It's all in the mix

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Striking a balance between creativity and sustainability is key to the future of the built environment.

Collaboration between client, architect, facilities manager, developer and engineer is key to sustainability, says Kerry Galbraith, head of the structural department at KEO.

Do you think that architects design with engineering challenges in mind? Is it often a challenge to realise an architect's vision?

It depends on what the architect's brief is. In this environment, in the Gulf region, we are finding a lot of developers want to have landmark buildings created to define their project, and in doing so, they are allowing architects free range to get creative and push the limits of what has conventionally been done.

In pushing architectural boundaries they have to stretch things from an engineering point of view as well.

Architects will have a basic understanding of the actual structural parameters, the different MEP systems and the vertical transportation systems, so it kind of allows them to have an idea of how it all fits together and how it is going to work when they are conjuring up their images and concepts.

Do you think that engineers are involved early enough in the design process?

I think that generally, the architects that we deal with that are doing these landmark buildings are ones who have a lot of experience and have been through these pressures before.

They realise the value of not only having the structural engineers on the project from the early stages, but other team members such as the vertical transportation and other technical guys.

With regards to these projects, it is definitely architecturally driven, however the architects will bring along a team of people to execute these designs.

Do you think that a greater collaboration between architect, developer, facilities managers and engineer would result in a smoother process and a better finished product?

I do. You want to have the team in place very early on in the process. If you get all the players in early on; the architects, the developers, the engineers, the client and the facilities manager around a table at the beginning of the design process, then you can get the dialogue going.

We find that in the Gulf, the developer often doesn't have the end user in mind, or if it's an office building, they might not have the leasing agent in mind.

It would be good to have a facilities manager on board early on, so that architects and engineers are more informed about what is going to happen to the building once it is occupied.

From an engineering point of view, you can actually talk to the contractor and say actually, OK, Mr Contractor, how are you going to build this, and what can we do to help speed up your construction and procurement process.

We can also ask, Mr Facilities Manager, who their parking management company will be and how they are planning to lease this building. So then we can incorporate these aspects into the design early on.

This collaboration must really be valuable to the client...

It really is beneficial to the client, to have a facilities manager of a leasing agent on board early on because it helps the design team put together the appropriate operations manuals and arrangements that coincide with what the client's requirements are.

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