Hi Paul, Thanks for the concept note. I've been assigned to your team as a mentor. As a designer I love the idea where you can find a database of sustainable products that helps you specify them. I'm a structural engineer and a passive house designer so we are always looking for solutions that incorporate best practices. I would love to know who everyone is and their area of expertise/study. So please don't be shy with everyone contributing. I have a few thoughts which I would like you as a group to discuss further: 1. Let's drill down a little deeper and identify the solution that you are proposing here. is it a database of sustainable products? Is it a sustainable platform for idea sharing? Is it an accreditation board? Or is it a specifiers tool? Is it a way for manufacturers to market new products? I don't see the app as a solution but more as a means of delivering a solution but we have to figure out what the solution is and then we can find the best way to distribute the information. Start with Why, What, Who, How? Then we can hone in the purpose of the solution. 2. What you are proposing isn't a novel solution however the application of the solution can be very unique. Have a think about why there isn't a solution like yours in the market yet. What are the challenges? What is the competition? What areas are there opportunities in? A SWOT analysis of the solution might help. https://asbp.org.uk/ https://passivehouse.com/ https://www.greenbuildingstore.co.uk/ 3. While the need to move to a circular economy is clear, do we need to create more awareness? Will the awareness be created by the app? What are the benefits to using the app? As a manufacturer what do I get out of it? As an end-user what do I get from it? 4. Are there other ways for the app to fund itself? Designer subscription? How will you fund the initial development of the app? I believe there is some funding available as design development grants.(https://www.ukri.org/councils/innovate-uk/guidance-for-applicants/) VC funded? You mention funded by manufacturers - the only issue with relying on those manufacturers to fund it is product placement. 5. I was involved in the prototyping of an app and it always help to do some sketches on some aspects of the functionality this will help highlight areas of unnecessary complexity in the process. 6. Try and demonstrate how the solution will incorporate a more inclusive audience, let's think about everyone in the supply chain and cross disciplines, architects, other industry professionals etc. Will it foster greater collaboration or will it monopolise? Sometimes our solutions can have unintended consequences. 7. Can you demonstrate how the solutions implemented by the app will foster a positive feedback in society? How can we make the solution more regenerative and give back? I hope this is a starting point for some of the areas that we could work on in the brief. As a design challenge it's important to include a level of detail about the proposed solution so it's worth a think about it. I'm happy to discuss here or on a video call if required. Please feel free to challenge any of the points. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Hi Harriet, Thanks for the concept note. I've been assigned to your team as a mentor. I love the idea around sharing sustainable solutions and feel more of it has to happen. I'm a structural engineer and a passive house designer so we are always looking for solutions that incorporate best practices. I would love to know who everyone is and their area of expertise/study. So please don't be shy with everyone contributing. I have a few thoughts which I would like you as a group to discuss further: 1. Let's dial back a step and identify what the solution you are proposing is. Who, What, Why, When and How? There is a collaborative platform (which I think is great) and a champion concept. This will help steer the discussion around purpose and you will be able to focus on the key elements of the solution. 2. The champion concept becomes less inclusive as it tends to be industry specific hence why there are three engineering bodies there. What about say the architects, project managers, manufacturers etc. How are we going to truly incorporate inclusive design. Is sustainability just an engineering concept? Lets apply it to our buildings, our infrastructure and our cities. 3. Who identifies these sustainable approaches and what is the criteria drawn up to identify a more sustainable way of working? Great as an a concept but becomes increasing complex to implement. In the framework of globally responsible engineering, sustainability can be very subjective and must be relevant in its local application. 4. How would the solution benefit society? How does it contribute regeneration? Is there a feedback loop? How would your solution know it is successful? 5. It would be good to really flesh out the solution. How will it pay for itself? There are currently some large sustainable platforms such as the UK Green Building Council, https://www.ukgbc.org/. Will it be through membership, through courses and events, through certifications such as the "champion" accreditation? 6. Would it be global or local? How would you get other countries to follow to buy-in? What would the benefits of joining this platform besides getting updates on best practice? What would be the incentive for prestigious organisations to join in? I hope this is a starting point for some of the areas that we could work on in the brief. As a design challenge it's important to include a level of detail about the proposed solution so it's worth a think about it. I'm happy to discuss here or on a video call if required. Please feel free to challenge any of the points. Looking forward to hearing from you.