Don Ward was pleased to visit new member Nottingham Trent University in November 2025. The main occasion was the Inaugural Lecture of CIB Board member Prof. Patricia Tzortzopoulos on the subject of Designing value: Integrating collaboration, digital innovation and health in the built environment.
Patricia reflected on her journey as an architect and researcher advancing collaborative, lean design management and digital innovation in the built environment. Drawing on interdisciplinary research projects across healthcare and housing, she discussed how design management, stakeholder integration, and process innovation can generate real value for people by making the built environment more sustainable, efficient, and health-promoting.
The lecture highlighted research on process integration, Building Information Modelling (BIM), and digital collaboration, and explored how these approaches can tackle contemporary challenges. It concluded with a vision for future research and practice that bridges academia, industry, and policy — keeping people, communities, and health at the heart of design to build better futures for all.
Don’s visit also involved meetings with several faculty members and students, the outcome of which is likely to be greater engagement in CIB’s Working Commissions and Task Groups as well as proposals for a new task group and a new Student Chapter.
We congratulate Prof. Tzortzopoulos, and thank her and her many Nottingham Trent University colleagues for their hospitality and commitment to CIB’s purpose.
