What socially responsible design means to us
When we set up DASH, I started with the idea of solving the housing crisis and tackling climate change through the process of design. We understood that the start of the process had to be the creation of a multi-disciplinary team that allowed us to look at the concept of holistic design and the view of a building as a system instead several different components.
We decided to look for open-minded critical thinkers and problem solvers who were determined to put forward innovative methods that have been tried and tested but not mainstream enough. The ability to visualise the construction process was important to us and we had to ensure our contractors and suppliers shared our ethos and were up for collaborating on new methods. The challenge was to create buildings that served the needs of the society while not being detrimental to the equilibrium of the environment.
We thought the first step was to define what socially responsible design meant to us:
1. It has to bring the community together
The first goal was to design spaces that had the effect of bringing people together. This should always be a designer's first objective, to create a thoughtful and functioning space that serves the needs of the users. However, we all have been in spaces that simply don't work, either we have tried to replicate an existing space without taking into account the different considerations of the previous space or we have been lazy and adopted a one design fits all approach. Lavishly designed reception rooms and tiny kitchens even though we are know aware from our daily lives that families spend most of their time in the kitchen.
We all have preferred public spaces where we flock to while avoiding the ones where we don't feel safe or comfortable in, even though their planners had the best intentions for all of them. There are spaces we get frustrated when we feel they are not inclusive enough for our prams, our bikes, our mobility frames or our pets. At Dash, we felt that we needed to bring this requirement back to the top of the list and create spaces that are designed not for the designers but for you, our users. For your families, your friends and your community.
2. It has to create value for you and not the market
Housing is becoming increasingly un-affordable with the ratio of average house prices to average home earning has more than doubled since 1998. In some cases houses even 'earn' more than the people living in them, great news if you own a home in the capital but the high housing costs hurts society a whole with the average Londoner spending more than a third of their income on housing. As this continues to rise, we are essentially locking out our children and grandchildren from the ability to acquire their own homes without substantial assistance.
The dependence on a fossil fuel power grid and the reduction of global fresh water supply also present their own problems on depending on the market to acquire these resources. While most of our clients are homeowners, they have gone through a similar process to acquire their homes and are emphatic to our principles of creating affordable spaces that encourage economic value by reducing waste and doing more with less. We would like to change the way homes are acquired by encouraging social invested funding where we all share in the creation of wealth for the community as a whole instead of in the hands of a few individuals.
3. It should not be detrimental to the health of the planet
Building use and construction accounts for close to 40% of the total global energy use and carbon emissions, it is unfortunate that the process that provides a home also places a burden on the natural environment. Fortunately for us, the application of technology and innovative methods have shown that a reduction is possible and that has already started to happen in some countries. Creating building systems that regenerate energy, maximise the use of water by recycling its use in different scenarios, designing green spaces into our built environment and encouraging the use of public transportation are no longer a thing of the future. If designed early into the project, sustainable initiatives actually make a project more economical and feasible in the long term.
We need the public authorities to spend more time vetting and setting standards that govern the use of new materials and methods. Many contractors use what is readily available and cheap, they also dispose waste in the manner that is most convenient. At Dash, we focus on reducing the carbon footprint of your build. Raising awareness and setting standards to reduce and monitor waste, using natural and low carbon materials where possible and integrating resource efficient solutions in to the build are just some ways we aim to achieve in designing holistic building systems to complement the natural environment and reduce the burden.
4. It has to look long-term and be sustainable
Anything planned well in advance usually produces better results but it is natural for our short-terms goals to want to supersede the long-term agenda. More often we find ourselves focusing on the cost of the many components of a build and not the long term savings gained from creating a space that can be maintained easily with less operating costs. The space must be able to evolve and change as the family grows and enjoys its benefits of providing comfort and shelter. All these have to be considered as part of the design process and be factored into the build. Just as important as designing a space that is aesthetically pleasing and comfortable, is designing a space that actually functions and will continue to work in the future.
Our design philosophy doesn't stop once the project is built, it should carry on much longer after construction and during its operation and maintenance. Did we meet the objectives that we started with? Are we using less water and is the house producing enough energy to reduce your bills as expected? The design team should continue to monitor the indicators which informs the next design to produce more efficient methods. As most of our clients are passionate about contributing to change, we are happy to spend time creating sustainable 'habits' for them such as installing smart meters and using responsible suppliers to ensure targets are clear.
The principles and policies we put forward at Dash are not new, many have been tried and tested and there have been some brilliant companies and individuals out there that apply the research and resources to pushing the levels on innovation. Some use advanced 3D printing to design eco-friendly materials, while others have gone back to the old ways of building rammed earth and straw bale houses with modern methods.
While you won't necessarily find those at Dash what you will find is a team that will look at the alternatives to using ordinary Portland cement (which has the largest carbon footprint of any building material), using sustainable timber framing where possible, facilitate on-site recycling and reducing construction waste in a proper manner while future-proofing your spaces so that we account for the demolition and life-cycles of materials where we can. This we can guarantee will be designed into your build before construction, managed during and monitored after.
Socially responsible design to us is just the start of our dash to delivering affordable and sustainable homes for future generations.