We believe in creating architecture that makes a significant contribution to the quality of the built environment, our surroundings and places in which we live and work. Through our architecture, we create buildings as well as a built environment that generates positive, understandable and enjoyable places whether for living, working, caring, learning or relaxing.

Concern for the global environment and climatic conditions is a central influence on all of our designs. We consider that our buildings, their construction and operation should have minimum effect on the environment. All of our buildings are designed as a “light touch” minimising impact on the environment through sustainable design, employing innovative construction and operational techniques, minimising embodied energy, energy consumption and CO2 emissions during the build, reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions post occupation.

We research and listen and work collaboratively with the client, stakeholders and end users to create buildings with a warm, welcoming, safe environment. We employ a collaborative design process which can inform and can be fun, recently embracing the “Lean Design” principle with workshop participation. We embrace a holistic approach offering consistency of service and attention to detail. As architects we listen!

Our approach, methodology to any project embraces the partnering ethos with full consultation and input from the outset.  A light touch approach which is sustainable, agile responsive to change to reflect advances in built form, infrastructure, technology services and infrastructure. The project development and the understanding of an informed Clients objectives are at the heart of design excellence, our detailed whole team approach reflects this.

• In summary as architects we aim to:
• Understand fully the developer’s client’s vision aims, objectives and philosophy.
• Possess a clear understanding of the developer’s client’s requirements, by employing an all-inclusive collaborative briefing process approach.
• Employ a proactive design development approach.
• Employ effective communication, being responsive to customer’s needs, requirements providing an all-inclusive collaborative ethos.
• Create sustainable solutions fit for purpose and wear well, providing best and delivering added value, designing and building to programme and budget.
• Provide solutions that can be built and maintained safely.
• Build close and continuing relationships based upon trust, experience and performance.

QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: BS EN ISO 9001:2008

We monitor, review and improve our working practices, so that continuous improvement is an integral part of the business.

The assurance of quality is fundamental to all work undertaken by Dunwoodie Architects Limited and is practised by all personnel in their daily activities.

The Quality Management System of Dunwoodie complies with the requirements of:

• BS EN ISO 9001: 2008 – Quality Management Systems
• Royal Institute of British Architects – Standard Form of Agreement for the appointment of an Architect. If required by contract, Dunwoodie will control quality related activities in accordance with project or member requirements implementing additional procedures as required.

The Dunwoodie Quality System includes written procedures for controlling and assuring all aspects of the company and client quality requirements.

A copy of our Quality Policy Statement is available here. A full copy of our Quality Manual is available on request.

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: BS 8555:2004

As a responsible Practice we aim to promote environmental issues as a foundation to our design activities and extend this philosophy to our day to day business practices. The Practice is BS 8555:2008 accredited and our primary aims are to reduce waste, to comply with relevant environmental legislation and to continually improve our environmental performance.

In our offices we are committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace for our employees, visitors and to minimise our impact on the environment. We are committed to exercising our professional skills to minimise the environmental impact of our projects through all aspects of the design stages.

A copy of our Environmental Policy Statement is available here. A full copy of our Environmental Manual is available on request.

Dunwoodie Architects are abreast of the requirement to deliver building designs and production information in 3D and, in line with the Government’s desire to deliver all publicly funded building by 2016 using this approach, we are adopting BIM extensively.

We recognise the benefits of a fully coordinated building design, and the collaborative approach that BIM offers. Though we have adopted this working approach since our inception, we recognise that improvements in technology have allowed for a more structured approach to this, which forms the backbone of our BIM strategy.

The practice bought its first Autodesk Revit licence in 2005, although it was not used in earnest until 2010. We have however recognised the benefits of such a platform for being able to provide the client with accurate early 3D models of buildings showing massing and location on the site right through to detailed 3D room layouts. This has led to an immediate improvement in design understanding and appreciation. In 2012 the practice bought additional licences and suitable IT equipment to run them on; a significant investment in the current economic downturn and proving our commitment to the use of BIM from an early stage.

The use of BIM has coincided with our role with the latest Development Control Plan (DCP) at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle Upon Tyne. It has been stated that time and training (and resultant costs) are the biggest barriers to the use of BIM by an organisation.  The practice recognise the benefits of an efficient BIM deployment strategy and have therefore made the investment.

One of the key benefits of BIM is the interoperability between other platforms. At Dunwoodie Architects we have been developing healthcare schemes with the ADB plug-in, helping to create 3D room models instead of the traditional 2D C-Sheets.  This has improved user understanding of complex clinical room loading, reducing costly revisions in the process. Furthermore, the equipment scheduling and documentation has permitted the implementation of changes without complex integration of data over several formats.

We are also aware of the use of IFC objects, permitting interoperability between project consultants’ software and allowing early identification of potential issues through the clash detection ability. The use of subscriptions of our Revit licences has allowed us to keep up to date with the very latest software updates and keeping us at the forefront of BIM implementation.

In terms of health and safety / access during construction the principle site constraint is maintaining public access during construction. This leads to a desire to minimise disruption to the areas adjacent to the site whilst maximising the buildings procurement programme.

Furthermore due to the programmatic concerns and the cost criteria it is considered that the construction methodology may be suited to offsite fabrication. Further considerations that prefabrication will need to address are detailed below:

Time

• Moves work off site
• Overlaps off site on site work
• Allows rapid installation
• Allows just in time delivery
• Less affected by weather
• Leads to a faster return on capital investment
• Reduced programmatic risk leading to greater certainty

Cost

• Reduced prelims
• More efficient use of plant
• Manufacture in controlled environment
• Manufacture in secure environment
• Save on waste
• Potential transport costs

Quality

• Factory controlled QA
• Manufactured by proven personnel
• Resolution of quality matters off site
• Improved working conditions
• Manufacture to higher tolerances
• Environmentally friendly
• Site tolerances

Health and Safety

• Improved on site organisation
• Reduced site hazards
• Reduced working at height
• Manufacture in cleaner environment
• Greater time for method planning

Sustainable design is essential to all new buildings, especially for energy-intensive science buildings, it is important that research laboratory projects pursue carbon-neutral solutions and attain any necessary BREEAM certification.

Dunwoodie Architects are committed to sustainable development. We believe that sustainability must form an integral part of the building design. In order to manage this approach effectively it is imperative therefore that, at briefing stage, realistic targets are established with the client, which are measurable and achievable. These may be in the form of a set of “critical success factors” against which the design can be measured at various stages. Once established, these targets would act as a ‘blueprint’ against which the design, and, ultimately the finished building, can be measured.

We have developed an environmental policy, which is applied to all our projects and includes the following key issues relating to sustainability:The production of the highest quality of design and construction to create buildings which are sustainable at every level

• The production of the highest quality of design and construction to create buildings which are sustainable at every level
• Designing to accommodate change with maximum flexibility
• Reducing environmental impact and efficient land use
• Limiting energy use and using renewable energy sources
• A ‘passive’ approach derived from our experience of PassivHaus design
• Assessing transportation and traffic impact
• Maximising use of natural light and ventilation
• Selection of low environmental impact materials and components
• Considering the whole life of buildings
• Using energy conserving and environmentally conscious construction processes and systems, including off-site fabrication
• Landscape and external materials that are sympathetic with local ecology
• Adopting the latest standards including the UK’s Building Research
• Establishment Green Guide to Specification.

DOWNLOADS:

Anti Bribery and Corruption Policy

Anti Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy

CHAS Designer under CDM Regulations Certificate

CHAS Principal Designer under CDM Regulations Certificate

Health and Safety Policy Statement

RIBA Chartered Practice Certificate 2017

We have worked collaboratively with a number of clients, including but not limited to the following: