such as the ability to minimise tolerances.

In our work with Crossrail we designed to zero tolerance with very good success.This unlocks vast potential in terms of manufacturing a better quality of building - structures which are more air- and weather-tight, energy efficient and overall better performing.

Further, standardisation allows us to do a better job of integrating our mechanical and electrical engineering systems, which then has the knock-on effect of reducing the overall volume of a building by 30-40%.

As the building gets smaller, so does the air handling plant.Our early work with Circle Reading Hospital provided us with excellent foundations: for that project we conducted extensive research into the use dynamics of a hospital, optimising the layout to deliver a hospital with a design that allowed a significantly improved experience for both staff and patients.. Our intention was to develop a set of standard processes and techniques that we would apply to all of our healthcare design projects, while allowing for the specific brief for each facility.

Over the years, we have continually refined and improved these common elements to improve the efficiency of production of design information and the quality of the end product,.while also delivering certainty of cost and programme.. We brought all of this learning to Birmingham.

As at Reading, our primary focus was on the quality of the user experience for patients and staff, as well as the efficiency and usability of the building..In 2012 we won the Best Patient Experience Award for Circle Reading at the Building Better Healthcare awards.. Hospital Design for flexibility and change.