Our future of sustainable design

dwp Group Sustainability Leader | Kittiphot Boochangkool

Kit Boochangkool is an environment and climate specialist with broad experience from the USA, UK and Asia. While he was at KMPG, Kit was part of the team that pioneered sustainable practices for large companies across various sectors.

Click link to read more about what Kit is working on at dwp as he helps shape our design work for clients based on our ethos ‘design for a better world’. dwp is a founding signatory of the ‘Architects Declare’ commitment to environmental sustainability, and it is on projects where our efforts of sustainable design practices can have a huge beneficial impact for clients and the planet.

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Courtyard by Marriott, North Pattaya

We are excited about the newly opened dwp designed Courtyard by Marriott located in North Pattaya, Thailand. Pattaya is a famous tourist destination and getaway spot for locals, close to the country’s capital of Bangkok. Offering beautiful beaches along the Gulf of Thailand, endless shopping opportunities, activity parks for kids and a pulsating nightlife, Pattaya is a great destination for all kinds of travelers.

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dwp|research Designing for inclusivity and sustainability in aquatic facilities

What drives design for leisure, wellness + aquatic facilities, incorporating diversity, inclusion and sustainable design?

by John Byleveld, Stephen Cheney and Michael Hegarty dwp | design worldwide partnership

Public swimming facilities offer a focus for community wellbeing and accomodate training, education, swimming clubs, competitions and carnivals. The goal of most clients is to create a vibrant and inclusive community place. dwp | design worldwide partnership offers a specialist design service for aquatic centres because these are technically complex facilities.

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What is driving current thinking for leisure, wellness + aquatic facility design, incorporating diversity, inclusion and sustainable design?
by John Byleveld, Stephen Cheney and Michael Hegarty dwp | design worldwide partnership

dwp | design worldwide partnership offers a number of specialist design skills to clients that require complex buildings and campuses, including health, hospitality, education, industrial, science and research facilities. One of the specialist sector skills that we present to clients is for sports and recreation facilities, and aquatic facilities are among the most complex of these. There are a range of user groups and a range of specialist provisions for each facility depending on it’s immediate location, and the areas of focus, whether competitive sports, leisure, recreation, learning, community wellness or social provision.

Aquatic design for public swimming centres in Australia for example is becoming increasingly more centered on creating facilities that are true community hubs, offering a broad spectrum of things to do, from passive to active, that appeal to people of all ages and abilities. Separate elite facilities are being provided in parallel to take competitive sports facility provision into line with international benchmarks in Europe, Asia and North America.

dwp has led innovation to the aquatics industry over many decades. Northcote Aquatic Centre, Victoria was the first aquatic centre designed by dwp’s aquatic facility specialist consultant Stephen Cheney and at the time was the largest outdoor Aquatic centre in the southern hemisphere. Stephen’s innovations included Northcote being the first centre in Australia to incorporate beach entry and Ozone water treatment. Acknowledged as Australia’s foremost aquatic centre specialist, Stephen was the first architect to work with recreation planners, developing significant rigor to the briefing, master-planning and design of recreation facilities.
Further project developments included the first integrated active waterplay system, together with warm water program pool incorporating a moveable pool floor systems allowing greater programmability from one water body.

How can we make better workplaces for people and what does sustainable design mean for workplaces?
by Adriana Graur and Neil Carter dwp | design worldwide partnership

A sustainable workplace is only possible through a holistic approach to well-being and the natural environment and this requires design input. For most people, today’s work environment isn’t defined by physical walls, however buildings can play a role in people’s health, and well-being has never been more essential. Sustainable workplaces are characterised by healthy habits, sense of community and increased employee productivity by creating a safe, happy and diverse environment.

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dwp architects deliver new Nihon University Campus Newcastle NSW

The design of learning environments is a major focus for dwp with a team of specialists who lead projects for educational facilities.  The new Nihon University Campus in Australia, delivered by dwp in collaboration with Azusa Sekkei, is the latest example.

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Interview with dwp’s Jorge Ortega

Jorge is Design Director in dwp Melbourne studio. He was born in Mexico, studied in the US and UK, with a masters degree from the Architectural Association, London. He previously worked with Zaha Hadid Architects, Foster & Partners and Aedas. Jorge has been living in Australia with his family for many years and he answers questions on design, his interests and how he can help.

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Escaping the Everyday: How the COVID-19 Crisis is Challenging Our Thinking About Hospitality Design

Across the world, the hospitality industry has been deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures implemented to minimize the spread of the virus. As lockdowns are tentatively lifted in some countries and governments layout road maps to reopening in others, a number of hotels and other hospitality venues have started to slowly open their doors again and imagine a new post-pandemic world.

How can we make better places for people and what does sustainable design mean for workplaces?
by Adriana Graur and Neil Carter dwp | design worldwide partnership

Sustainability is defined by the United Nations Brundtland Commission as “meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” (UN Brundtland Commission 1987).

Sustainability is now a common topic of conversation in the workplace and is on the agenda of businesses and consumers alike. Most companies now consider the environmental impact of their products and services.

However, for people at dwp, sustainability goes beyond product or service attachment, and we look to help people realise their potential and improve their quality of life. Sustainability can improve work culture and work-life balance, which has a significant impact on our employees worldwide.

Sustainable workplaces are characterised by healthy habits – the roots that sustain a good community and increase employee productivity by creating a safe, happy and diverse environment.

Therefore, it’s essential to recognise that a sustainable workplace is only possible through a holistic approach to well-being and the natural environment. Moreover, a workplace is a place where people can build solidarity and broad alliances across common interests.

How can we make better places for people and what does sustainable design mean for workplaces?
by Adriana Graur and Neil Carter dwp | design worldwide partnership

Sustainability is defined by the United Nations Brundtland Commission as “meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” (UN Brundtland Commission 1987).

Sustainability is now a common topic of conversation in the workplace and is on the agenda of businesses and consumers alike. Most companies now consider the environmental impact of their products and services.

However, for people at dwp, sustainability goes beyond product or service attachment, and we look to help people realise their potential and improve their quality of life. Sustainability can improve work culture and work-life balance, which has a significant impact on our employees worldwide.

Sustainable workplaces are characterised by healthy habits – the roots that sustain a good community and increase employee productivity by creating a safe, happy and diverse environment.

Therefore, it’s essential to recognise that a sustainable workplace is only possible through a holistic approach to well-being and the natural environment. Moreover, a workplace is a place where people can build solidarity and broad alliances across common interests.

Major Awards for dwp design teams across multiple studios and sectors

In recent weeks dwp | design worldwide partnership has been honoured to have multiple projects, across different sectors, nominated for prestigious architecture and design industry awards. Receiving industry recognition sits alongside client satisfaction as one of the highest accolades for any project. Our team at dwp is proud to receive this acknowledgment in multiple countries and different sectors, demonstrating that we are delivering great project outcomes for our clients.

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Sustainable Healthcare Design in the South Pacific

What are the key factors influencing hospital and health facility design for South Pacific Island Nations?
by Ron Bridgefoot
Healthcare Sector Leader dwp | design worldwide partnership

The South Pacific is a widespread ocean region of island nations populated by diverse cultures and ethnicities. Indigenous people in the area are over-represented globally for infectious and non-communicable diseases concentrations. The dwp healthcare specialist design team have delivered projects in the region and share some insights into the social and environmental context and strategies for providing better access to quality and targeted healthcare provision.

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Design of world leading learning environment

The Shrewsbury International School in Bangkok was opened in 2003 and it is one of the leading international schools in Thailand. With considerable growth in student numbers a new senior school has recently been completed at the riverside location, providing world class facilities for Science, Mathematics, Computing, Innovation, Robotics, Sixth-Form, Higher Education Counselling, Dining and Sport. dwp | design worldwide partnership was the interior designer with lead architect Robert Philip Holmes of City Realty Company Ltd. and other consultants including MEP Design Consultant, PU Associates Co., Ltd.

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Can mass timber constructions provide a low-carbon alternative to steel and concrete structures?

Timber is one of the world’s oldest building materials and has been valued for its raw beauty, versatility, and strength since ancient times. Today, it remains one of the most popular materials for architects and designers, used for everything from cladding to structural framing. Over the past three decades, however, advancements in new types of innovative engineered timber products have revolutionised the way we use wood in construction. Mass timber products, such as cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glued laminated timber (glulam), offer an exceptionally strong, low-carbon alternative to concrete and steel structures. They can be used for everything from simple load-bearing systems to major timber-frame structures and complete wood structure solutions, enabling architects to build bigger and higher with timber.

Around the world, timber towers—often dubbed “plyscrapers”—are rising in our cities, challenging the conventional notion of cities as concrete and steel jungles. The world’s tallest is the 85-metre-tall Mjøstårnet tower in the Norwegian town of Brumunddal; while the HoHo Vienna in Austria stretches 84 metres into the sky; in Vancouver, Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban has recently designed a “hybrid” tower that combines steel and concrete with a timber frame; and by 2024, Japan’s Sumitomo Group hopes to use CLT to build a 70-storey wood skyscraper in Tokyo.

What are the key factors influencing hospital and health facility design for South Pacific Island Nations?
by Ron Bridgefoot
Healthcare Sector Leader dwp | design worldwide partnership

The South Pacific is a widespread ocean region of island nations populated by diverse cultures and ethnicities.
Indigenous people in the area (Melanesians, Polynesians, Micronesians, Papuans, and Torres Strait Indigenous Australians) are over-represented globally for infectious and non-communicable diseases concentrations.
Social and environmental factors such as poverty, education, and access to health care are assumed to be significant drivers of this disease burden. However, there is also some developing evidence that genetic and microbiotic factors could also have an impact.

How will stadium design be impacted by the considerations of a post-pandemic world?

Michael Hegarty
CEO of dwp | design worldwide partnership

The COVID-19 pandemic saw mass disruption to live entertainment and sporting venues globally and while there is growing optimism around the resumption of economic activity, social functions, and major events as vaccine roll-outs gain momentum, the long-term impact of the pandemic on stadiums is uncertain.
With the likely ongoing need for flexible spaces that can accommodate rapidly changing needs around social distancing and hygiene measures, however, it is clear that we need to begin to re-think stadium design for a post-pandemic world.

We collectively need a thorough understanding of the longer term changes to stadium standards and spectator management and need to understand how to integrate the relevant changes into the design of upgrades or new facilities.
At dwp | design worldwide partnership, we are well placed to tackle these challenges. We take a proactive and collaborative approach to risk management, and our global studios are located in countries that have generally been successful in reducing the spread and impact of COVID-19.

Digital design and digital transformation are converging global trends. Some industries are immediately impacted, yet in the architecture, construction, and property sectors, we are only starting to feel the full extent to which their business will need to adapt. At dwp – design worldwide partnership, we expect to see significant disruption escalating in the next five years with impacts that will transform our sector.

These industries aren’t new to technological change with the adoption of 2D and 3D computer-aided design and now Building Information Modelling (BIM) and the connected buildings, the Internet of Things (IoT).
Technology offers new a change in the design process by using new materials and collaborative working practices. The digital transformation method provides these industries with design opportunities that will enable them to face urbanization and sustainability. Transformation means more than creating more efficient services; it continuously improves project outcomes for users, communities, and the environment.