European developments in sprayed concrete

There have been considerable developments in sprayed concrete materials, specification, application technology and performance testing in recent years in Europe. Some of these reflect changes elsewhere, such as North America, but others are unique to Europe. This paper gives a brief history of sprayed concrete (shotcrete) development and describes some of the changes in practice that have occurred in recent years, as viewed from the perspectives of the construction process, materials, design, quality and standards. Obstacles to further development of the product and its more widespread use, are described together with some examples of attempts to address such issues in Europe, including the EFNARC specification and development of European (CEN) standards

Solving design problems to add value

Value management is well established in construction to structure early project briefing and to agree satisficing project values and objectives among project stakeholders. Current practice concentrates on the consideration of value during project definition. This paper proposes Integral Value Engineering as a design management practice that considers value in design throughout project resolution and delivery. An expansion of value management principles is proposed to include the adoption of a problem-solving approach and value-adding tools. These can help assemble value-adding frameworks in which design activity is more explicitly focused on project values. The use of problem solving frameworks to relate design method and outcome to project values is described and the notion of documenting these relationships to create a value-adding audit trail introduced. Integral Value Engineering is defined as the consideration of value when solving design problems, irrespective of the project stage in which they occur or their technical nature. The adaptability of the problem solving approach is discussed, together with its ability to accommodate the extensive variability in problem scope and concurrency in construction projects. The role of individual design engineers as practitioners of Integral Value Engineering is also described; this focuses on collaborative forums to incorporate the expertise of specialised suppliers. A web-based Value-Adding Toolbox is described to disseminate value-adding tool descriptions, methods and examples within a single organisation or managed value chain. The paper concludes that, for integral value engineering to be effective, suitable metrics must be identified to monitor the extent to which technical design solutions satisfy overall project values. This would allow responsive mechanisms to be defined so that design development can be managed throughout project duration to ensure that the satisficing values initially defined by value management at project outset will be delivered

Using VALiD to understand value from the stakeholder perspective

A “value agenda” has arisen in the UK’s cultural development in recent years. In the construction sector, a desire to make worthwhile building investments that are socially beneficial as well as commercially successful has become commonplace. This value agenda has become embodied in government policy which has, in turn, shaped the investment strategies of public bodies. Construction projects are becoming concerned with engaging directly with stakeholders to understand and reflect their attitudes, opinions and values in the final solution. In the private sector, the value agenda has stimulated business and societal debate to the stage where fulfilment of stakeholders’ expectations is seen as a precursor to commercial success. It is increasingly held that people seek to use buildings and facilities that reflect their values and which, therefore, they feel at ease with. In response to the above, VALiD (Value in Design) has been developed as a flexible framework that helps construction project teams explore and understand stakeholders’ values as a precursor to delivering value. Within this framework, VALiD defines value as the relationship of stakeholder benefits sought, sacrifices accepted, and resources expended. It is defined individually for every stakeholder in recognition that each has different underlying values and, therefore, a different perception of value. The use of VALiD to define project objectives and assess value delivery performance is described. The paper presents a summary of construction organisations’ response to this treatment of value, including the status of its development through continuing industry and academic research in the UK

Integral value engineering in design

Construction industry clients demand certainty in project cost, quality and time. The inability of traditionally composed design teams to consistently deliver this suggests that their expertise is sometimes inadequate. As clients become more dynamic in the next millennium, they are likely to demand greater certainty when construction projects are implemented to support frequent revisions in their short term function. By establishing a collaborative working framework it is proposed that supply chains can be better managed to identify and design out potential problems using integrated, collaborative design processes. This proposal is being investigated by the Integrated Collaborative Design (ICD) research project, a collaboration of AMEC Construction, Loughborough University and eleven supply organisations, supported by the EPSRC and DETR through the IDAC Link programme. Focusing on one component of the ICD project, this paper reviews existing, reactive, value engineering methods and by identifying their inadequacies establishes the need for an integrated approach. A value management context is described which integrates value engineering into continuous design processes. The paper discusses the opportunities for utilising supplier design expertise by modelling design process information flows. It also identifies potential cultural barriers to the use of design processes incorporating integral value engineering techniques and describes the linkage to other ICD components that are addressing these issues

Construction value management revisited: the designer's role

Value management is well established in construction. The method provides a structured, documentable consideration of project stakeholders to ensure that projects are required, framed to satisfy values and sufficiently supported by all stakeholders to ensure successful completion. A variety of construction-specific value management methods exist and many UK design management contractors offer the practice to clients as a structured method of considering the role of each project in adding value to clients’ business activities. Value management in construction has grown from the manufacturing sector, but historical review suggests it was extrapolated verbatim, with limited revision for construction application. The soundness of this foundation is examined. The paper reviews the extent to which designers are currently provided with mechanisms to consider stakeholder values during the project stages when most design output is produced. Integral Value Engineering is proposed to continuously relate ongoing design activity to the project values current at the time of each design task’s completion. The paper describes a toolbox of value-adding tools that provide project designers with methods of structuring design activity to relate technical design solutions to stakeholder values. Development of the toolbox as a web-based resource is reviewed, and its supporting role confirmed by validation exercises. The paper concludes by establishing the need for all designers in the supply chain to be provided with methods of structuring their problem solving processes to address value delivery, and the suitability of the value-adding toolbox to them. Future work must develop means of actively maintaining a shared understanding of values throughout project progression, providing a framework and objective for ongoing design activity

Understanding values diversity within the organisation: a case study in UK construction

Any increasing diversity in a workforce necessitates a better understanding of individual and team differences in the organisation, as well as how such differences affect the organisation itself. Previous research has highlighted that diversity in people’s values will have consequences for an organisation, and is therefore critical in the area of diversity management. Nevertheless, understanding values diversity within the organisation is not an easy task. The difficulties are exacerbated by the dearth of literature offering practical guidance. The case study presented has been conducted in a UK construction company using Schwartz’s theoretical framework of human values as a framing device. Employees’ values profiles were collected and analysed through an organisational-wide survey. The process helped identify shared values, and highlighted differences between various sub-groups. It made the divergence of values explicit, thus facilitating mutual understanding within the organisation. It is argued that values diversity should be encouraged and respected within a collectivistic culture, enabling a heterogeneous workforce to work harmoniously toward their common goals, maximising the contribution of each member, and ensuring fair treatment for all irrespective of background. In addition, Schwartz’s circumplex model of values and its associated survey instrument are helpful framing devices to reveal values diversity and facilitate values communication within the organisation

Future scenarios for the European construction industry

The future is by its very nature uncertain and unknown, and only by discussion and debate regarding how the future may develop can we adequately prepare for what may lie ahead. A collaborative scenario development process was developed with the European Construction Institute (ECI) Industry Futures Task Force. This involved investigating and debating the range of issues and factors that might impact upon the European construction industry in the next couple of decades, which resulted in the development of four future scenarios for the European construction industry and five key characteristics for ECI’s preferred future. From this the ECI identified a set of actions for its member organisations. Amongst these were the formation of two new Task Forces on People and Collaboration - a direct consequence of the work presented here

Designing to encourage waste minimisation in the construction industry

The process of waste minimisation through ‘designing out waste’ is in its infancy. Many barriers and opportunities exist in developing waste minimisation strategies in design. The paper will summarise the initial findings of the authors’ recent research. It is intended to stimulate thought into the concept of designing out waste. By outlining the causative factors of waste through design and the principle strategies for waste reduction, the paper highlights the present status of this important subject and question whether adequate emphasis is being put on the initial stages of the waste hierarchy – reduce, reuse, recycle. The paper introduces the various options for waste minimisation in design, including designing for recycling, extended life, disassembly and designing out waste. It concludes by highlighting the links between ‘designing out waste’ and the future waste management and recycling industries, indicating where opportunities may exist

An IT-based approach to managing the construction brief

The present paper gives a comprehensive overview of the CoBrITe1 project. The aims and objectives of the project are described, followed by a detailed definition and characterization of the briefing process. An overview is then given of the current technology used by the CoBrITe industrial partners to support briefing. The paper also introduces five key areas that can promote effective briefing: communication, information capture, information referencing, information representation, and change management. Finally, the CoBrITe system demonstrator is presented

Delivering learning and tools to improve design management in practice

Difficulties in managing the construction design process are preventing the UK construction industry from delivering projects on time, to budget and to the specified quality. The paper reports on a research project being undertaken at a major UK civil and building design and construction company to develop and deploy a training initiative capable of making significant improvements to its design management performance and deliver benefits to many project stakeholders. It describes the development, content and deployment of training material and a suite of twenty-five design management tools to drive change throughout the organisation. The paper is likely to be of interest to those involved in design management and the development of tools and practices to help the industry improve design management performance