23/09/2017
How designers can make construction projects more
successful
When construction projects don’t go according to
plan the contractor is often blamed for the problems.
However, completing a construction project
successfully is usually a team effort between the client, designers, the client’s appointed project
manager (if there is one), the main contractor and
their subcontractors. Failure by one of the parties can
lead to the project not achieving its outcomes.
In this article I would like to focus on the role of the
designers. Here I include architects, engineers of various disciplines, landscape architects, interior
designers, etc. In some cases the architect or
engineer may also be appointed as the client’s
principle agent which may require them to fulfil an
overall project management role.
What can designers do to ensure the successful outcome of their projects?
I’m sure we have all been on construction projects
where drawings have arrived late, changes have
been made to completed work which then required
rework and projects that have been difficult and
expensive to construct because the design hasn’t taken cognisance of the local conditions. We have
probably also seen grandiose projects which have
been inappropriate to the client’s needs and brief.
Often this is a result of a poor or weak design team.
So how can designers assist to ensure projects
successfully achieve their outcomes? 1.Designers need to ensure they understand the
client’s brief or scope of work. This should be clearly
articulated in the contract document. Sometimes, the
client themselves don’t fully understand what they
want, so it’s important designers ensure that they
and the client are both on the same page with common project expectations.
2.Designers should understand the client’s budget,
ensuring their design fits the budget, or where
necessary, advising the client that their budget is
insufficient to achieve what they want. In some cases
clients need to modify their expectations. Designs that exceed the client’s budget may not be built due to
lack of finance or result in the client having a finished
project that exceeds their budget causing them pain
and unhappiness.
3.Designers need to learn to say no. This may mean
saying no to a project that’s not suited to their capabilities, saying no to client’s design requests
which aren’t appropriate or aren’t achievable, and
also saying no to the client’s late changes that will
delay the project or add additional costs. It may even
mean advising clients to delay the start of
construction to allow the design to be developed sufficiently. How many projects start construction too
early – resulting in the contractor standing idle
waiting for information?
4.Their price for the design must be sufficient to cover
their full design costs. Often designers under quote a
project to win it, then towards the end of the project when they have used all their budgeted hours they
reduce the team and remove key people. This causes
the final construction information to be issued late and
being of a poor quality.
5.The design should go through full review stages to
ensure it meets the client’s brief, it satisfies all codes and specifications and that it’s constructible.
6.Designers must ensure the client is fully aware of
what services they have been contracted to do.
Clients should be advised when there are possible
shortfalls covering aspects of the project such as
quality control or project management. 7.Information must be issued in a timely manner so
the contractor isn’t delayed. Requesting an
information required schedule from the contractor is a
good way to monitor this. Timely issue of information
needs to allow for the client’s review processes.
8.Designers need to implement a quality system to ensure that their drawings issued to the contractor
are accurate with all the necessary information for
them to construct that section of works.
9.The design team needs to be responsive to the
contractor’s requests for information. Time is of the
essence on construction projects and delays in answering questions can negatively impact both the
schedule and the project costs.
10.Designs need to take cognisance of the available
skills, resources and materials in the project area.
Materials and resources that have to be procured
from distant locations can impact the project cost and schedule.
11.Designers should take cognisance of the lifecycle of
the project. This would include durability,
maintenance, life cycle costs, the client’s operational
needs, the client’s operational skills, operational
safety and future needs. Some designs don’t take cognisance of future operations and maintenance.
12.Designers need to ensure that their design
integrates with and takes cognisance of other
designer’s drawings and information. How often do
contractors have to cut holes in finished concrete to
allow for pipe and cable penetrations (not shown on concrete drawings), required by electrical and
mechanical designs?
13.Designs need to be constructible. Early liaising with
contractors will assist. This could be as simple as
selecting column sizes that suit standard available
formwork. 14.Designers must advise and ensure the client
carries out suitable investigations at the start of the
project, such as ground investigations which could
impact foundation designs.
15.Designers need to ensure their design is
compatible with the local design codes as well as the client’s own specifications. This is particularly
important when clients outsource portions of the
design to design offices in other countries.
16.The design team need to promptly advise the client
when they believe that changes to the design will add
to the overall project costs or construction time. 17.Designers should enter into a construction project
in a spirit of collaboration with the client, other
designers and the main contractor. Egos or personal
agendas should be left behind.
Summary
A well briefed and coordinated design team with the right skills can be invaluable to the success of a
construction project. Having a substantially completed
design available before construction starts usually
allows the client to develop a more accurate budget,
get more accurate pricing from contractors and
results in fewer delays during construction...
