Sustainable Design Principles

How we practice design and build.

At Double we have developed a series of 9 sustainable design principles. We aim to apply these principles to everything we work on alongside the measurable factors of a project’s life cycle.

These principles enable us to design in a more considered and responsible way, addressing the impact of our work at every life cycle stage.

Principle 1: Start with a sustainability target.

Greater transparency leads to better decisions, and setting a sustainability target with a logical breakdown of considerations will give focus to your project goals.

Keep goals measurable and manageable.

Principle 2: Test your material claims.

Sustainability jargon is rife within industry and we should take responsibility to exercise due diligence in verifying the claims made by suppliers.

Ask more questions of your suppliers.

Principle 3: Make informed design decisions.

Looking at the bigger picture and considering the wider influences on design such as material sizing, energy processes, and material sourcing drive positive impact.

Design for purpose, not promise.

Principle 4: Reduce energy intensive processes.

Consider the quantity and locations of processes required in the manufacture and finishing of goods.

Streamline production from point A to point B.

Principle 5: Consider transportation.

Design can account for transportation by considering how to reduce the physical footprint of a product before it requires assembly.

Avoid transporting costly volumes of air.

Principle 6: Never work in a bubble.

Your partners and suppliers bring specific knowledge to the table. The broader your resources, the more knowledge gets shared.

Engage with experts to make better project decisions.

Principle 7: Keep materials separable.

The construction and ease of separation of every material type and fixing, should be simplified to encourage cost and time efficient recycling.

Consider the sum of the parts, not the whole.

Principle 8: Design waste out.

Maximising the use of purchased raw materials in their delivered state will minimise excess waste on final assembly.

Be resourceful with your materials.

Principle 9: Aim for reuse ahead of recycling.

Consider an item’s future beyond the initial brief to increase its chances of re-use. Items that are adaptable to other purposes can find their way into other commercial or residential opportunities.

Always see reuse as the first priority.

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