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2021 | Buch

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Change Management Towards Life Cycle AE(C) Practice

verfasst von: Dr. Anna Dalla Valle

Verlag: Springer International Publishing

Buchreihe : SpringerBriefs in Applied Sciences and Technology

Enthalten in: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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Über dieses Buch

The book explores how architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) firms have been adapting and changing to effectively address key environmental challenges, focusing on Life Cycle Thinking and related methodologies (Life Cycle Assessments and Life Cycle Costing). Starting from current practice, the book outlines the necessary change management to turn into life cycle AE(C) practice, switching from a product-technology mindset to a life cycle thinking and holistic approach. Although the primary audience of the book are Architectural and Engineering firms, the broad range of topics encourages readers from different backgrounds to explore the latest advancements in construction sector. Service companies and software developers can find inspiration to develop innovative tools and solutions, clients can find ways to demand sustainability as key target for building design and universities can align academic programmes to address new industry challenges.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter

Chapter 1. Reshaping of AEC Firm Management to Face Environmental Sustainability

Abstract

The current globalization of market, specialization of competencies, digitalization of the process and wide range of requirements make construction sector increasingly complex, gradually changing Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) firms towards sustainability. To this end, an overview of the phenomena ongoing in the construction sector is provided, firstly, focusing on the overall change management of multidisciplinary firms and, secondly, on the leading environmental issues and tools implemented during the process. The transformation process involves both tangible and intangible resources and it is now supported by a broad spectrum of tools that assist practitioners in making better business decisions, especially towards environmental goals. Here, life cycle approaches are growing in importance to implement the whole-system thinking required in the decision-making process, to meet clients demands for environmentally friendly buildings as well as to develop environmental processes and practice, enhancing competitiveness, sustainability and innovation on the entire supply chain.

Anna Dalla Valle

Chapter 2. Emerging Trends and Developments in BIM, Green BIM and LCA

Abstract

In the light of AEC firms change management, the key emerging trends are surveyed fostering practitioners point of view. In particular, the focus is on the current state of Building Information Modelling (BIM), Green BIM and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in practice. Indeed, BIM is rapidly transforming the global construction industry representing the starting point for the digital transformation, being spread worldwide whilst with different level of maturity. Moreover, to meet sustainability, BIM is increasingly used to improve building performance and to encourage integrated design and construction processes over the building life cycle, turning out in Green BIM. Finally, practitioners start experiencing LCA in practice, since internationally recognized as the most scientific methodology to assess the environmental impacts of products, components and buildings throughout the whole life cycle.

Anna Dalla Valle

Chapter 3. LCA Tools and BIM-Based LCA Methods to Support Decision-Making Process

Abstract

Deepening LCA applications in construction sector, the LCA tools now available on the market and the BIM-based LCA methods are analysed to support environmental-oriented choices of building practitioners. In particular, the most established building LCA software are explored in terms of backgrounds, cost, assessment types, used databases, set of environmental indicators and further functionalities. Moreover, since LCA-BIM integration is growing in interest to steer building sector towards environmental sustainability, the BIM-based LCA methods are examined to suggest possible workflow according to data input, data analysis and data output, for endorsing the holistic approach of buildings, optimizing information exchange and time effort. The aim is to provide practitioners new ways to assess environmental impacts but also beyond, including energy analysis, cost evaluation and green building certifications.

Anna Dalla Valle

Chapter 4. Building-Related LCA Application Review Within Construction Sector

Abstract

For fostering the development of LCA studies in building practice, a sample of building-related LCA applications are reviewed, focusing on the European context and the time period between 2010 to date. In particular, the large ensemble of quantitative life cycle information (foreground system) are break it down since covered by designers, rather than the environmental information (background system) referred to specific databases and/or certifications. The aim is to verify the completeness and quality of the now considered inventory, on one hand, for providing the reference state for future assessments and, on the other, for highlighting the missing information to be overcome. Indeed, the consistency and types of the accounted quantitative information greatly affects the level of completeness of the study, while the quality of such information highly influence the reliability and accuracy of the results. To this end, the analysis gives prominence to possible sources for data collection and areas for improvement.

Anna Dalla Valle

Chapter 5. Insights into AEC Firms to Survey Environment-Driven Change Management

Abstract

To start delving into design and construction practices and ascertain how they are equipping and reorganizing in order to address environmental issues, a questionnaire survey was submitted to AEC firms. The aim is to provide a synopsis of the change management, focusing the attention on the transformation made by environmental issues and highlighting the inner structure, organization, competences and tools, encompassing cross-sectional fields. The target audience is Architectural and Engineering firms but also Construction companies established both at national and international level, surveying big- and medium-size firms, rather than small-size firms since less involved into the transformation process. Responses are analysed as group to determine trends on the change management of construction industry towards environmental sustainability, disclosing similarities and differences inherent design firms according to their size.

Anna Dalla Valle

Chapter 6. Assessment Framework Proposal to Steer Building Process Towards Life Cycle Perspective

Abstract

Life cycle approaches are gaining even more attention in building sector, representing for the involved parties the key challenge for the coming years, asking practitioners to change their mindset and way of practice. To support AEC firms in life cycle design and operations, an assessment framework is developed based on current practice, with the aim to implement Life Cycle Thinking in building process, according to different process phases and empowering different actors. The focus is on the life cycle information required, the actors engaged to gather data and the tools and sources used to provide data. In this way, if explained from life cycle perspective, it helps in the data collection required to perform the inventory phase of life cycle studies (LCA and LCC). By contrast, reversing it from building process perspective, it supports the integration of LCT in practice, encouraging life cycle design and operations and the establishment of one-single life cycle information record for steering decision-making within a BIM-oriented working environment.

Anna Dalla Valle

Chapter 7. Shared Framing to Outline Environmental and Life Cycle Efforts into Building Design Projects

Abstract

To bridge the gap on current environmental-driven change management, a shared framing is suggested for deepening building projects in terms of resources invested by design firms to meet environmental and life cycle issues. In particular, besides project general info, four areas of interest are dealt with: design team directory; environmental and life cycle studies; Green Building Rating System (GBRS) decision-making process; and assessment framework process. Depending on the scope, the shared framing is represented by linear graphs for individual analyses, while it is converted in circular graphs for collective analyses. The graphical representations provide added value: for external people, including clients, to have an overview of the projects/design firm aptitude for environmental and life cycle issues; for design firms to display in an effective way their environmentally-friendly way of practice; for practitioners to monitor the design process and enforce its optimization towards sustainability.

Anna Dalla Valle

Chapter 8. Challenge of Managing the Design Team Multidisciplinarity in View of Environmental Goals

Abstract

In term of resources invested by design firms to meet environmental and life cycle issues, the design team directory plays a key role, as evidenced by the first area of interest of the shared framing. The focus is on the competences and related number of actors involved for different projects, assessing the demanded level of multidisciplinarity and workflow management consistently with projects goals and features. By the comparison of a sample of building design projects, trends in current practice are outlined, stressing the wide range of specializations and their changes along the process, with the spread of energy and sustainable expertise. Some hotspots are further presented to improve the management of the engaged actors towards environmental and life cycle issues.

Anna Dalla Valle

Chapter 9. Widespread Integration of Environmental and Life Cycle Studies for Sustainable Building Design

Abstract

The set of environmental and life cycle studies are crucial to test in a preliminary way the effort invested by design team towards sustainability. For this purpose, the second area of interest of the shared framing focuses on the topics more widespread in practice, encompassing: sustainable certification, energy, renewables, water, daylight, life cycle studies and their impact on the decision-making process. In this way, by the comparison of different projects, it emerges the heterogeneity and uniqueness of each design process, in which only energy issues and sustainable certification turn out to be stationary topics, followed by studies on renewables and Life Cycle Costing. Based on current practice, some hotspots are suggested according to the level of sustainability and the maturity of life cycle implementation to be achieved within the projects.

Anna Dalla Valle

Chapter 10. Green Buildings Rating Systems as Driver for Specific Life Cycle-Oriented Data Within Decision Process

Abstract

The achievement of Green Building Rating System (GBRS) certifications further increase the efforts of the project team towards environmental and life cycle issues. That is why the third area of interest of the shared framing focuses on GBRS decision-making process, showing the list of credits and the related number of points considered as achievable, to be further evaluated or not reachable, for assessing the project level of sustainability. Surveying current practice, it emerges how the credits that provide specific life cycle-oriented information always affect the decision-making process of both design and construction phases, revealing therefore the availability of the connected data. They refer to water reduction, energy performance, construction waste, recycled content, regional and low emitting materials. For improving process efficiency, a brief synopsis is provided of the responsible actors and key issues to be addresses during design for pursuing in particular LEED certification and towards sustainability.

Anna Dalla Valle

Chapter 11. Heterogeneity and Fragmentation of Life Cycle Approach in Current Building Design Projects

Abstract

Since life cycle approach is still not fully established in design firms, the fourth area of interest of the shared framing is aimed at showing the life cycle information considered in practice along the process. The focus is on materials, energy, water, transport, waste and emissions of the different life cycle stages, marked according to their level of intensities in relation to design phases. By the comparison of a sample of building design projects, it emerges the partially coverage during design studies of the life cycle information, limited to few construction materials and building systems, energy consumption and, to a lesser extent, water consumption, seldomly enlarged to construction waste, use emissions and maintenance materials. In this context, further efforts are needed to improve life cycle design in practice, as suggested by the hotspots.

Anna Dalla Valle

Chapter 12. Existing Information Flow to Develop Environmental and Life Cycle Studies of Current Practice

Abstract

Staring from the premise that there is not a predetermined relationship between the resources of a firms and its capabilities, the purpose is to figure out how they are linked together, revealing the information flow in action towards environmental sustainability. To this end, the collaboration and communication required is deepened, in order to understand how current practice work nowadays to meet environmental and life cycle issues, also in relation to the level of complexity of the projects in question. Among the complete list of competences, the responsible actors are thus highlighted, disclosing the competences that need to collaborate each other to provide and to gather the information required for the different studies. Results evidence how, on one hand, only few actors are in charge of the environmental and life cycle studies and, on the other, that a widespread network is demanded, recommending sustainability and energy specialists to immediately start collaborating and working in synergy with the main supporting disciplines.

Anna Dalla Valle

Chapter 13. Worksheets to Implement Life Cycle AE(C) Practice by Sharing Responsibilities

Abstract

To switch from current design practice to life cycle AE(C) practice, a change management is needed to support during design the establishment of a life cycle-oriented decision-making process. Due to the wide range of information demanded, the sharing of responsibilities plays a key role, as evidenced by the personal worksheets intended to assign to each competence the committed technological elements as well as the connected life cycle information. In particular, the involved competences are: architecture, interior design, health/laboratory design, structural, mechanical, plumbing and electrical engineering, building energy design and environmental design/sustainability. They are all invited to follow the progressive implementation of information aiming at a growing level of detail and accuracy of data over the process. The purpose is twofold. On one hand, the worksheets specify the life cycle criteria to be implemented for encouraging the team in adopting a systemic approach to life cycle design. On the other, their fulfilment allows to collect the specifications of each technological element to be clearly communicated to contractor.

Anna Dalla Valle

Chapter 14. Progressive Life Cycle Information Flow Within a BIM-Oriented Working Environment

Abstract

In view of the change management needed to turn into a life cycle AE(C) practice, it is presented the life cycle information flow, pointing out for each design phase the set of actors directly involved with the committed technological elements and life cycle information. By showing an overall and systemic vision of the process, the aim is to support especially managerial disciplines in the identification of the main design competences that must be strengthened for the accomplishment of life cycle tasks. The joint combination of all actor efforts and connected life cycle information results in a project-based and well-framed set of data of the facility during the whole life cycle, envisioned in a BIM-oriented working environment. The project life cycle database provides a long-term vision of the facility, ensuring an added value for both clients and design firms and a continuous built-up of know-how.

Anna Dalla Valle

Chapter 15. Key Findings, Possible Stakeholders and Outlook for Life Cycle Practice

Abstract

One of the key emerging challenge of construction sector is the implementation of life cycle AE(C) practice, aimed at making aware decisions, avoiding shifting problems, gaining long-terms perspectives, optimizing design process, leading decision-making and decreasing construction impacts. The resulting change management calls for, especially in particularly complex projects, a new professional figure that acts as intermediary between clients and project team towards life cycle design. Given the topicality of issues, a wide panel of stakeholders may be interested in the outcomes, covering the expertise area (e.g. AEC firms, academy), the assets area (e.g. service companies, software developers) and the information area (e.g. clients, users). Moreover, improvement areas are highlighted for further enhancing and deepening in the next future the integration of life cycle perspective into building process.

Anna Dalla Valle

Titel: Change Management Towards Life Cycle AE(C) Practice
verfasst von: Dr. Anna Dalla Valle
Verlag: Springer International Publishing
Electronic ISBN: 978-3-030-69981-9
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-69980-2
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69981-9