building with local materials.. Aside from the self-evident importance of composing buildings that are good for people, the economy and the planet, there is a practical benefit in defining and charting quantitively the social value our built environment can provide.. Design to Value.

Each project is unique in what will make up its social value, and where emphasis should be placed for the greatest benefit to the wellbeing of the users, the outcome of the project and to individuals’ lives.. Often in our projects, our view on social value in architecture considers not only the use and outcome of the building, but also aspects beyond the initial value of a new built environment.We look at what makes up that environment, how it’s constructed, and its ability to be reused and adapted over time.

We consider the whole lifecycle of the scheme and always aim to maximise social value in construction.. Our Design to Value approach to projects allows us to consider social value in every aspect of the new asset.We analyse and understand the requirements of every project to investigate how the components of the building meet the correct criteria, be that its location, the process it needs to provide for, or the wellbeing of the users.We maximise the value of the asset by balancing a wide range of criteria.. Design to Value may lead to a solution that is very different to the one initially conceived, but it will be a solution that is fully thought through, appropriate and complete; a built asset that delivers value across the piece.

This leads to wide-ranging benefits: cost-savings, increases in speed, quality and safety, and the creation of more sustainable buildings with projects delivering greater social value.. Social value in architecture, focusing on process.In 2019, our project with GSK in Parma, Italy, won a ‘Facility of the Year Award’ for social impact from the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE).

The project delivered a finished and operational facility in just 15 months, as opposed to the usual three to four years.

The purpose of the facility was to ensure continuity of supply of a vital HIV treatment, and therefore the social value of the project was huge.This could only be done through constant stakeholder engagement, review and reflection post occupancy.. At Circle Reading, post-occupancy interviews revealed the benefits that engagement provided, while also allowing information for future projects on what worked particularly successfully, and what perhaps needed improvement.

Many comments were made on the quality of the space.Raj Goel, an orthopaedic surgeon working there, commented on the foyer, calling it a great place to work, and commenting that ‘Everything about this place is space,’ ‘There’s nice space everywhere.’.

As well as this, Goel and other surgeons highlighted the particularly well thought-through operating theatres, commenting, “You can actually leave the key equipment in those theatres, rather than moving that equipment up and down all the time,” before reflecting that because the theatres benefit from ‘integrated systems,’ everything is already mounted and can just be moved around, which he refers to as, ‘yet another advantage’, as well as the ability to play music..These operating theatres are the result of constant briefing, understanding, and simulating the virtual environment, establishing exactly how the spaces would be used.. Reducing community impact with social value in construction.