A lack of focus on operational outcomes is one of the greatest threats to the design, construction and operation of buildings. The fundamental question of “what is this building trying to achieve?” is being lost during construction. This lack of end use focus allows compromised design choices, poor commissioning and handover processes, and overlooked systems maintenance – resulting in a building that does not match user or client expectations.

This is why a strong commissioning presence from the Client is necessary to ensure end user requirements are met. Buildings exist to perform a function to be used by people. Design and Construction are merely means to achieve this. How a user experiences the building is paramount to its success. A modern building, however, is a result of a regulation-driven approach, not a design driven one – which leads to loss of function or at least, a messy compromise. Bottom line, the more end user input into the design and construction phases of any project will mean an end product that was originally planned with its functionality intact.

Categories: Maintenance, Project Management