Mr Lo’s project for the course, which he completed at Adam Smith College, Fife, was the design of a sustainable house extension suitable for an elderly wheelchair-bound resident, ensuring that current Building Regulations were met. The project featured ITW Industry’s Alpine SpaceStud wall system which helped the build exceed U-values stipulated by 2013 regulations.

During the course Mr Lo had to cope with a period of complete blindness as an unforeseen side effect of a prescription drug that caused severe cataracts to both eyes. "I went from being able to see to fully blind in three months," he said. He has now had surgery to restore most of his sight.

Scott McAndrew, David’s line manager and chief engineer, said Mr Lo’s achievement was a credit to his perseverance "when many would have given up".