Professions and Professional Bodies - Essay Example

Professions and Professional Bodies by Professions and Professional Bodies Introduction In construction, it takes several entities to put up quality and durable structures. Some of the common professionals at a construction site include Architects, Architectural Design Technologist, Quantity Surveyor, Building Services Engineer; Electrical, Building Services Engineer; Mechanical, Project/Construction Manager, Structural Engineer, and the Surveyor. This paper looks into the duties of each of these entities and their duties. Along with this, there will be a look into how they interact with each other. The paper also examines the professional bodies that cover each of these professions, and the importance and duties of professional bodies. Duties and Professional Bodies in Charge Architect An architect mainly designs structures, both residential and commercial. Their duties and responsibilities extend to ensuring that the building meets the safety needs of its occupants and the regulatory requirements of the federal and state governments (Hughes, 2009). One of the major duties of an architect is to work on customer service and retention. This entails working closely with clients in order to find out their project specifications. Another responsibility of an architect is to design, develop, and plan. They are, under this responsibility, they look into factors that may affect the feasibility of construction, for example environmental conditions. They also have a responsibility to conduct research and stay up to date with building codes and city ordinances that are constantly evolving. The same applies to keeping up to date with current building designs and attending pertinent seminars so that they retain their licenses (Jamal and Bowie, 2010). Finally, architects are required to obtain training on how to use computer-aided drafting systems that aid in design. The professional body in charge of architects is the Royal Institute of British Architects. Architectural Design Technologist An architectural design technologist handles the scientific aspect of design and construction (Hughes, 2009). They have a duty to ensure that the building designed is functional, constructed using the right material, and follows the existing building regulations. In addition to this, they ensure that the buildings meet the quality requirements, set deadlines, and the budgetary requirements. It is their duty to assess what surveys are necessary prior to the commencement of a project and ensure that the findings of the survey are incorporated into the implementation stage. They also produce, analyze, and advice on detailed specifications for the necessary materials to be used on site. They advise clients on demolition needs of buildings and needs for renovation. The professional body in charge of architects is the Chartered Institute of Architectural technologists. Quantity Surveyor A quantity surveyor calculates all the costs of a construction project, from the initial to final costs. They aim at minimizing these costs while ensuring quality at the same time. This, they do by adhering to standards set by statutory building regulations. Among their duties is keeping track of alterations to the initial contract to estimate how they may affect costs. They also undertake an analysis of costs for repairing any maintenance and repair activities. In addition to this, they have a duty to be aware of different building contracts that are currently in use (Maver, 2010). Some of the professional bodies in charge of quantity surveyors are Quantity Surveyors International and The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Building Services Engineer; Electrical A building services engineer in electrical engineering installs and conducts maintenance for services that are required to improve on the functionality of the building. This is for example, fitting the building with heating and lighting (Maver, 2010). One of their duties is to custom-design equipment for the site if required. In addition, they advise clients and architects on how to use and conserve energy as they go about their duties at the site. The professional body in charge of Building Services Engineers is The Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers. Building Services Engineer; Mechanical The build services engineer in mechanical engineering, just like an electrical engineer, installs and carries out maintenance that improves on certain aspects of the building. Unlike the electrical engineer, the mechanical engineer looks into installing equipment such as lift, plumbing, and air conditioning. They meet with manufacturers of building equipment to stay updated on new products and more cost-efficient means of improving on the efficiency of the building (Wallace, 2009). Like electrical engineers, they are under The Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers. Project/Construction Manager A construction manager oversees planning, monitoring, execution, control and closure of a project. They have a responsibility to foresee potential obstacles to the project, analyze incidences on site, and resolve conflicts (Krueger and Townsend, 2011). They ensure that projects stay within budget and on schedule. As overseer, they have a responsibility to assemble a capable team to work onsite and motivate them. In addition, they coordinate training activities for employees where necessary. The Chartered Association for Project Management is the professional body in charge of all Construction Managers. Structural Engineer Structural engineers are in charge of designing structures that are able to weather stress (Kreuger and Townsend, 2011). They pick out materials like concrete, wood, bricks, and metal of best quality given the budget. Another one of their duties is examining structures that already exist to test them for structural soundness. Typically, structural engineers recommend renovation activities or removal of malfunctioning parts of a building where necessary (Maver, 2010). Apart from the building itself, they also inspect the ground on which the structure is coming up, for example, testing the soil. The professional body in charge of structural engineers is the Institution of Structural Engineers. Surveyor They provide professional advice concerning construction and property. Among their duties is designing, developing, restoring, and maintenance of buildings. They advise on numerous aspects of the project, for example, environmental impact, energy efficacy, sustainability of construction, managing the maintenance of buildings, and preservation of historically significant structures (Maver, 2010). They also give citations on the aspects of the building such as health and safety. The professional body in charge of surveyors is the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Interacting on a Typical Professional Contract Each of the professionals discussed provides a unique aspect to the construction site. As such, their duties are crucial to the construction process. This section of the paper looks into the construction process, and how professionals interact with each other on a typical professional contract. One of the stages in construction is the designing stage. This is preliminary to other steps. Of the discussed professionals, the architect and structural engineer are most involved. The architect designs the structure, liaising with the client to find out their specifications for the project. This is followed by conducting the actual design. The architects then hand their designs over to the structural engineers, who decide on the most viable materials that should go into the construction process (Ferguson, 2012). The next stage in construction involves surveying, which is a preserve of the quantity surveyor and surveyor. The quantity surveyor studies designs proposed by the architect and estimates the costs of entire project, while taking into account the cost of materials as selected by structural engineers. The surveyors will at this stage study the area, to give a report on the impact of constructing a structure at the site, as they also estimate the efficacy of putting up the actual structure (Jamal and Bowie, 2010). During construction, the construction/project manager oversees operations at the site, ensuring that the all the personal employed to work at the site is qualified, subject to the first two stages of the construction process. The architectural design technologist at the site ensures that the structure is as scientifically strong as it is on the design that the architecture did. The building service engineers and structural engineers conduct post-construction duties to ensure that the building is habitable. That is, there is lighting, it has a heating system and it is structurally safe for use (Ferguson, 2010). Professional Bodies Table 1 gives a summary of construction professions and professional bodies covering each profession. Table 1: Professional Bodies Profession Professional Body in Charge Architect Royal Institute of British Architects Architectural Design Technologist Chartered Institute of Architectural technologists Quantity Surveyor Quantity Surveyors International The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Building Services Engineer; Electrical The Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers Building Services Engineer; Mechanical The Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers Project/ Construction Manager Chartered Association for Project Management Structural Engineer Institution of Structural Engineers Surveyor Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Source: Chartered Quality Institute (2013) Importance of Professional Bodies Professional bodies in the construction industry and in general serve to promote the interests of workers in the particular profession (Chartered Quality Institute, 2013). For example the Royal institution of Chartered Surveyors protects the interests of Surveyors that have registered themselves with the body. These bodies lobby for better working conditions for their workers in instances where workers face dismal working environments. They also ensure that workers are compensated amply for their services (Warren and Wilkinson, 2008). Apart from this, the professional bodies also protect the interests of the public. The bodies are in charge of ensuring professionalism of their members, which in turn translates into protection of the public. For example, when Structural Engineers maintain competence in their work, it ensures that the buildings they inspect are safe for habitation by members of the public. Many professional bodies do this by setting standards for professional competence (Warren and Wilkinson, 2008). Professional bodies also participate in activities aimed at raising awareness on a certain profession in some areas. This is often in a bid to attract new members to the particular profession or encourage the public to utilize their services in place of more traditionally utilized services. With rapid growth of the construction industry has come specialization of functions. For example, architects were at some point relied upon to ensure single-handedly that there was a known budget for the entire project. Quantity surveyors now perform this function better. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is one of the bodies responsible for raising awareness on the functions of people in this profession. Conclusion This has been a discussion on the different professions under the construction industry, the unique duties of professionals, their interaction at the construction site and the role of professional bodies to their operations. From the discussion, the unique duties of each profession are key to a particular stage of the construction process, where the key stages are designing, surveying and construction. Professional bodies provide protection to both their certified members and members of the public by ensuring that their members are competent at what they do. In addition to this, they help widen the market for their members by attracting more members and a larger client base. Reference List Chartered Quality Institute. (2013). Specialist Professional Bodies. London; Royal Charter Ferguson, J., 2012. Building in Practice. Mitchell: London Hughes, W.P. , 2009. Organizational analysis of building projects. Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Surveying, Liverpool Polytechnic. Jamal, K., & Bowie, N., 2010. Theoretical considerations for a meaningful code of professional ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 14(9), pp. 703-25 Krueger, C.A. and Townsend, R.L., 2011. The controllers role in controlling construction costs. Management accounting, 70(6), pp. 38-43 Maver, T.W., 2010. Appraisal in the building design process In: Moore, G. T. (Ed) Emerging methods in environmental design and planning. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. pp. 195-202. Wallace, I.N.D., 2009. Hudsons building and engineering contracts. 11ed. London: Sweet & Maxwell. Warren, C., and Wilkinson, S., 2008. The relevance of professional institutions to students and early career practitioners in the property and construction industries within Australia. Paper presented to CIB International Conference on Building Education and Research, Kandalama, Sri Lanka, 11-15 February. Read More