Constructing

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Constructing Excellence The changing
architects role
Whittle Arch and Glass Bridge, Coventry -
MacCormac Jamieson Prichard /Whitby Bird
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• Background
• Post war boom in construction largely public
  sector led
• Procedures designed to ensure accountability so
  contracts usually awarded on the basis of lowest
  bid
• Design separated from construction in this
  traditional format
• Contract documentation assumed conflict and
  liability but time and cost overruns lead to
  costly and lengthy settlement of disputes

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• A changing industry
• A series of reports since 1960 described a
  dysfunctional industry (Emerson, Banwell, Latham)
• Problems identified almost half a century ago
  are only now being overcome
• Clients want certainty in time, cost and
  quality - and an end to conflict
• They want an industry which understands and
  delivers what they expect
• We are now seeing fundamental changes in the way
  we procure buildings

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• Rethinking Construction
• The Task Force led by Sir John Egan, initiated in
  the mid 1990s, was required to advise the
  Government on
• opportunities to improve the efficiency and
  quality of delivery of UK construction
• reinforcing the impetus for change
• making the industry more responsive to customer
  needs.

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Egan objectives -- to achieve radical
improvements in the design, quality, customer
satisfaction and sustainability of UK
construction
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Issues Cost and time over-runs Un-predictability
Quality uncertainty Adversarial relationships
risks
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• Targets for improvement
• Cost and time reduced
• Predictability
• Improved quality
• Fewer accidents
• Increased productivity and profit

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• Rethinking Construction principles
• Client leadership
• Integrated design and construction teams
• Respect for people

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• Guidelines for clients
• Traditional processes do not give best value
• Form an integrated team at the outset
• Use target and whole life costs
• Select by best value not lowest cost
• Seek continuous improvement
• Work in collaboration

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Accelerating change Strategic Forum
established to take Rethinking Construction
forward 2002 report Accelerating
Change Target 20 of construction by integrated
teams by end 2004, 50 by end 2007
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Why integrated teams? What drives the design
process?
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design
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education
experience
exemplars
research
contractor
client
subcontractors
design
users
Suppliers / product manufacturers
regulations
consultants
site information
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• Early Involvement
• Early involvement of supply chain partners
  releases knowledge and expertise
• Construction input offers improvement in
  buildability, value engineering, efficiency and
  elimination of waste
• Specialist knowledge and product development
  vested in sub-contractors
• Opportunities for innovation, off-site
  fabrication
• Continuous product improvement by product
  manufacturers

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Traditional
Brief Design Bid Build
Client Design Team Cost consultant Project manager
Contractor Sub-contractors Suppliers
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Design Build
Brief Design Bid
Build
Client Cost consultant Project manager (Technical
adviser?)
Contractor Design Team Sub-contractors Suppliers
risk
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Integrated Team
Brief Design (Bid?)
Build
Client (Cost consultant?) (Project
manager?) (Technical adviser?)
Contractor Design Team Sub-contractors Suppliers
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Integrated Team
Brief Design Build
Client
Supply Chain
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Brief
Design
Build
Client
Supply Chain
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• Changing roles
• Less involvement in contract administration
  contract administrator has emerged as a separate
  function
• Greater emphasis on architect as designer and
  co-ordinator
• Architects have a key role in the process

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Integrated non-adversarial approaches
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• Frameworks, Partnering
• Long term relationships and appointment of
  supply chain on quality and not only on cost
• Quality assessment includes capacity and
  experience, design quality, ability to work as a
  team, commitment to key principles
• Costing on basic framework, open book, pain/gain
  share against target costs
• Mutual benefits by continuous improvement

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• Frameworks, Partnering
• Partnering over a series of project originally
  typified by retail sector
• Established teams engaged on a series of
  projects over several years
• Integrated design and construction teams
• Regular appraisals of performance to realise
  continuous improvement
• Principles now adopted in public sector

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• Private Finance Initiative
• Also known as Public Private Partnerships
• The bidder funds the project and continues to
  manage over 25/30 years
• A bid process involving design, and whole-life
  cost
• Applied to major public capital projects such as
  schools, hospitals and housing
• May involve a series of projects e.g. LIFT
  (primary care) or BSF (education)

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Private Finance Initiative
C D
E F G
Brief Design Bid
Build Operate
Client Cost consultant Project manager Technical
advisers
Contractor Design Team Subcontractors Suppliers Fa
cilities team
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Smart PFI
D
E F G
C
Brief model Bid Design Build
Operate
Client Design adviser Cost consultant Project
manager Technical advisers
Contractor Design Team Subcontractors Suppliers Fa
cilities team
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• LIFT and BSF
• Forms of PPP applied to primary care and
  education
• Bid process involving design, construction,
  finance and whole-life cost but applied to a
  stream or bundle of projects
• Bid based on a number of sample projects
• Public/private partnership will continue to work
  together to manage the project over a fixed term
• Potential to contribute to regeneration often
  investing in otherwise neglected areas

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Competitive Dialogue
C D E F
G
Brief Design Bid
Build Operate
Client Cost consultant Project manager Technical
advisers
Contractor Design Team Subcontractors Suppliers Fa
cilities team
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• The changing client
• Understands the design and construction process
• Seeks value for money and design excellence
• Recognises their role in the process

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• Informed clients
• Are advised to
• Be a strong project leader
• Understand the project and its context
• Build relationships between consultants and
  contractors
• Learn from other projects
• Prepare a clear brief and stick to it

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• Informed clients
• and are advised to
• Be realistic about project costs
• Give enough time at the right time
• Find the right people for the job
• Consider the effect of the project on the
  environment
• Understand responsibilities as a client

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• External Review
• Design reviews by CABE
• Proposals which will have a significant impact
  on their environment or outcomes.
• CABEs ideal world One where we could expect
  every proposal to be of a design everyone can be
  proud of
• Regional Design Panels
• Opportunity to present schemes and receive
  constructive advise prior to planning submission

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Sustainability, Regulation and Innovation
demanding an integrated approach
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education
experience
exemplars
research
contractor
client
subcontractors
design
users
Suppliers / product manufacturers
legislation
consultants
site information
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• Sustainability
• Sustainable design has risen up the agenda
• Greater public and client awareness of the
  issues climate change, rising fuel prices and
  supply uncertainty
• Codes of practice and assessments Sustainable
  Homes and BREEAM
• Clients increasingly requiring better
  environmental performance

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• Legislation
• Government targets all new buildings to be
  carbon neutral within the next decade
• Energy Performance Certificates
• New regulations Part L of the Building
  Regulations sets new standards of building
  performance and construction quality
• Regulation and Planning requirements for the use
  of renewables Part L and the Merton Rule

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• Legislation
• Planning legislation in 2008 particularly drives
  early involvement of an integrated team
• Submission checklists
• Reduction in conditions and charges for
  discharge
• Inability to make minor amendments
• Renewable energy statements
• all result in need for fuller design resolution
  prior to planning application earlier
  involvement

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• Innovation
• New challenges modern methods of construction,
  off-site fabrication - value of integrated teams
  in pursuing innovative construction and delivery
• Process improvement - Potential for integration
  of project information Building Information
  Management systems. Construction logistics

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Innovation A lot can be achieved simply
through more integrated working. For example,
engaging designers early on in the construction
process allows them to consider how the
components they design might be delivered to
site, when the component will be needed and how
it will be handled on site. This sort of
pre-planning can lead to a substantial reduction
in unnecessary transport costs, time wasting and
damage on site. Improving Construction
Logistics. Strategic Forum for Construction 2005

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• Constructive Change
• Strategic study of the future of the profession,
  supported by Constructing Excellence, recognises
  new opportunities for the profession
• A wider shift in the industry focussing not only
  on the process changes of Rethinking Construction
  but embracing wider built environment and
  societal issues
• A recognition of the importance of sustainable
  development which is at the heart of the planning
  system opportunities for architects to set
  performance objectives
• Constructive Change Report, RIBA 2005

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• Constructive Change
• Strategic study of the future of the profession
  recognising
• The potential for architects to lead the process
  of establishing evidence based design solutions
  that create demonstrable social, economic and
  environmental benefits
• Standardisation and industrialisation creating
  opportunities for the profession MMC offer
  potential for stronger relationships between
  manufacturing and design
• Constructive Change Report, RIBA 2005

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• In summary
• Construction is changing and architects need to
  embrace new processes
• Clients are better informed and demand quality
• Increasingly architects work as a member of an
  integrated team to deliver improvements in
  quality and value and to respond to environmental
  imperatives
• Use of new technologies will improve the design
  and construction process
• Latest industry study suggests an increasingly
  important role for architects

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• postscript
• Are clients best served by the competitive
  procurement processes now prevalent? Is design
  losing out to commerciality and risk transfer?
• Architects are now generally employed by the
  contractor - is the architect / client
  relationship at risk?
• Are there better ways to achieve an integrated
  approach without the wasted resources involved in
  the competitive bidding process?
• Are we constructing excellence?

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References www.constructingexcellence.org.uk www
.strategicforum.org.uk www.cabe.org.uk www.ccinw
.com www.architecture.com