Description
Until just a few years ago, sequential planning processes for buildings were still widespread. They involved the planners and consultants developing their concepts largely independently of the other parties, and only coordinating with each other at the end of a planning phase. With this process, an optimised planning result could only be achieved by the costly repetition of individual steps.
With comprehensive planning, the planners begin by forming an interdisciplinary team whose members are on the same network and all working on the project at the same time. For this it is important that all the necessary planners, consultants and experts are integrated in the planning work right from the start in order to avoid objections to the planning being raised by participants brought into the process at a later date.
With the architects in charge, the large planning team determines the occupants’ requirements and on this basis, jointly develops a series of alternative design concepts for the whole of the building or parts thereof. The selection, comparison and optimisation of the alternatives take place quickly through close, intensive communication. The total concept has to be sufficiently detailed that it can be executed at a later date, but too much in-depth planning should be avoided. The integration of subsystems in an optimised total concept takes place during a rapid, efficient design procedure.
This networked process of comprehensive planning can only take place, however, if the members of the planning team possess high degrees of expertise, interdisciplinary and social competence, and if the efficient planning methods are implemented using appropriate information technology tools.
New lines of approach for a successful planning process
A noticeable improvement in the planning process can be achieved by comprehensive, occupant- oriented planning if the following factors are taken into account:
1. The composition and the quality of the planning team determines the success of the project. The term ‘quality’ encompasses not only expertise, but also social competence. The architect should be given the freedom to put together a top-flight team specifically tailored to the task, whose way of working and structure should be distinguished by characteristic features. According to analyses by Dennis C. Kinlaw (D.C. Kinlaw, Superior Teams: What They Are and How to Develop Them. Gower Pub Co 1998) that he also carried out for NASA, among others, the features that are particularly noteworthy are:
• the cultivation of informal team processes (communication and contact);
• positive team sentiments (loyalty, commitment and contact);
• appropriate leadership (initiator, model, coach).
2. In recent years, some property developers have held out the prospect of an additional monetary incentive. In addition to the fee agreed upon, the property developer pays the planning firm a bonus for successful planning work, but this does not solve the problem of the incentive for project completion. In the interest of the project, it would be better if the bonus were paid for a successful total project. A provision like this necessitates more intensive teamwork and helps to avoid egoistic observations. Factors to take into account when evaluating the success of a total project could be, for example, the aesthetics of the building, keeping to deadlines and within budget, economic efficiency, occupant satisfaction, energy efficiency and ecology.
3. The comprehensive planning of the increased communication necessary for all the parties involved requires an intensive exchange of data (CAD, databanks, word processing, graphics). For this, the information and communications technology available at present offers a multitude of possibilities if certain conditions (exchange formats, layer structures, access permissions, data medium, etc.) are clarified early on and if, in addition, professional data management is implemented.
4. One way of managing the information technology aspect of the exchange of data and the planning documentation is to use a project communication system. This consists of a central data server, data connections over the Internet or an intranet to all those involved in the project, and databank-oriented project data management software. The essential functions of such a system are:
• central storage and continuous updating of all data relevant to the project;
• regulating the exchange of data between those involved by having authorised users;
• automatic synchronisation of the planning status through graphic comparison;
• automatic change management;
• search engines for text documents.
The value of such a system has already been proved in a series of large building projects. However, project communication systems regulate only the data management aspect of the exchange of information – they do not regulate its content.
5. Video conferencing technology enables content synchronisation processes and interactive collaboration of spatially separate offices. With this, any documents can be exchanged, edited and created anew. Data can be visualised and edited. In spite of the spatial separation of the planners involved, concepts and construction can be jointly designed, discussed and improved at the virtual table. The essential requirements of comprehensive planning can be met in this way.
Summary
Increasing economic pressure on the members of a planning team inevitably leads to changes in the planning structure and in the responsibilities. In future, the architect will increasingly have to take on the role of team manager, leader and developer in a planning group in order to remove the main hindrances of insufficient organisation and communication within a planning team. Comprehensive, occupant-oriented planning with top-flight teams offers a real chance to combine the form, function and cost-efficiency of a building in a way that is in keeping with the times while at the same time meeting all expectations.
Originally published in: Rainer Hascher, Simone Jeska, Birgit Klauck, Office Buildings: A Design Manual, Birkhäuser, 2002.