The Design Quality Method (DQM) originated as a post-occupancy evaluation approach to holistically assess building design and performance. It has been widely used by UK auditing bodies and public sector clients to evaluate schools, hospitals, universities, prisons, and offices. The DQM uses matrices and analytical techniques to capture both quantitative data like energy usage and qualitative feedback to evaluate architecture, engineering, user comfort, whole-life costs, design details, and occupant satisfaction. It provides a bespoke process for understanding the complex relationships between people and the built environment. The DQM was successfully patented in Canada in 2013 and DQM Canada was established in Toronto, led by architect Ian Ellingham.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE, TOGETHER!
“Building trust for a safer and sustainable world” is our purpose. Our experts are dedicated to building the cities and infrastructure of the future, which are more sustainable, resilient, responsible and inclusive.
Our experts, engineers and technicians work in compliance with the construction regulations in all our locations and act independently in each of their testing, inspection and certification (TIC) projects.
As a global leader in risk management and compliance in construction, infrastructure, facilities and industry, we demonstrate a sense of responsibility to act ethically and sustainably in the service of public players and private companies. As a trusted third-party, we place the utmost importance on safety and quality.
With the establishment of Socotec Vietnam as a regional hub for our clients in Asia, we support our clients in projects throughout the region to make a difference together.
25+ COUNTRIES
1BN+ TURNOVER
200.000+ CLIENTS
10.000+ PEOPLE
6.000+ ENGINEERS
250+ EXTERNAL ACCREDITATIONS AND LICENSES
OUR MISSION:
Paving the way for future cities and sustainable industries. Providing expertise from RISK MANAGEMENT to TECHNICAL ADVICE. We are working alongside our clients throughout the whole asset life cycle to ensure their compliance, extend their lifetime, enhance their environmental performance and guarantee the safety of people.
OUR VISION:
- TO ENHANCE VALUE AND TRUST
We believe in the power of technology to build trust for our clients. With our TRUST & TECH initiative, we deliver cutting edge solutions to our clients. SOCOTECS GREEN TRUST initiative supports our clients in building sustainable environmental solutions for cities of the future.
OUR VALUES:
*COMMITMENT & EXCELLENCE
- LEAD by example
- COMMITMENT emphasizes our employees pledge to uphold standards in their everyday work, to go the extra mile for clients in minimizing risk, to cooperate with and support colleagues, and act responsibly to build a safer world.
- EXCELLENCE reflects our constant quest to improve our skills and knowledge, anticipating future needs so we're always at the forefront of our profession.
**ENTREPRENEURSHIP & INNOVATION
- Taking risks with an ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT: Agile and Reliable
- We're always striving for improvement. And by teaming up accross disciplines and combining our energies, we open up new possibilities, developing INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS that make for differentiation and added value. We challenge our clients to go faster and further so they have the power to future-proof their business.
***SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
& ACCOUNTABILITY
- Being on the solution side: Risk Management, Green Transition, Growing Urbanization, Sustainability
- ACCOUNTABILITY is a pledge of quality for our clients and a guarantee that our solutions are designed for the long term.
- Coupled with the SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, it conveys our collective mission and how each of us is pledged to safeguard people's safety.
Ingleton Wood is a multi-disciplinary property and construction consultancy, providing a wide range of services across the majority of industry sectors including commercial, health, education, residential and community.
Our services include architecture, building surveying, building services engineering, planning, interior design, sustainability, civil and structural engineering, quantity surveying, project management, CDM and health and safety services.
We have offices in London, Colchester, Cambridge, Norwich, Billericay and Hertford.
Dunbar Boardman - The elevator, escalator and access equipment consultancyVijith Nambiar
Dunbar and Boardman is the elevator, escalator and access equipment consultancy. Vertical Transportation, Facade Access Consultancy and the management of Building Maintenance Units have been at the heart of Dunbar and Boardman's activities since the company's inception in 1981.
Intertek provides quality and safety services that not only help customers provide quality products and services but also adds value to their business.
We deliver these services through our global network and as a result have developed an unrivalled reputation for fast execution of work.
Gateway Group provides industry leading consultancy support to the UK construction sector across all lifecycle stages, in all environments. Through our four operating divisions, Gateway Project Delivery, Gateway Training & Competency, Gateway Inspection and Gateway Resourcing we take full ownership of the project delivery process for our clients, ensuring all of their needs, aims and objectives are met.
The number one private bridge company is a dependable partner that stands out from the competition when it comes to building bridges, both literally and practically. Their reputation in the industry of building and infrastructure development is as brilliant as the steel and concrete structures they produce.
We are a 21-year successful Infratech company transforming the way the world builds, operates and maintains its civil infrastructure.
We also build, install, and maintain the world’s most disruptive embedded data collectors (EDCs) that provide comprehensive health monitoring of infrastructure assets through its entire lifecycle.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE, TOGETHER!
“Building trust for a safer and sustainable world” is our purpose. Our experts are dedicated to building the cities and infrastructure of the future, which are more sustainable, resilient, responsible and inclusive.
Our experts, engineers and technicians work in compliance with the construction regulations in all our locations and act independently in each of their testing, inspection and certification (TIC) projects.
As a global leader in risk management and compliance in construction, infrastructure, facilities and industry, we demonstrate a sense of responsibility to act ethically and sustainably in the service of public players and private companies. As a trusted third-party, we place the utmost importance on safety and quality.
With the establishment of Socotec Vietnam as a regional hub for our clients in Asia, we support our clients in projects throughout the region to make a difference together.
25+ COUNTRIES
1BN+ TURNOVER
200.000+ CLIENTS
10.000+ PEOPLE
6.000+ ENGINEERS
250+ EXTERNAL ACCREDITATIONS AND LICENSES
OUR MISSION:
Paving the way for future cities and sustainable industries. Providing expertise from RISK MANAGEMENT to TECHNICAL ADVICE. We are working alongside our clients throughout the whole asset life cycle to ensure their compliance, extend their lifetime, enhance their environmental performance and guarantee the safety of people.
OUR VISION:
- TO ENHANCE VALUE AND TRUST
We believe in the power of technology to build trust for our clients. With our TRUST & TECH initiative, we deliver cutting edge solutions to our clients. SOCOTECS GREEN TRUST initiative supports our clients in building sustainable environmental solutions for cities of the future.
OUR VALUES:
*COMMITMENT & EXCELLENCE
- LEAD by example
- COMMITMENT emphasizes our employees pledge to uphold standards in their everyday work, to go the extra mile for clients in minimizing risk, to cooperate with and support colleagues, and act responsibly to build a safer world.
- EXCELLENCE reflects our constant quest to improve our skills and knowledge, anticipating future needs so we're always at the forefront of our profession.
**ENTREPRENEURSHIP & INNOVATION
- Taking risks with an ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT: Agile and Reliable
- We're always striving for improvement. And by teaming up accross disciplines and combining our energies, we open up new possibilities, developing INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS that make for differentiation and added value. We challenge our clients to go faster and further so they have the power to future-proof their business.
***SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
& ACCOUNTABILITY
- Being on the solution side: Risk Management, Green Transition, Growing Urbanization, Sustainability
- ACCOUNTABILITY is a pledge of quality for our clients and a guarantee that our solutions are designed for the long term.
- Coupled with the SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, it conveys our collective mission and how each of us is pledged to safeguard people's safety.
Ingleton Wood is a multi-disciplinary property and construction consultancy, providing a wide range of services across the majority of industry sectors including commercial, health, education, residential and community.
Our services include architecture, building surveying, building services engineering, planning, interior design, sustainability, civil and structural engineering, quantity surveying, project management, CDM and health and safety services.
We have offices in London, Colchester, Cambridge, Norwich, Billericay and Hertford.
Dunbar Boardman - The elevator, escalator and access equipment consultancyVijith Nambiar
Dunbar and Boardman is the elevator, escalator and access equipment consultancy. Vertical Transportation, Facade Access Consultancy and the management of Building Maintenance Units have been at the heart of Dunbar and Boardman's activities since the company's inception in 1981.
Intertek provides quality and safety services that not only help customers provide quality products and services but also adds value to their business.
We deliver these services through our global network and as a result have developed an unrivalled reputation for fast execution of work.
Gateway Group provides industry leading consultancy support to the UK construction sector across all lifecycle stages, in all environments. Through our four operating divisions, Gateway Project Delivery, Gateway Training & Competency, Gateway Inspection and Gateway Resourcing we take full ownership of the project delivery process for our clients, ensuring all of their needs, aims and objectives are met.
The number one private bridge company is a dependable partner that stands out from the competition when it comes to building bridges, both literally and practically. Their reputation in the industry of building and infrastructure development is as brilliant as the steel and concrete structures they produce.
We are a 21-year successful Infratech company transforming the way the world builds, operates and maintains its civil infrastructure.
We also build, install, and maintain the world’s most disruptive embedded data collectors (EDCs) that provide comprehensive health monitoring of infrastructure assets through its entire lifecycle.
1. DQM
Canada
DQM
DESIGN QUALITY METHOD ®
The Design Quality Method (DQM) ® - the only patented approach to POE...
The DQM ® is used by all UK
auditing authorities and many
funding bodies...
The Design Quality Method (DQM)
originated as a post occupancy review
approach to assess building design and
performance, holistically. Its successive
use by UK auditing bodies, to assess
new schools, hospitals and universities;
led to its increased use by public sector
bodies – in prisons, colleges and offices.
The DQM ® is a patented approach
that assesses building performance
through a series of matrices. The
matrices are implement using a range
of analytical techniques, which are
designed to capture holistic information.
This includes factors such as energy
consumption, fabric performance,
material reliability and whole life costs.
The DQM ® is much more than a
post occupancy review tool, as it is the
product of over a decade of tacit and
explicit knowledge on building
performance. It is a bespoke process
with an enviable pedigree of hundreds of
buildings - in contrast to remote tick-box
certification processes.
The unique aspect of the DQM ®
approach is enabling understanding of
the complex relationships between
people and the built environment. We
use state-of-the-art techniques to
capture occupant interaction and
feedback, often through the medium of
film. This approach requires a deep
insight into the operations, vision and
strategic goals of our clients, who find
the DQM ® vital in assuring quality and
optimisation in their buildings.
The DQM uses expert opinion,
professional judgment, user opinion and
measurement to independently assess
design quality and building performance.
This results in the triangulation of expert
and occupant opinion with scientific
evidence, to ensure that lessons are
learnt and best practice is applied.
HMP Low Moss, Scotland
2013
®
The DQM was successfully patented in Canada this year and DQM Canada is
based in Toronto, Ontario. Dr Ian Ellingham is leading the DQM initiative in Canada.
Ian is an architect and consultant who specialises in whole life sustainability of the
built environment. Ian is also an associate of Cambridge Architectural Research and
has a long association with the university. Further international patents are pending.
2. DQM Matrices ®
Six matrices with
clearly defined levels
of design quality...
1. ARCHITECTURE
Covers the relatively subjective area of
aesthetic merit as well as the more
prosaic qualities of specification, site
layout, space planning and
sustainability.
2. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
Sympathetic integration of
environmental services is crucial, as is
their optimal operation maintenance
and sustainability - which is
scientifically measurable.
3. USER COMFORT
Internal comfort conditions are also
scientifically measurable and links
between them and occupant efficiency
are increasingly evident. The
integration of art and science creates
ideal environments - eg the quality of
daylight is equally as important as the
quantity.
4. WHOLE LIFE COSTS
The balance between capital and
running costs often affects future
building performance. Specification
choices can have long-lasting effects.
5. DETAILED DESIGN
Design details and quality of
workmanship and installation are
crucial to the success of a building’s
operation and maintenance.
6. OCCUPANT SATISFACTION
Occupants are asked to respond to
several structured interview questions
and rate their satisfaction with their
buildings. Anecdotal evidence often
concurs with expert opinion.
DQM Solutions Ltd...
We are a multi-disciplinary team of
professionals, with many decades of
experience in all aspects of consultancy
in the built environment...
We demystify sustainability through
independent design and post occupancy
review - empowering our clients with the
knowledge to create commercial and
societal advantage through the
intelligent use of buildings. Our unique
and specialist service originated and
continues in public and private sector
building programmes, which gave us
unrepeatable access to a database of
hundreds of buildings.
Our tacit and explicit knowledge
base is unrivalled and continues to grow
- on an international basis. The DQM ®
is cited internationally as the industry
standard approach to post occupancy
and design review...from Scotland to
Western Australia.
Improving building
performance...
Everyone involved in a building
project wants to achieve a better
building, but design quality means
different things to clients, users,
architects, cost consultants and
contractors. Negotiating design priorities
is an important part of the development
process. Post project review and POE is
recommended under Stage L of the
RIBA Plan of Work.
For more information, contact:
Martin Cook
M: 07805 633431
E: cookm@dqm.org.uk
www.dqm.org.uk
National Railway Museum, York
improving
building performance
The
DESIGN
QUALITY
M A N U A L
MARTIN COOK