One of the unique features of SEED is that we will happily draw on three sources of knowledge for your project – forensic knowledge from the site, computer modelling, and grey hair.

Forensic knowledge comes from our commissioning team and the IEQ laboratory. We can measure the site’s condition and provide consultancy based on actual findings as opposed to desktop studies. This tells us what your building is actually already doing.

Our computer modelling includes energy and capacity modelling in addition to odour nuisance, fire and evacuation, and comfort prediction. This tells us what your building is capable of doing.

Grey hair is from our design directors. They are experienced designers and know how to integrate forensic engineering and modelling with their own knowledge to steer a course from where your building is to where it needs to be. Armed with ‘performance approaches’, they sidestep code restrictions on the basis that the end result complies with code’s performance requirements.

SEED History

SEED – Sustainability by Engineering, Environment by Design – was established in late 2010 by founder and director Mr. Robert Lord. In our early years we started off small, having no central workplace, and a handful of casual and part-time employees.

For the first 3-4 years, I wanted to focus on the quality management side of our business – that being, how to make consultancy consistent and intrinsic to what we do, and how to make the workflow a scalable process. I saw the ISO9001 accreditation as the difference between delivering innovation and ‘Captain Risky’.
– quotation from Rob Lord.

SEED focused on a concept we call IPO (Input – Process – Output). It is about having a standard for how things are done. The research from SEED’s knowledge manager identified IPO as the key to successful consultancy firms and we quickly adopted it into our workplace. As we have grown, maintaining this IPO focus has been a worthwhile challenge, as it allows us to take risks and manage them.

In 2015, we expanded into an office in Brisbane’s CBD with several permanent employees and casual staff. As we became more successful, SEED expand further. We moved to our new office building at 316 Adelaide Street in Brisbane CBD at the beginning of 2017 and now have over 30 permanent employees and casual staff.

Throughout our development, SEED has gained experience across a wide variety of project types and many of our employees have become highly specialised engineers. Accordingly, we can provide noteworthy expertise within the services we provide.

In the last few years, a new focus for us has emerged – how to deliver value as consultants in a building industry that is increasingly preferring Design and Construct (D&C) procurement. The D&C environment is becoming more sophisticated and requires designers to be more holistic in their thinking. They need to appreciate input from many non-typical sources including research, suppliers, commissioning and maintenance staff, and authorities and facility managers.

We have come to realise that good design can be low cost if the design perspective remains value-for-money.

SEED is now looking ahead to the next stage of growth, where we build a firm that has diverse skill sets, resilience via strong client relationships, and a workforce that is fully engaged in the projects. Nonetheless, innovative thinking still remains an essential part of our business.