Integrated teams vital for sustainable buildings
The traditional structure of construction teams is holding back the delivery of sustainable buildings, according to a report launched last week in the House of Lords. The members of SEA are: the Association for the British Electro-technical Industry; the Association for Consultancy and Engineering; the Building Services Research and Information Association; the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE); the Federation of Environmental Trade Associations (FETA); and the Specialist Engineering Contractors (SEC) Group, For further information, and a copy of the SEA report, contact John Nelson on 07921 687301 (contact@secgroup.org.uk).
The report entitled: 'Sustainable Buildings Need Integrated Teams' and published by the Specialist Engineering Alliance (SEA) recommended that clients only appoint integrated project delivery teams with "in-depth knowledge of the construction process".
It pointed out that the “large number of interfaces” between the parties to the construction process, coupled with “high transaction costs and risk of duplication and re-work”, make it very hard for the industry to produce sustainable buildings.
The SEA working party reviewed best practice advice, industry case studies and previous reports from organisations including the National Audit Office and the Office of Government Commerce. Their report added that the client would receive far better value from an integrated team that can “design in sustainable solutions” and “design out waste and inefficiency”.