New Build Carbon-Conscious Design

Delivering a DREAM Excellent-rated new build that was both technically complex and ecologically responsible

Project Overview

Client & Sector:

Client:
MoD

Sector:
Defence / Sustainability

Project Tags:

DREAM Excellent

Multi-Discipline

New Build

The Brief and The Reality

The brief required a new multi-discipline building to achieve DREAM Excellent – a demanding sustainability target that required whole-life carbon analysis, fabric-first design, renewable energy integration, and full coordination across Architecture, Structural, M&E and Electrical. Few consultancies could deliver all disciplines in-house, increasing design risk and programme complexity.

How 360DS Approached It Differently

360 DS delivered the project entirely through its internal teams – Architecture, Structural, Mechanical, and Electrical – with a DREAM Excellent rating embedded from concept. A fabric-first approach minimised heat loss and gain; air-source heating replaced gas; PV panels provide on-site power generation. Whole-life carbon analysis was completed at every RIBA stage from concept to Stage 4 delivery.

What Changed For Them

DREAM Excellent achieved

The project met the MoD's highest sustainability rating - demonstrating genuine environmental performance, not box-ticking.

Net carbon significantly reduced

Fabric-first insulation, air-source heating, and on-site PV generation combine to deliver measurable whole-life carbon savings

Single-team delivery

All disciplines delivered in-house - no coordination gaps, no programme risk from external sub-consultants, single point of accountability

Full sustainability audit trail

Whole-life carbon captured at every RIBA stage - providing the client with defensible evidence for MOD reporting requirements