The lack of design quality focus in construction: a case for examining suitable design processes (original) (raw)
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Managing the Design Process in the Construction Industry: A Literature Review
Architecture research, 2015
Construction has existed since human existence. From the building of huts for shelter in the old ages to the construction of mega structures in recent times, the industry has developed over the years and has grown to become an enviable industry. It has transformed from a single person being the designer, builder and manager to a project environment where multiple organisations and professionals play a part. However this has not solved all the problems in the industry. One of the major concerns of the industry is the management of the design process. It is evident that unlike the olden days where buildings were built with the "trial and error" style of design as the construction went on, today's industry engages designs before construction. The findings in this review have been based solely secondary data, with extensive review of literature that was available on the subject. The review is to generate more interest in this field since there is still more to be unfolded. This research reviewed some models of the design process, industry practice on design management and the role of project management in today's industry. It however does not conclude on which of the models best suits the industry but suggests that the design process should not be managed with the same rigid tools and techniques of project management. It was concluded that the definition for design was contextual but shared certain key characteristics. The definitive part of the construction process needs a coherent management and coordination process for all stakeholders to enable the achievement if the key performance indicators of the project.
Design and Design Management in Building Projects: A Review
Engineering Sciences, 2012
Design is that activity, largely executed by consultants and in-house disciplines, which translates the aspirations of the Client, into a series of documents, both drawn and written, which in combination can be used to procure the manufacture, assembly, commissioning and operation of both building elements and the project as a whole. Management of the design process is planned to ensure that the project requirements have been correctly interpreted in an agreed brief, with a consistent format of technical verification reports and design analysis audit trail, as set out in the project plan. This paper, based on a literature review, examines traditional design management and design and construction as an integrated system. The paper is an introductory part of an ongoing project to map design and design management practices in architectural and civil engineering practices.
Design management in the building process -A review of current literature
LizimundLimuzin, 1996
The architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry has experienced the declining productivity and some of this is due to deficiencies in building design. The focus on energy efficiency and sustainability makes it even more important to reduce such deficiencies. The managing of building design phases might be one of the most challenging forms of management in the AEC industry, i.e. it involves managing both outputs as drawings and creativity as minds. There must be enough room for creativity so that a building project can evolve to serve clients' needs. There are pooled, sequential, reciprocal and intensive interdependencies in building design that need to be handled or coordinated differently. A particular building design phase most likely consists of all the four types, yet dominance shifts between them through sub-phases. The logic of creative processes is difficult to understand and, therefore, to manage properly. In this paper, these four interdependencies and their coordination are described based on the literature review. The key findings indicate that the reliance on the same management approach to handle both reflective and sequential dependencies might be contra productive.
2023
The quality of architectural design has always been a matter of subjectivity. The quality of any construction project is rarely assessed in an objective manner. The Design Quality Indicators, a tool developed by the Construction Industry Council of the United Kingdom in 2002, presented a framework for measuring quality of design. The tool collects feedback from stakeholders at various phases using a web-based questionnaire. Construction of building involves client's money and there is a rise in awareness for the value of the project. In this conceptual paper, the author has done a systematic literature review to establish the changing role of the stakeholders in construction projects for last couple of decades to argue that there is a requirement of a framework to measure the design quality of the building in Indian context which captures the desire and aspiration of the users and other stakeholders to produce a delightful experience.
DESIGN MANAGEMENT IN ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION: ORIGINS AND TRENDS
Gestão & Tecnologia de Projetos, 2010
Proposal: Design management in the architectural engineering and construction (AEC) sector is a rapidly evolving discipline, with many interpretations and applications. Management of architectural design is essential for delivering design intent and maximising value to a wide range of stakeholders. This has resulted in the rapid growth of design managers working for contractors and greater attention to design management issues within professional consulting firms. This article explores the origins of design management in AEC, provides an overview of the practical application of design management by contractors and professional consultants, and concludes with some thoughts on current trends and future developments.
Architectural Engineering and Design Management
Offsite Construction (OSC) continues to be perceived as a transformative vehicle and agent for empowering the predominantly labour-intensive construction industry (CI) to achieve heightened productivity. The contemporary socioeconomic landscape demands that the CI assumes a broader responsibility beyond mere productivity. In this respect, CI professionals are increasingly obliged to address sustainability concerns. Consequently, research endeavours have progressed to align with this overarching aim-ergo, to reconcile sustainability imperatives with economies of scale and intrinsic opportunities provided by OSC in this respect. Against this backdrop, this research examines the ongoing developments in OSC research. It uses the UK CI as the primary research lens, to critically evaluate the degree to which outcomes are aligned to core sustainability drivers and mandates. In doing so, it employs a systematic-scientometric review method to examine OSC interventions across three performance themes. Research findings reveal the prevalence of diverse OSC terminologies and their axiological positioning, the corollary of which seems to exert a significant influence on inference. Acknowledging this, a causal relationship model was developed to: establish causal interconnections among the identified themes; present a structured comparative analysis of the UK's current position; and finally, use these findings against similar developed countries. This study posits that OSC's purported emphasis on heightened environmental sensitivity is not without its flaws. Moreover, it emphasises the need for holistic integrated thinking. This is seen as a core inhibitor and barrier, which inter alia, not only stifles progress (cf. meeting sustainability objectives) but also fails to recognise the impact on performance-hence, the importance of fostering integrated thinking across the OSC productivity-sustainability conundrum.
Over the last years, in Brazil, no matter if pushed on by competitiveness or searching for certification, contractors have worked very hard on process standardisation and quality systems implementation. As a result, the request for design management has grown and architects and design engineers have been encouraged to change organisational models aiming to accomplish such new and large market requirements. This scenery allowed a new outlook into client-designer relationship, thus renewing the most usually adopted concepts and practices of the sector.
Design Management from a contractor's perspective: the Need for Clarity
Over the past 40 years, a concern with the adoption of business methods to support successful design development has emerged. Design management as a discipline addresses such concern through two central schools of thought. The first focuses on organizing the design firm, and the second aims to better understand the design process (its nature, stages and activities) and to propose improved communication and coordination mechanisms. Both schools of thought have taken essentially a design professional’s perspective to analyse design. Nevertheless, the recent adoption of procurement routes in which contractors are responsible for design, construction and facilities management has imposed on contractors the need to manage design to maintain competitiveness. This paper presents results from two case studies investigating the contractor’s role in managing the design process. Research results are presented in terms of the problems contractors face in managing design, the necessity for appropriate design management and the skills contractors believe are required for effective design management. The paper concludes by advocating a need for clarity in the definition of design management from a contractor’s perspective.
Defining an improvement plan to address design management practices within a UK construction company
2003
A UK based design and construction civil and building engineering company is trying to improve its design management practices. It has entered into a partnership with Loughborough University and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to develop and deploy design management tools capable of making significant improvements to its design management performance. Before suitable tools could be identified it was necessary to understand current practices within the organisation. This ...