The Forge is designed to be the first commercial building in the UK to comply with the UK Green Building Council’s definition of a net-zero carbon building in both construction and operation..

Residents could easily get out of their property and into the natural environment, while still feeling safe..This level of placemaking, along with the sustainability credentials of the scheme and the added benefit to the existing built environment, is what social value in architecture means to us at Bryden Wood..

Constant reflection, evaluation, and improvement.Bryden Wood continues to push as a practice to look at how we can deliver social value through our projects, learning from each scale and sector type to inform better design outcomes.As a multi-disciplinary company, Bryden Wood has the ability to collaborate across specialities to target each of the strands of social value we have identified, in a holistic approach to design.

Through analysing each project’s individual context and its data, we are able to continually iterate design responses, engaging with stakeholders to evaluate and develop our thinking..This open approach to design takes time, care and, ultimately, collaboration from our clients to help drive it forward.

With rising construction costs and an increased focus on decarbonising our built environment, it’s essential that we do not lose focus on improving the social value and impact of what we create..

The pressure on development to design and construct at increasing speed must be balanced against the critical analysis of the design brief and problem statement, and engagement with stakeholders that is so essential to improving the quality of our surroundings.‘build nothing’) as the main route to reducing embodied carbon.

Further, all our projects are based on ‘lean design’ with the use of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) where feasible (‘build less’).. Reusing buildings can produce a substantial saving in embodied carbon, but the quantum depends on the extent of the refurbishment.On the other hand, a reduced scope of refurbishment, which does not include a façade and HVAC systems upgrade, can mean that operational carbon emissions are high due to the inefficient performance of the building..

Analysis of different refurbishment options: from retrofit to new construction.The question is: which is the correct level of refurbishment to ensure that the embodied carbon benefit outweighs the reduced operational carbon performance?