Construction Administration Problem Solving; People first, then ideas, then hardware
I’ve discovered that my firms’ best work comes from being able to solve problems for our clients and their guests based on a specific methodology. I also believe that the ability to solve those problems is directly tied to three things: people first, then ideas, then technology (or hardware). This three-part philosophy has been one I’ve been designing by for many years, but most recently I have read it very clearly voiced in the work of USAF fighter pilot, Col. John Boyd, who is regarded as being one of the greatest strategic thinkers in the last 2,400 years and who is credited with single-handedly changing the art of war as it is now executed today.
Boyd’s theories and strategies have been adopted in one form or another by every US military branch. Additionally his work was also the primary influence of business scholar and writer Tom Peters’ in his book Thriving on Chaos. So his ideas translate well into the business world too.
People. In designing a hotel, nothing is done alone or in a vacuum. As the interior architectural designers, we’re part of a complex and dynamic ecosystem of people. The relationships among people, stakeholders and processes are ever-changing and evolving. By understanding the people involved in executing the project as well as the ultimate users - in our case guests, owners, operators, contractors, tradesman, hotel staff, project team members, consultants, manufacturers and vendors - we gain deeper insight as to what their individual and collective needs and values are and how they interrelate.
The people who will be a part of this project are the first constraint of the project. By having that holistic insight of how people should and do work together, only then can we start to generate ideas and concepts which begin to solve the deeper level problems. This ideation isn’t only important during the early design phases as you might think, but actually throughout the entire project, especially in the Construction Administration Phase.
Ideas. The issues and problems which surface during the CA Phase are unique because they can be brought out by any number of project team stakeholders (Architect, Plumber, Framer, Lighting Designer, Electrician, Stone Mason), and the issues are almost always deeply interconnected with functional or sequence or process-related conditions. For example, a question arises in the field regarding the location of an electrical outlet. The General Contractor issues an RFI, asking the interior designer for the location. (The GC actually was asked by his electrician because the drawings the electrician was using in the field didn’t have an outlet called out). No big deal right? Just put an outlet in where he wants and he’ll move on his merry way. Not so fast. The interior designer knows that in his completed design, there is to be a decorative Demilune console against a marble wainscot and he needs the duplex outlet and it must be located in a very specific location – centered within the opening on the wall, and at a height above the finished floor just below the rear panel of the console, and turned horizontally so that the outlet is very discreetly located so that the cord of the lamp which will be on that console will not be seen dangling below as a hotel guest enters this vestibule. If I don’t understand the intricate interconnection between all the tradesmen and what and when they do their work, I can’t possibly generate an idea which will solve the problem correctly. As the expert, the interior designer should also know that there are 5 trades potentially impacted here; the framer, the drywaller, the electrician, the stone mason and the furniture installer. Is there power available? No outlet means no power for the lamp – not acceptable. Outlet off-center or too-low, also not acceptable. The marble slab wainscot is book-matched and the slabs have been hand-selected and are part of a specific sequence of stone patterns. One-of-a-kind and irreplaceable. Cutting a hole in the marble in the wrong location is not acceptable. The fact that there should have been an outlet here and correctly dimensioned in this location, and there isn’t - is simply a miss (one that will be covered in a future Newsletter on Construction Documentation Coordination). Clearly, the need for a solution is immediate. The correct and timely idea for the solution can only come from knowing there is power available in the adjacent room, backing to this vestibule. By tagging on to the power in this adjacent room, the framer is minimally impacted if at all, the electrician has a simple two foot pull of wire and an additional j-box, the drywaller has only one-sided the framing and hasn’t fully closed up the walls and the marble wainscot hasn’t been fabricated yet. By knowing the roles and dynamics of the trades and by knowing the sequence of the construction, an expertise-based idea can become a valid solution.
Before we get to the third and final step of Technology or Hardware, we need to consider one key factor. Time.
As we saw in the example above, timing is crucial. How soon does the problem need to be solved? How urgent is the situation? How much is at stake? Actions and responses in the early design phases of a project are usually not overly time-sensitive because there are fewer people involved at those points of the project. Once the construction begins however, it’s an entirely different game. Literally hundreds of workmen, tradesmen are on site and millions of dollars of materials and machinery are being used – LOTS of moving parts and pieces.
Going back to our example, we’re on the jobsite with the General Contractor and his Subs, and we’ve determined that a problem needs to be solved immediately. Let’s also throw into the mix that we have no electricity for a computer. No printer. As the hotel Owner or Operator, why should this matter, the way a jobsite problem is solved? Simple. Money. Money can either be saved or expended in the form of construction delays, in the form of travel costs, in the form of material and labor costs, in the form of the potential impact to subsequent steps or project schedule milestones. This is why Time is such a critical factor to bring into the evaluation and understanding. It’s often the one driving force which determines the effectiveness of a solution simply by virtue of it’s speed-to-implementation.
Hardware. Now the hardware or technology comes into play. While technology is most often thought of as a time saver, that can depend on your location – if you’re in your design studio or on the jobsite – and the amount of time you have to solve the problem.
When we’re in the office and time is abundant, we can solve a lot of problems with software, computers, and internet. Technology is a tool to help us execute construction documents, specifications, and budgets, among other things, and we can’t live without it.
If, however, we’re on a jobsite, possibly a remote one, with no internet and no computers, how can we effectively be able to solve problems in the field, on the fly, in the moment, without need of power, technology, hardware or gear? How is that possible? The only possible solution is drawing – the old way.
When the clock is ticking away on the Owner’s construction loan, the GC is looking down the barrel of a penalty clause for not completing on time, and his subs are standing around waiting for someone to tell them what to do next, I’m talking about grabbing a framing pencil and clearly, accurately and succinctly drawing by hand the answer on the nearest sheet of drywall or plywood.
Before you roll your eyes and scream, “Old-school! Give me a computer!” consider this; if you can dispense with the formality of the normal project process (yes, you can shoot a picture of your hand-sketch with your phone and issue a formal Bulletin later), if you have the technical knowledge and creativity to actually solve the problem, and if you can pull off a proper hand-drawing which clearly explains the necessary next steps and locks down the variables so the GC can proceed as scheduled – then you have a very powerful and very valuable skill. One that can save the Owner a LOT of money.
Welcome to what my clients have called my Drywall Portfolio. A body of drawings that only a few key people have ever seen. It has been painted over, wallcovered over, and marbled over. But this portfolio has accomplished so much for our projects and our clients.
Absolutely there are many fantastic innovations in technology which have been brought to the construction industry – procedures, hardware and software. From streamlined project management philosophies like LPD, from shock-proof iPads which hold every sheet of Construction Documents, every shop drawing and submittal, from digital tape measures to Blue Beam Punchlists which combine site photos and commentary, locating pictures directly onto the exact location on the plans.
I’m not advocating not using any technology, but rather, using it intelligently and as part of a broader and deeper problem solving methodology. But in those instances when technology is not there to help you, being proficient and independent from technology and hardware gives us the freedom to move faster, more clearly and more efficiently.
