Quality assurance and documentation of load-bearing structures - educating future professionals with insight from the industry

Abstract

The Purpose of this paper is to develop teaching material with researching the impact of a newly introduced code of conduct, on the documentation of quality assurance for load-bearing structures in the construction industry. Looking at how the new code of conduct contributes to the planning of checks and quality of the structures, understanding of the intentions behind the standard. Furthermore, minimising the dispute by addressing common empirical misunderstandings between actors involved in the documentation process. Design/methodology/approach. The study has a qualitative design method using semi- structured interviewing with relevant actors within the industry. Furthermore, a literature review of national regulation was conducted, focusing on the evolution of quality assurance. Findings reveal a significant gap between the actors involved in documenting load-bearing structures. The New standard has shifted the documentation responsibility from the engineers to the contractors, thus, leaving the structural engineers to the task of verifying the documentation. This shift in responsibility has left the industry confused, as the different understanding and ways of handling the documentation do not come with clear enough guidelines and paradigms. Theoretical. The study will use the theorical concept of governmentality to focus on how the task/rules are introduced along with the new code of conduct and how they are performed/controlled. Furthermore, we wanted to explore how to target learning and understanding to the students, looking at handling documentation of load-bearing structures in the new code of conduct. Value. This paper is to be considered a part of a larger project where the focus will be to investigate how introducing and educating the students of the Architectural Technology and Construction Management (ATCM) educations in Denmark, on how to navigate the new frames and rules for quality assurance. Wherefore understand how the industry experiences the new code of conduct