analysis
A shout-out for the end-user
How do we ensure a better outcome for our higher education b uildings? Cathy Stewart, an architect with 25 years’ experience in the sector, has a very practical suggestion
W
ITHOUT end-users the building industry has no purpose.
Irrespective of whether it is a commercial developer, speculative development, client occupier or projects delivered on behalf of an end-user, it is clear that there is a symbiotic relationship between the end-user and the property construction industry; they need us and we need them. During my 25 years in the industry I have noticed the
value of stakeholder engagement, and conversely the frustration when it is absent. As Bickford and Wright (2006) state in Learning Spaces, “Inviting people with different perspectives to contribute to collective decision making can be time- consuming in the development phase but ultimately is less time-consuming than leaving them out.” The cost of changes in building projects exponentially rises the later in the project the change is instigated. Communication is vital, but listening is
critical to understanding clients, stakeholders and end-user requirements particularly in the higher education sector where the building types are as diverse as any small city. Academics, students, construction professionals all speak a different language whereby it is easy for important details to be misunderstood or become confused in the process. Changes to the HE landscape following
the introduction of student fees in 2009, since when the “student” has become the “customer” have increased competition thus introducing marketisation into the sector. Higher education institutions have had to adapt their campuses to provide appropriate student experience which reflects the needs of the next generation of intellectuals. The constantly changing nature of academia creates a continuous pipeline of projects, the effect of which has put greater demand on the estates departments. It is essential, more than ever, that that we deliver the right solution for the current needs. Location, budget, complexity,
8 highereducationestates
specialism, facility, process and so on, influence the type of accommodation and end-user requirements. To fully comprehend the nuances of HE client requirements takes time and skill to translate the user’s vocabulary into language that the project team understands and vice versa, specifically in specialist areas such as science. Are we giving end-users enough
support and time to convey their complex requirements? Given how infrequent and expensive
projects can be, we need to ensure that all available assistance is provided to secure a successful project. Thus it is important to build strong relationships between the end-user, the estates department and the design team (see The Project Delivery Triangle, Fig 1). End-users have varied experience of
the intricacies of buildings procurement; as their expertise is in academia they are generally not conversant with the processes of delivering construction projects. Without expert guidance in gathering crucial information at the early briefing stage there is the potential for the project business plan to be under- represented in their requirements. Limited briefing information can result in cost and programme misalignment with the risk of potential project overrun or at worse an inappropriate building. Another potential pitfall is in the
overestimation of the end-users’ knowledge of briefing requirements and what is required of them. Conversely, the end-users expect the design team to know exactly what they need to accommodate their activities and thus underestimate the need for their own involvement, particularly in the early stages of the project definition. I have witnessed this anomaly for myself,
observing the recurrent challenges when the approved project definition does not deliver the end user’s requirements. This leads to adversarial relationships between different parties about accountability. In reality it is the process which inhibits the successful outcome. Enlightened institutions are finding different ways to manage expectations. I have been
engaged by several as “Interpreter” to bridge the gap for specialist science projects. The journey and final outcome of the projects were greatly enhanced by offering dedicated, timely support to the end-user. In the end-user feedback, an interpreter is an essential early requirement for any institution considering the construction of facilities for technical and scientific purposes. We must remember that the academics
who are briefing the team also have day jobs. This puts a great strain on their time, which together with lack of understanding of their role creates unnecessary frustrations leading to abdication of responsibility to the professionals or conversely the professionals delivering what they think is needed without understanding the nuances of the facilities. The end result: at best a functional building or at worst a building not fit for purpose. It doesn’t need to be like that.
Investment in an interpreter who is well versed in the process and understands the questions to ask at the initiation of a project creates clarity of purpose, clear definition of the operations, specific
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