Design Management for Sustainability

Stephen Emmitt

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781138408562
• eBook ISBN: 9781134039852
• Topic: Architektur
• Subtopic: Architektur Allgemein

Building on the special edition Aspects of Design Management (Volume 3:1, 2007), this publication brings together the rapidly developing field of design management with that of environmental sustainability.
Eight articles drawn from around the world help to provide some critical insights into the relationship between ecological sustainability and the application of design management in a number of different contexts. Contributions range from early policy decisions and public procurement options; to corporate social responsibility of architects and the promotion of materials and products to specifiers; to encouraging change and a design process evaluation method; to investigations into the role and contribution of construction design managers and facilities managers to a sustainable built environment. Collectively the articles provide a unique, multi-disciplinary, contribution to the theoretical development of the design management field as well as guidance on the practical application of methods and tools.

Article
The Construction Design Manager’s Role in Delivering Sustainable Buildings

Frederick T. Mills and Jacqueline Glass

Abstract

The emerging champion of the design process is arguably the design manager, increasingly playing a pivotal role in the delivery of sustainable buildings. This research aimed to assess the ability of construction design managers to integrate sustainability into building design, with particular emphasis on the importance of skills. Data were obtained from an extensive literature review, semi-structured interviews with experienced design managers and a survey of graduate design managers. The research identifies issues with construction design management generally, in addition to barriers to the delivery of sustainable buildings. Outcomes of the research contribute to the emergent dialogue on construction design management with regard to sustainable building design.

■ Keywords – Construction projects, design management, project teams, skills, sustainability management

Introduction

It is widely accepted that the construction industry is best placed to influence sustainable development because its ‘end product’, the built environment, is the context for the majority of human activity (Cofaigh et al, 1999; Wines, 2000; Addis, 2001). Construction has the potential to shape how we live our lives and to encourage/enable us to live them in a sustainable manner; by using fewer finite resources, contributing to the development of social capital and supporting the local economy (Williams and Dair, 2006).

The most important aspect of delivering a sustainable building is sustainable building design (Edwards and Hyett, 2005; Stanton, 2006). During this planning phase, materials and construction methods are specified and the manner in which occupants will go about their lives ultimately determined. Indeed, early consideration of sustainability appears key to realizing a sustainable building (Edwards and Hyett, 2005). Among the various core professionals involved with these activities is the design manager, who has a quasi-construction management role, but who also oversees the process that ultimately results in a sustainable building.

This research investigates the ability of construction design managers to integrate sustainability objectives into the process they manage, with particular emphasis on the importance of skills. Data were initially obtained through a literature review which identified two themes (skills acquisition and skills improvement) for further investigation. These were explored through a small set of opinion questionnaires and semi-structured interviews that sought the views of construction design managers from graduate up to senior level. Data were then analysed, from which a number of tentative conclusions and recommendations were developed. These have implications for government, contractors and their clients in terms of skills acquisition and improvement, with ramifications for the industry’s attitudes towards project management, human resources planning, institutional representation and training.

Current Challenges to the Construction Design Management Function

Research has shown that the building design process has become more complex over recent years (Beard et al, 1998; Gray and Hughes, 2001; Bibby et at, 2003a; Tzortzopoulos and Cooper, 2007). This is due largely to the increased popularity of procurement routes (such as design and build) in which responsibility for managing design falls to some extent within the remit of the principal contractor (Beard et al, 1998; Tzortzopoulos and Cooper, 2007), rather than with the architect as in more traditional forms of contract. The popularity of such routes is evidenced easily; the majority of UK government-funded infrastructure projects are now being delivered in this way. Further to this, the increased intricacy of buildings can be considered to be a contributory factor to the complexity of the design process (Bibby et al, 2003b; Tzortzopoulos and Cooper, 2007). Gray and Hughes (2001) found that the placing of design responsibility on contractors, a process they have little experience in managing (Bibby et al. 2003a), created the need for a greater effort in coordination and increased control over each phase of the building project.

Despite the management of design taking place explicitly within other industrial design and manufacturing sectors for a number of decades (Cooper and Press, 1995), the process has only recently risen to the fore in construction as a profession in its own right (Tzortzopoulos and Cooper, 2007). Indeed, many architectural design practices would have discreetly assumed this role by virtue of more traditional forms of contract up until the introduction of design and build.

Gray and Hughes (2001) believe that design management within the construction context is a function that coordinates the design process to deliver high-quality information, enabling the needs of the design, manufacturing and construction processes to be met, while Emmitt (2007), exploring the role from an architect’s perspective, describes the role as an information management or coordination function.

Tzortzopoulos and Cooper (2007) define design management as a managerial practice that is focused on improving design procedures, enabling the development of high-quality products (in this case a building) through effective processes. Construction design management is understood to be the coordination and regulation of the building design process, resulting in the delivery of a high-quality building. That said, the existence of various definitions genuinely reflects the piecemeal, somewhat staggered, implementation of design management in the UK, as reported by Gray and Hughes (2001) and others. Construction organizations have tended to implement design management practices independently of one another, which has led to some significant variations in the role description, procedures and practices. It is for this reason that design managers appear to have a number of roles and responsibilities, together with a wealth of tools to assist them. Hence, as an emerging job role in its own right, design management has an emerging set of skills. To map these, some of the key forms of literature (Gray and Hughes, 2001; CIOB, 2007; Tzortzopoulous and Cooper, 2007) and documentary evidence from three major UK design-build contractors (including one that employs around 2500 construction design managers) have been examined. Tables 1 and 2 illustrate an emergent hierarchy for design management skills, together with a matrix of these against the typical responsibilities of a design manager and a number of core design management tools.

Table 2 indicates that the possession of some skills may be more critical than others which supports the notion of the hierarchy developed in Table 1. This classification can only be regarded as tentative, because some skills that seem key to achieving a particular role/using a particular tool are classed as ‘supporting’. Therefore, reaching any consensus regarding the skills that a design manager should possess is not as straightforward as identifying specific roles, responsibilities or tools. Tzortzopoulos and Cooper (2007) state that difficulties in understanding a construction design manager’s skills relate to the poor understanding of their role; thus any research or attempt to reach a consensus on skills is based on the unstable foundation of a poorly defined profession for whom the daily operating parameters are rather vague. Indeed, their research discovered that the majority of construction design managers appeared to have a poor understanding and knowledge about the design process itself.

Table 1 An emergent hierarchy of skills for design management

LEVEL 1 – PRIMARY SKILLS

(proposed by three sources or more)

Comprehension

Communication

Leadership

Teamwork

Planning, coordination and organization

Analytical

LEVEL 2 – SECONDARY SKILLS

(proposed by two sources)

Technical knowledge base

Negotiation

IT competence

LEVEL 3-SUPPORTING SKILLS

(proposed by one source)

Design flair

Understanding of H&S

Project management

Commercial interface

Design procurement

Strong achievement focus

Firm customer focus

Understanding of market in which contractor operates

Gaining an improved understanding of the nature of the building design process delivered through developments in the skills and knowledge of design managers is a recurring theme (e.g. Cooper and Press, 1995; Bibby et al, 2003b; Bibby et al, 2006). It would seem that the rush into design management (by contractors charged with leading the design process) has arguably resulted in a lack of an education system/training on building design procedures. Another issue that appears to be restricting design managers in practice is a lack of power, which Bibby et al (2003b) attribute to their relatively low position in the project team. The job role does not command the authority it needs to be effective in leading and controlling the design process, which both Bibby et al (2003b) and Cooper and Press (1995) believe limits power and influence. These barriers could prevent the delivery of high-quality design and buildings, regardless of project nature and context. This brings us on to the pressing issue of a...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Guest Editorial: Design Management for Sustainability
• The Impact of a Fragmented Regulatory Environment on Sustainable Urban Development Design Management
• Public Procurement Incentives for Sustainable Design Services: Swedish Experiences
• Corporate Social Responsibility of Architectural Design Firms Towards a Sustainable Built Environment in South Africa
• Promotion of Materials and Products with Sustainable Credentials
• Mobilising the Courage to Implement Sustainable Design Solutions: Danish Experiences
• A Design Process Evaluation Method for Sustainable Buildings
• The Construction Design Manager’s Role in Delivering Sustainable Buildings
• The Practice of Sustainable Facilities Management: Design Sentiments and the Knowledge Chasm
• NOTES FOR CONTRIBUTORS TO Architectural Engineering and Design