Vision
There is an average consensus about the fact that the construction economy in the Netherlands urgently needs improvement/renewal. The rising of construction costs combined with declining of quality, lack of innovation and high failure costs are strong indications for an alarming situation.
Efforts for changes are usually made within the existing culture, rules en laws. In itself, this is not astonishing but leads only to variations on the existing system and not to real changes and improvements.
Reasons for the poor situation have to be found in a culture:
- with a strict separation between design and realization
- with a poor and difficult transfer of information between the parties
- with increasing specialization which makes it more and more difficult to gather and process information into an integral design
- with main contractors that serve more and more as a staffing agency for specialist companies and have less and less own expertise and competence
- that is based on realizing projects exclusively with general contractors
- who have a very strong position to administer their own interests
- who have no interest in a transparent processes and to give access to all information and documents which makes it nearly impossible to supervise the works
- who accept the continuous rising of failure costs which ultimately have to be paid by the customers
The situation needs to be improved. This is possible and no rocket science.
With some simple changes in the structure and process of projects the results can be improved.
Some examples are:
- let the budget control / lead in design and tendering
- doing the design, engineering and contracting according the phases in the realization
- care for integral transfer of information from design to realization
- a competent construction/project manager has to look after the interest of the client from first design to completion of the works
- the realization of projects not with a main contractor but by contracting the specialist companies directly
- a transparent and open building process where all the information is accessible for the project-/construction manager and the customer himself.
Compared with the traditional way of building in the Netherlands, these simple changes will result in a higher quality in architecture and construction for lower costs.
The barrier to organize projects in such a different, innovative way is high. To work in a well known situation with the known shortcomings seems to be more comfortable than trying something new.
The described method is interesting especially for ambitious and complex projects and for clients who want to be involved in their projects. With the required expertise, experience and contacts with specialized companies who appreciate to work this way, the process and projects are well manageable with excellent results.
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