Sustainable design and construction

Sustainable design and construction is a constantly changing discipline. This chapter discusses designers that they must embrace the sustainability of new housing from the earliest planning and layout stages, including the approach to the spaces between buildings. It describes a summary of the most efficient and economical methods of offsite housing manufacture from the structural and energy-performance points of view. The most effective evaluation takes place throughout the design process: engaging residents and contractors before planning begins and involving users at handover; monitoring conditions post-completion; and informing the brief for the next project. The key ingredients are an integrated approach to design and the understanding that people want to be empowered rather than coerced to live sustainably. Plug-ins linking architectural models to manufacturers’ machines can bring greater control over the execution of designs. Many architects produced designs for prefabs that proved expensive to manufacture unless there was certainty over the number of orders.