Design & Access Statement - A Statement on a Designs posittion on Climate Change

The design & Access statement is used by Architects and Designers to define a buildings intention, how a design will fit into a location, how it will work, look feel and react to its surroundings, and perhaps how the locality will react to it.

It often describes the materials seen on the outside of the building, the balance of components and how they might mellow. The height and symmetry of an elevation in relation to neighbouring buildings.

In effect it's a planning statement, a required document when making a planning application. But it can be so much more. It should be a live document, being updated as the design evolves, and in some planning applications this happens, but the Design and access statement seems to be a one-off document never looked at once the application is made. 

The planning portal, the online website where electronic planning applications are submitted states

 "A design and access (DAS) statement is a short report accompanying and supporting a planning application. They provide a framework for applicants to explain how a proposed development is a suitable response to the site and its setting, and demonstrate that it can be adequately accessed by prospective users."

But is it time to expand this document? Climate Change and the buildings input into the global problem offers the Design and Access Statements a unique position to outline the way a design might or would deal with emissions, from the initial material buildup, the delivery and storage, installation, use over the buildings lifetime, and eventual death, and how the embedded carbon, might be contained.

Should this be added to all buildings, a simple yes, all applications from simple extensions that might not need a planning application, to the large and complex?

It's a document all clients should read, it might also act to define a clients role in dealing with Climate Change, there role as part of the CDM regulations a heap of simple often overlooked things like how to clean the building, or at least posting a link to an operation manual.

Above all, it will force planners to take some of the responsibility for allowing designs that add to or even drive climate change.

So this evenings lecture via my nightly blog on stitcher was from the Technology Today podcast, episode 10, re the eight small satellites that cover the globe via the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System(CYGNSS) aims to improve extreme weather prediction. ... In orbit.

I am going to claim 1 hour for this podcast together with another hour researching the technology. Why you might ask, well it's all about the data, and there's lots of it, all helping to provide assistance in predicting the intensity of any hurricane as it hits land, and in what direction.

Is this important, well yes, after all, it's my job not only to teach students about data but also to help them detail against it. so in my book, this is a straight 2 hours cpd

An unpredictable Future

For all you futurist out there this report is not only required reading, but I might suggest its the basis of so many changes we are going to see in all walks of life.

Entitled "Samsung Shows What Our Somewhat-Upredictable Future Will Look Like" , and its going to so different, to what ever you think now, and its all down the the unpredictability of progress,

All manufacturers need to read this, and start thinking, what is going to affect my business plan, no wrong answers and certainly plenty of right answers, all suggestions are valid, the article makes big on the IoT and I for one so agree, but we need to break free from rigid thinking and open up ideas. I have just uploaded it to my Evernote Account.

My presentation on this, wakes up an audience, and asks so many questions, I have no firm concrete answers, but so many paths to suggest following.

Visit my Web page, for my list of presentations, including this presentation "The Manufacturers Glass ball"

I will go over what is, may be, and could be, for the manufacturer who sells into the Construction Industry.

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A site view not to miss, watch and learn

This week, I shall take some of my students to the top of a carpark roof to view a construction site below, its the ideal way to watch a site in daily operation, see the way the site is laid out and where and why construction is started.

We take with us the gantt chart and look for items that should be completed and whats just started.
I wanted to add a time lapse video, but it just got messy, so the photo is all I can do, except it will be the same photo spot and on each Friday, so given enough photos I can make a nice time lape video.

There is so much to be learned by just sitting and watching, shadow, rain its worth the time to observe, and see how it interacts with your details.
I like to touch and feel, old details, even on the surface there is still things to learn, drip details, overhangs, change of material, and in an old city ike Birmingham, there are detail example that have been working well for over 100 years.

So often details are the result of committees, groups of well meaning people who look after buildings and add things without realising the effects, adding pipes, drainage, ramps, thinking the builder will sort it out, so often not,,,,,,,

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Frank Lloyd Wright & The Guggenhiene Museam

I always wanted to visit the Guggenheim, so on a visit to New York a couple of years ago, I took the time and paid to go inside. My friends, a mixture of Architect, technologists and QS's rave about it, and I expected a lot, but,,,,, it just did not live up to its reputation, a tired building that has many design flaws, and detailing that just is plain wrong.

I saw so many ooowing and aaaaaring, but I just could not see it, yes if you stand back and look at the building, I can see the Architecture as perhaps Frank Lloyd Wright might have wanted.

But as a technologist, I see the detail and it just does not add up, I visited in the late December, and the building was suffering from condensation at a lot of windows, getting the concrete spiral handrail detail perfect is difficult enough, but with no capping to take up the inaccuracies of casting, its almost impossible.

I have alway wanted to see Franks, working drawings and detail set, there are a lot out on the net, but I just do not know whats his or whats been done by others.

The Video below is a little one sided, so look at it with that in mind........ but watch the background and look for the detail.

Don't get me wrong, I do not dislike the building, its just the hype of Frank Lloyd Wright has led me to a certain level, and I felt let down.