Built Environment Organisation and Process - Essay Example

BUILD ENVIRONMENT ORGANIZATION AND PROCESS INTRODUCTION Modern construction is a very complex process and it requires the combination and effective coordination of a number of resources such as money, manpower, material. It involves the use of a number of professional people, each of whom is entrusted a specific responsibility connected with the project. The people working on a construction project perform a number of critical activities that span from managing personnel to finances. As such, each of them over time and experience and also through individual qualification comes to become characterized with a specific set of professional abilities. This dissertation is an attempt in the context of a construction project and takes into consideration the individual capabilities of an architect and a Quantity surveyor in order to determine the most suitable among the two for adopting the role of a lead consultant for a project. The next two sections will outline the work areas and individual areas of specialization of these professionals and the subsequent section will provide a requisite analysis of the two professions with a view to determining the most suitable among them. CAPABILITIES OF THE ARCHITECT The prime tasks of an architect are to implement the plan and design of a construction project. Additionally, monitoring the progress and the various stages of construction happen to be the other important tasks. The work environment and methods of an architect are aimed at understanding the needs of the resident at all levels and to the slightest detail. This is due to the fact that designing the elevation and the interior details as well as estimating the dimensions of every entity within the construction project are the sole responsibilities of the architect. The primary responsibilities of the architect cover the following key domains that come under construction: Building needs. Operational needs of resident (the person(s) who will be using the constructed site). Technological needs. Aesthetic needs. Legal needs. The importance of an architect within the purview of a construction project arises from the single fact that he/she must possess the ability to be able to visualize all requirements and needs of the customers in absolute totality as there is virtually no room for any adjustments or modifications once the basic framework is in place. Moreover, an successful architect is always known to leave no stone unturned in ensuring that none of the requirements are left open in an unclear or ambiguous way. As such, an architect sits at the top of the construction hierarchy when it comes to the extent of contact with the customer. There are many cases where the architect is also supposed to be well informed with the legal construction norms of the land (need to elaborate on this) as any kind of plan or design is likely to be influenced either directly or indirectly as a result of which it is extremely necessary to grasp all the norms and constraints beforehand. An able architect always knows the right technology to use for the purpose of construction and as such is entrusted with the responsibility of suggesting the best available methods for construction both to the customer as well as the developer. The usefulness and importance of these suggestions has direct implications on the cost, effort and schedule that goes into the project. Thus, in a way, an architect functions as an interface between the client and the developer. CAPABILITIES OF THE QUANTITY SURVEYOR In any construction project, the management of the finances involved is a major task. This requirement grows both in magnitude, complexity and importance especially when the construction project is huge, spans a long period of time and involves the exchange of money between several hands. As such, keeping track of all the transactions and making the requisite decisions becomes an individual and concentrated task that needs to be handled by a trained qualified and experienced professional. Therefore, in the present context, one would most likely turn to a 'Quantity surveyor' in the event of such requirements. Like an architect, a Quantity surveyor's domain of work lies within the construction industry. Unlike an architect, a quantity surveyor's work environment involves the management of the costs involved in developing the construction project. Thus, the work of a quantity surveyor adopts a managerial role when considered on a broader sense. However, when it comes to specialization, there are two types of quantity surveyors namely those who work on behalf of the customer and those who work on behalf of the construction developer. Thus, the involvement of the quantity surveyor within the construction project is more of a consultative nature. In spite of the restriction of the involvement of the quantity surveyor to controlling costs, the planning and deliberation of the required initiatives requires a number of approaches. In fact, the importance of a quantity surveyor spans from the time of inception of the project plan right till the completion of the project (in some cases even for more time to calculate the overall costs and other allied measures). During the initial phases of the project, the Quantity surveyor has to estimate the economic feasibility of the project. This is done to assess whether the project would benefit the parties involved both in the short as well as the long run. The surveyor, as part of this analysis, has to make a realistic and most probable estimation of the materials and labor involved to ensure that the results of the cost benefit analysis turn out to be in favor of the client. Once having established the financial prospects and feasibility of the project and after having found it to be favorable in all respects, the surveyor also has to make a cost planning schedule that will project the costs involved during the various phases of the construction. Upon the completion of the project and also at the completion of every subsequent stage, the quantity surveyor performs a cost estimation that evaluates the actual costs that have gone into the project. The results of the cost estimation are then compared with the projected results under the cost planning initiative to determine the correlation among the two. This approach allows the quantity surveyor to compare actual results with estimated projections, thereby allowing him to take the appropriate actions as and when necessary. COMPARISON From the above description of an architect, it is evident that an architect oversees that he/she oversees the planning, design and construction of an infrastructure project. It is also clear that a Quantity surveyor is concerned with the management, monitoring and control of the costs associated with a construction project. Quantity surveyors are consultants who either work for the customer or the developer (in fact, each of them has an individual quantity surveyor). As such, the assessments and evaluation of the costs by each of them may be different from the other, in which case both may not be in synchronization with each other unless there is good communication between them (i.e. between the surveyors from the customer's and developer's sides). On the other hand, an architect is in direct contact both with the constructor as well as the customer throughout the length and breadth of the construction for a number of reasons. Firstly, an architect plays an important role in identifying the needs of the customer and transforming them into an able design that satisfies all the specified requirements. All this process consumes time, during which, the architect is most often able to establish a relationship with the customer. The architect is also able to determine if the proposed design falls within the capabilities and limitations of the constructor and works all along to bring both parties into synchronism. This proves a basic point that an architect, unlike a quantity surveyor whose job role is comparatively limited, is in a better position to be in direct contact with the entities involved over a much longer time. The quantity surveyor on the other hand is restricted to the side he/she is working with and communication with the client arises only when the discussion is connected with any costs involved. Thus, this explains that an architect play a much broader role. As has already been described above, an architect's workspace encompasses a number of disciplines and requires them to be fully aware of all the features and technologies associated. This means that the architect's domain of knowledge is vast when compared to the Quantity surveyor. In fact, a quantity surveyor would have to consult an architect both during the assessment as well as the evaluation processes in order to gain an insight as the need arises. This suggests that a quantity surveyor often acts on the inputs he/she receives from the architect. For example, an architect may update the quantity surveyor with any changes to the construction plan, the materials being used and their associated quantities. Likewise, a quantity surveyor would often have to be informed by the architect during the pre-project planning phase as well so as to provide him/her with information on the resources that are intended to be used. Most often, this communication takes place through the documents and reports that are prepared by the architects for use by other professionals working on the project, one among them being the quantity surveyor. When the question is about determining the preferred and requisite qualities of a lead consultant for a construction project, the most imminent attribute points towards a number of factors that have been listed below: The lead consultant must have at least basic knowledge of the various aspects connected with a project. He/she must be in direct contact over an extended period with the entities concerned during all stages of development. The nature and mode of work of a lead consultant must be such that he is updated instantly about the status of various activities that are going on with the construction project at the various departments. A lead consultant must have the necessary skills to ensure that the customer and the developer are satisfied with the outcome. He/she must have the necessary skills to be able to perform credible in situations that require immediate attention. A lead consultant must have the ability to take the initiative to bring the situation under control during times of crisis. A lead consultant must always be able to strike a balance between the time, cost and effort associated with the project at all times. From a look at the above points and comparing with the arguments provided above, it is evident that among the two professionals under study, the architect stands in a better place to take on the mantle as the lead consultant for a construction project. This is simply given the nature of his work that covers a number of disciplines, his importance throughout the project and the reliance of other people connected to the project on him for various reasons. Thus, this analysis definitely places the architect over a Quantity surveyor when selecting the lead consultant. Read More