Time for a transformation?
The global downturn could prove to be a turning point for the building-services community in adopting new computerised methods of working that encourage collaboration between disciplines says John Adams.
Building-services engineers have been at the frontline of change over the past few years, adapting their designs to fit with ever more rigorous carbon-reduction guidelines and regulations. However, when it comes to methods of working, very little appears to have altered over the past two decades.
For a start, a recent Autodesk industry survey across Europe, showed that 64% of engineering firms still use paper and pens for internal communications. This may surprise some of the larger, global companies in this sector, who no doubt would not be able to operate these days without e-mail.
Computerised methods of working are second nature to many in the design world — yet some engineers are still producing hand sketches or mark-ups and passing them to a CAD technician.
If they are using a conventional CAD system, building-services engineers and designers visualise the 3D design in their mind and transfer it to a 2D drafted representation.
Some CAD systems developed specifically for mechanical, electrical or plumbing design allow the user to model the system geometry in 3D. However because the model is not computable, the elements and systems do not know how to interact with one another.
It is very clear that the building-services community as a whole prefers working in a tried-and-trusted traditional way.
Perhaps this attitude can be easily explained.
Prior to the economic downturn, work was plentiful — but this meant everyone was constantly busy and there was little immediate incentive to consider and implement major new strategies. After all, conventional methods of working have evolved through experience and knowledge. There is often little point in change for the sake of it, especially with all the upheaval and downtime that can often come in its wake.
However, when work becomes scarce, firms need to find ways to become more efficient and competitive. Change becomes imperative for the sake of survival. According to the research organisation, Euroconstruct, the Western European construction recession has been more severe than the overall economic downturn with output falling by 8.8% in 2009. If engineers don’t feel the need to re-examine their working practices now, they never will.
One major way of improving efficiency is to ensure better integration between all elements of the design/build process. In other words, different disciplines need to work more closely together as a team, all sharing their models of the building.
Already a group of global, multi-disciplinary contractors has begun to mandate the use of building information modelling (BIM) on its projects. Like BIM for building and structural design, BIM for building services is a design methodology characterised by the creation and use of co-ordinated and consistent information about a building’s mechanical, electrical and plumbing design. This information is used for design decision-making, producing accurate documentation, predicting performance, cost-estimating and construction planning and, eventually, for managing and operating the building over its lifetime.
Yet according to Autodesk’s research, many engineers remain impervious to the influence of the large contractors — or indeed, the architects and structural engineers they work with as project partners. When asked, one third of engineering practices said that they were not influenced in the strategic decisions by outside sources at all.
In many ways, the building-services community has the most to gain from more collaborative working methods. Results from Autodesk’s survey showed in no uncertain terms that managing late changes is the biggest headache for engineers. Building services is often at the mercy of the architects and structural engineers and stuck in the middle between them and the client. Any change is going to require major co-ordination work between all parties.
The problem is compounded if engineers and technicians, or, indeed, engineers and engineers, don’t work closely together, especially if they are in different parts of their office or even different locations altogether.
Not surprisingly, the research showed a different attitude prevailed in firms that were team-based. One respondent to the survey told us: ‘The office used to be segregated, with engineers and technicians sitting in separate areas. It has now been restructured, with engineers and technicians sitting in “family” groups — such as healthcare, residential and so on — more like an architectural studio would be organised. We can’t underestimate how this might change attitudes and practices.’
Working as a team on the same digital model provides many synergies, and the building-services design can be developed in the context of the whole building. For example, since the electrical and mechanical systems ‘know’ about each other, an electrical engineer can track the power requirements of the mechanical equipment included in the design and have the software configure appropriate electrical load requirements.
Far from implementing change for the sake of it, there is evidence that these team-based operations have been driven by the need to improve their services and remain competitive rather by the desire to acquire new technology just because it is available.
One respondent to the survey said, ‘We have implemented BIM because we know it is going to improve the bottom line.’
Another explained, I expect that as the workload picks up there will be change and that designer/detailers will become more prevalent. Who we start to employ after the recession will be different. We’ll be looking for Revit users with some level of engineering qualifications.’
The good news for the industry is that this presents a significant opportunity. Those who are prepared to break the mould and try these new collaborative ways of working will have a real edge on those firms still clinging on to their old methods.
New ideas are not always the best, but once in a while a fresh concept comes along that really does make sense in a practical way. As one of the more straight-talking respondents to the Autodesk survey told us: ‘We’re just trying to drive up our efficiency and reduce costs in order to survive the recession.’
John Adams is marketing development manager with Autodesk.
