There’s something satisfying about being in a well-conditioned space, where the temperature is just right, the air is fresh, the light-level appropriate.

But the things that make a difference to how a building feels are not immediately obvious to the eye. It’s about having the right systems in place and the processes that support efficient building operation that make the difference.

My background is in psychology, environmental design and architecture and I think this is a potent combination for making better buildings. Design can influence human behaviour, but the complexity and reality of human behaviour should also influence design.

I advise design teams on how they can apply sustainability concepts and methodologies to produce better buildings; buildings that work. BREEAM is one of the useful tools that can help meet this end. When approached in the right spirit as a holistic and robust standard rather than another form of compliance, it provides an excellent framework to ensure that the details that deliver better building survive to the end of the construction process.

Every project comes with its own opportunities and constraints. 

My role is to ensure that a building is doing all it can to meet the needs of its prospective occupants, now and into the distant future. And to ensure that this is being done in a way that considers the project’s economic viability, social well-being and the environmental impact.

It’s easy to be cynical about sustainability, but it’s so much more than mere ‘greenwash’. In my role, I am in a great position to ensure sustainability is central to the design process – from the procurement of materials used in construction to ease-of-use for the facilities management team.

I’ve been fortunate to develop a wide range of skills on a number of building types and scales that lends versatility to my role of Sustainability Assessor. Whether it be a one-off, single dwelling or a campus-sized commercial development, my understanding of the engineering brings added value to the design team. I can consider measures appropriate to a specific project and ensure sustainability aspirations are met through the most efficient means.

I help clients to explore, define and achieve their sustainability aspirations. My work helps form excellent sustainable design that is appropriate for users, the site and the wider environment.

My experience gives me a broad understanding of what sustainability issues need to be considered during design. Having taken projects from design to site as an Engineer, I can appreciate some of the practical difficulties in delivering sustainability targets.

Communication throughout the process is key to overcoming these difficulties. I’m trained to facilitate sustainability discussions to set the aspirations and brief, communicate design options and help the team choose effective design strategies.

I also have experience explaining sustainability externally, through both public consultations and in presenting 'The Sustainability Matrix', a communication tool developed by Max Fordham and published in the Architects Journal in 2010. The work is varied; from looking at material selection for a private house to developing a masterplan’s sustainability and energy strategy. I’m interested in it all.

I am also experienced in Passivhaus design.

Buildings in the UK account for a huge quantity of carbon dioxide emissions - as high as 45% of our overall output.

Being able to make a positive difference in reducing the built environment’s consumption of natural resources, and to mitigate the impact of climate change, is enormously important to me.

One of the conditions that weighs heavily on a building’s energy performance is complexity. Too often unnecessarily complex designs mean a building performs badly because it’s difficult to operate, and things go wrong. I aspire to simplicity, and I privilege passive design over mechanical intervention.

My role covers many aspects from advising on low carbon techniques for generating energy on site, to carrying out Post Occupancy Evaluations to ensure the building performs as designed. I’m also a Soft Landings champion and joint BREEAM Manager for the Practice.

There are powerful ways we can improve the performance of our buildings and reduce their impact on the planet. I love playing my part in that outcome.

Outside of Max Fordham, I am a member of the Heriot-Watt University Industrial Panel for the MEng Architectural Engineering and the postgraduate MSc Building Services Engineering programmes. I am also Chair of the CIBSE Scotland Region Committee and a Chartered Engineer.