V5++

Don't monopolise the decision

Developing the fifth iteration of Sustainer Homes' modular system surfaced new design potentials — added elements, attachments, configurations — that earlier versions couldn't do. Rather than deciding on them alone, I built a framework that let the whole office take part, tapping the collective, interdisciplinary creative power in the room.

So I ran it as a competition-like initiative: everyone was encouraged to contribute ideas and wishes for new elements. Leading a small team, I categorised and organised the entries, then opened feedback loops across every department — marketing, design, execution — to weigh each idea from a different angle.

A grading framework, in the open

From all of that I built an evaluation system: a grading framework across the factors that actually matter — sales potential, difficulty, direct or indirect value to V5, priority — that turns a messy wishlist into a shortlist you can defend. It doubles as a guide for the final selection, making sure every key criterion is weighed rather than argued.

As much as it shaped the product, it was a genuine exercise in team leadership and group communication — and in understanding how differently people across disciplines think and prioritise.

Read up close

Each row is one wish — a curved wall, a cantilever, a corner window, a green roof — scored across the columns and handed to a named R&D lead, so the framework ends not as an opinion but as a plan with owners and dates.