Professional Ethics in the Construction Industry

The results are provided of a small, but reprersentative, questionnaire survey of typical project managers, architects and building contractors concerning their views and experiences on a range of ethical issues surrounding construction industry activities. Most (90%) subscribed to a professional Code of Ethics and many (45%) had an Ethical Code of Conduct in their employing organisations, with the majority (84%) considering good ethical practice to be an important organisational goal. 93% of the respondents agreed that "Business Ethics" should be driven or governed by "Personal Ethics", with 84% of respondents stating that a balance of both the requirements of the client and the impact on the public should be maintained. No respondents were aware of any cases of employers attempting to force their employees to initiate, or participate in, unethical conduct. Despite this, all the respondents had witnessed or experienced some degree of unethical conduct, in the form of unfair conduct (81%), negligence (67%), conflict of interest (48%), collusive tendering (44%), fraud (35%), confidentiality and propriety breach (32%), bribery (26%) and violation of environmental ethics (20%)

How do software architects consider non-functional requirements: an exploratory study

© 2012 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes,creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.Dealing with non-functional requirements (NFRs) has posed a challenge onto software engineers for many years. Over the years, many methods and techniques have been proposed to improve their elicitation, documentation, and validation. Knowing more about the state of the practice on these topics may benefit both practitioners' and researchers' daily work. A few empirical studies have been conducted in the past, but none under the perspective of software architects, in spite of the great influence that NFRs have on daily architects' practices. This paper presents some of the findings of an empirical study based on 13 interviews with software architects. It addresses questions such as: who decides the NFRs, what types of NFRs matter to architects, how are NFRs documented, and how are NFRs validated. The results are contextualized with existing previous work.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author’s final draft

BIMing the architectural curricula: integrating Building Information Modelling (BIM) in architectural education

Building Information Modelling (BIM) reflects the current heightened transformation within the Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Industry and the Facilities and Management (FM) sector, offering a host of benefits from increased efficiency, accuracy, speed, co-ordination, consistency, energy analysis, project cost reduction etc to various stake holders from owners to architects, engineers, contractors and other built environment professionals. Many countries around the world are responding to this paradigm shift including the United Kingdom (UK). The Cabinet office took the decision in 2011 to make the use of collaborative 3D BIM technology mandatory for all public sector construction contracts by 2016 (Cabinet Office, 2011). According to Smith and Tardif, despite certain myths and misconceptions surrounding BIM, its rate of implementation has been much faster in comparison to the availability of professionals skilled in use of BIM, thus creating a skill gap in the design and construction industry (Smith and Tardif, cited in Barison and Santos, 2010a). This article aims at bridging the gap between the graduate skill sets and the changing needs of the profession. The research methodology adopted consists of thoroughly reviewing the existing literature in this subject area coupled with carrying out a survey of accredited Schools of Architecture in the UK. The analysis of the survey questionnaire results shows the extent to which BIM is currently being taught and identifies the barriers where its implementation has either been slow or not yet started. The paper highlights the fact that there has been considerable delay in the successful integration of BIM in the Schools of Architecture in the UK, thus emphasising the need for expeditiously training and preparing students in the use of BIM making them ready to effectively perform in a BIM enabled work arena

Criteria in consultant selection: public procurement of architectural and engineering services

The competence, commitment and attitudes of design consultants strongly influence the quality and costs of built facilities. However, in the selection of professional services it is often difficult to specify and assess non-price criteria related to both firms and individual consultants. Therefore, clients traditionally rely on long term relations or recommendations from clients or colleagues. Public procurement regulation, however, restricts the use of such informal data. This study seeks to understand how procurers act to reconcile these conflicting demands.An explorative questionnaire survey distributed to Swedish municipalities investigates which selection criteria and information sources are used, as well as perceived difficulties and shortcomings related to consultancy procurement. Results show a high focus on price or more easily measured non-price criteria. This might limit the ability of municipal officials to evaluate consultant competence, especially aspects related to design and execution of projects. Furthermore, personal information sources are widely used, indicating a conflict between procurement practice and existing regulation. Unexpectedly, procurement officials were generally satisfied with their procurement practice. However, managers and more experienced procurers tend to be more satisfied than other officials. Satisfaction also appears to be connected to the existence of a procurement policy and more advanced selection methods. Keywords: public procurement, selection, consultants, Swede

Criteria in consultant selection: Public procurement of architectural and engineering services

The competence, commitment and attitudes of design consultants strongly influence the quality and costs of built facilities. However, in the selection of professional services it is often difficult to specify and assess non-price criteria related to both firms and individual consultants. Therefore, clients traditionally rely on long term relations or recommendations from clients or colleagues. Public procurement regulation, however, restricts the use of such informal data. This study seeks to understand how procurers act to reconcile these conflicting demands.An explorative questionnaire survey distributed to Swedish municipalities investigates which selection criteria and information sources are used, as well as perceived difficulties and shortcomings related to consultancy procurement. Results show a high focus on price or more easily measured non-price criteria. This might limit the ability of municipal officials to evaluate consultant competence, especially aspects related to design and execution of projects. Furthermore, personal information sources are widely used, indicating a conflict between procurement practice and existing regulation. Unexpectedly, procurement officials were generally satisfied with their procurement practice. However, managers and more experienced procurers tend to be more satisfied than other officials. Satisfaction also appears to be connected to the existence of a procurement policy and more advanced selection methods.&nbsp;Keywords: public procurement, selection, consultants, Sweden</span

Rules of Engagement: Architecture Theory and the Social Sciences in Frank Duffy’s 1974 Thesis on Office Planning

This paper addresses the broad shift that took place in architectural theory and education in the 70s, where models of the discipline asserting the autonomy of architecture eclipsed models privileging architecture’s ties to other disciplines, particularly technology and the social sciences. With Frank Duffy's Princeton thesis on open office planning (1974) as a focus, the paper explores the theoretical and institutional contexts of this shift and offers a critical reappraisal in light of contemporary issues facing architecture.architectural theory, office space, planning, architectural education

The U.S. Science and Engineering Workforce: Recent, Current, and Projected Employment, Wages, and Unemployment

[Excerpt] As Congress develops policies and programs and makes appropriations to help address the nation’s needs for scientists and engineers, it may wish to consider past, current, and projected S&E workforce trends. In this regard, this report provides employment, wage, and unemployment information for the computer occupations, mathematical occupations, engineers, life scientists, physical scientists, and S&E management occupations, in three sections: “Current Employment, Wages, and Unemployment” provides a statistical snapshot of the S&E workforce in 2011 (the latest year for which data are available) with respect to occupational employment, wage, and unemployment data. “Recent Trends in Employment, Wages, and Unemployment” provides a perspective on how S&E employment, wages, and unemployment have changed during the 2008-2011 period. “Employment Projections, 2010-2020” provides an analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ occupational projections examining how the number employed in S&E occupations are expected to change during the 2010-2020 period, as well as how many openings will be created by workers exiting each occupation (replacement needs). A final section, “Concluding Observations,” provides various stakeholder perspectives that Congress may wish to consider as it seeks to ensure that the United States has an adequate S&E workforce to meet the demands of the 21st century

Designing with Care - Interior Design and Residential Child Care Final Report

This exploratory study examined the attitudes to a range of design interventions in four residential care homes for children in South Lanarkshire. The project set out to identify the benefits and disadvantages to young people and staff of a change in approach to the design of interior spaces. It was undertaken by Farm7 (specialists in design research and consultancy) and the Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care (SIRCC). The main focus of the research was to evaluate design interventions aimed at removing 'institutional' approaches to design in the care environment and improving the experience of looked after children. This involved the commissioning of interior design consultants Graven Images in the development and design of South Lanarkshire's residential children's homes. Post-occupancy evaluation of the four residential homes was undertaken with the participation of both looked after children and staff. It was envisaged that this study would contribute to the development of design guidance that will promote a more systematic approach to the design of care environments. This will allow social work and design professionals to draw on a design framework in order to significantly enhance the experience of looked after children and staff