ADOPTING A PROGRAM MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO MAXIMIZE THE BENEFIT OF 'VERTICAL CITIES' - Arcadis

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ADOPTING A PROGRAM MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO MAXIMIZE THE BENEFIT OF 'VERTICAL CITIES' - Arcadis
ADOPTING A PROGRAM
MANAGEMENT APPROACH
TO MAXIMIZE THE BENEFIT
OF ‘VERTICAL CITIES’
ADOPTING A PROGRAM MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO MAXIMIZE THE BENEFIT OF 'VERTICAL CITIES' - Arcadis
Tall buildings are bigger, better, faster and more prevalent than ever. Driven by rapid growth
in Asia and the Middle East, the race among the world’s cities to build the tallest, ultimate
record-busting skyscraper on the planet is fast and furious. But these skyscrapers leave a legacy
city beneath, whether that is in the form of an open landscape for development around the
Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia, or a city prime for redevelopment in the shadow of the Petronas
Towers in Kuala Lumpur, a programmatic approach to design and development can ensure this
legacy is overwhelmingly positive.

Well-executed skyscrapers can         By looking at the development         But it is not always the case that
be a real economic-development        as a whole program of works,          these vertical cities are simply
driver. The Petronas Twin             identifying the deliverables          responding to urbanization.
Towers in Kuala Lumpur, built in      required to achieve desired           Buildings like the Burj Khalifa
1998, was the world’s tallest         business outcomes, managing           and the Shanghai Tower are
until it was eclipsed by Taipei       the interfaces with the               often called vertical cities, but
101 just six years later. Whilst      surrounding infrastructure and        they are not the direct result of
it may no longer be the tallest       establishing robust planning          the demands imposed by highly
building in the world, the towers     and scheduling, the bigger            urbanized space. They are born
successfully changed the              pictures becomes clearer, as          from a city’s burning ambition
perception of Kuala Lumpur            does the route to benefits            to make their mark. An iconic
worldwide (Bremner, 2007).            realization. Supertall buildings      tall building enhances the
These world class vertical            and surrounding developments          global image of the city. It is
buildings raise the bar for other     are unique projects facing            likely to put the city on the
buildings in the city, be it malls,   unique risks; risk management         world map, thereby signaling
office blocks or hotels.              is at the core of this programmatic   and promoting its significant
                                      approach. Focusing on trends,         economic progress and
There is no doubt that                forecasting and actively              advancement (Ali, 2012). These
“Supertall” and “Megatall”            managing and mitigating the           big, innovative, and distinctively
represent a new vision of             risk from the outset will have        designed skyscrapers are
vertical urbanization, but as         tangible, measurable and              potential game-changers. If
the race for grandeur surges,         beneficial impacts on the             they get it right, these new
so does the risk and disruption       outcomes for the development          developments can attract
caused by our increasingly            and the wider city environment.       phenomenal levels of tourism,
unstable and rapidly changing                                               by combining high-end mall
planet. The unthinkable is no         These outcomes however, are           space, offices, hotels and even
longer unthinkable, some              not solely economic. As our           ski slopes and aquariums.
of these threats remain               population continues to grow
unforeseeable and outside of          and our resources become              However, as these cities get
our control. The most effective       scarce, another challenge we          bigger and more complex, layer
way to ensure successful and          face in this volatile climate is      of enterprise and delivery risks
safe delivery in this unpredictable   building cities sustainably to        are added. The future of the
climate is by taking a commercially   meet the growing demand. By           building is coming at us with
 led programmatic approach.           2050, the world population            increasing speed and intensity,
                                      will have grown to nine billion,      the difference between the thrill
                                      from about seven billion today        of victory and the agony of
                                      (Risen, 2013). Building vertical      defeat is very small. Supertall
                                      cities can save energy, support       and megatall developments are
                                      our growing population and            no exception. Minimal deviations
                                      preserve our horizontal spaces        from plan are compounded and
                                      for food production, nature and       can have major implications on
                                      recreation.                           the overall performance of the
                                                                            program.
ADOPTING A PROGRAM MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO MAXIMIZE THE BENEFIT OF 'VERTICAL CITIES' - Arcadis
Location
The location of a vertical city can be a challenge and a key
opportunity. When looking at the global landscape of vertical
cities, over the past 50-60 years we have seen an eastward shift in
the geographical makeup of the world’s tallest buildings (see figure
1), corresponding to the economic emergence of these nations.                             Figure 1, The Shift East – How
                                                                                          the location of the world’s tallest
It is evident from the high rise trends in the Middle and Far East
                                                                                          building is changing
that these countries use architecture to demonstrate the development                      Tilburn, J (2014) Supertall B
and achievement of their nations. These dynamic structures also                           uildings 2014, Allianz Global
identify opportunities in the development, or indeed the redevelopment,                   Corporate and Specialty
of the cities surrounding these vertical metropolises.

 The Shift East
 How location of the world's tallest buildings is changing

        30                       14                          14                                       14

                                                                                                 20
                                                        20
   19

                            20

                                                                             Today, South East
                                                                            Asia (48%) and the
                                                                            Middle East (30%)
                                                                          regions now account for
      99%                                                                 more than three quarters
                                                                              of the tallest 100
                                                                                   buildings
                                                                                 in the world

     In 1930 99% of the
                                      Of the world's current 100
                                                                                                          Specifically China
    tallest 100 buildings             tallest buildings over half have          Half of the            is the country with the
    were located in North             been constructed in the past            tallest building       most tall buildings in the
    America with 51% in                                                      projects by 2020
                                      four years (59). 90% of these                                   top 100 (30) across over
    New York City alone*.                                                      are in China.         15 cities. Meanwhile, 20%
      Today (2014) this
                                      have been built in either
                                                                                                      of the world’s tallest 50
      has decreased to                China, wider South East Asia                                     buildings are currently
          just 16%.                   (for example, South Korea) or                                            in Dubai.
                                      the Middle East.
ADOPTING A PROGRAM MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO MAXIMIZE THE BENEFIT OF 'VERTICAL CITIES' - Arcadis
In countries like China, tall               The “wow” factor of being                    Table 1 shows the average sale
buildings are an effective way              in the shadow of the tallest                 and rental rates across selected
of housing large numbers of                 building on Earth has pushed                 developments of Dubai. Among the
people, as the population                   up land values all around the                list of developments, highest rates
                                                                                         are achieved for properties
migrates from the countryside               Burj, creating an economic
                                                                                         in the Downtown area.
to the cities. In the Middle East,          ripple effect that benefits the
tall buildings are more of a                whole city. Emaar Properties,
statement of intent. The Burj               the developer behind the Burj,
Khalifa represents Dubai’s push             have made it the centerpiece of
to become a world city, and the             a new business and residential
costs of its construction need              district, charging a premium
to be set against that bigger               for properties with clear views
picture (Langton, 2013). On its             of the skyscraper. Even if the
own the building represents                 Burj Khalifa had failed to turn
valuable real estate, but the 829           a profit, its presence has raised
meter tall structure, which includes        the surrounding property value
 apartments and a luxury hotel,             enough to more than offset the
is not simply an expensive                  difference.
marketing tool for the Emirates.

                     OFFICE - SALES RATES (AED / FT²)             RESIDENTIAL - SALES RATES (AED /             RETAIL - RENTAL RATES (AED / FT²)
                                                                                 FT²)
 DEVELOPMENT                LOW                  HIGH                     LOW                 HIGH                   LOW                 HIGH
 Premium Area
 (Burj Khalifa)
 Downtown Dubai     1,750                    2,350                1,800                   4,800                180                 325
 Other
                               Difference            Difference             Difference            Difference          Difference           Difference
 Dubai Areas
 Dubai Marina       1,575       10.0%        1,900    19.1%       1,300      27.8%        2,775    42.4%       130     27.8%       250      23.1%
 Dubai              1,700         2.9%       2,000    14.9%       1,650         8.3%      2,150    55.2%       165         8.3%    210      35.4%
 International
 Financial Centre
 Jumeirah           1,175       32.9%        1,450    38.3%       1,150      36.1%        1,650    65.6%       120     33.3%       180      44.6%
 Lakes Towers

                                            Conversely, one notable oversight on the Burj development is the
Table 1: Average sale and                   public transportation link. In the hot Arabian sunshine, a 1.5km
rental rates across selected                walk from the nearest metro station to the iconic landmark and
developments of Dubai
                                            adjoining Dubai Mall is a result of poor planning and insufficient
Faheem, M (2015) CBRE
                                            interface management. The distance may seem negligible, but
                                            in the height of the summer when temperature can reach above
                                            50°Celsius, the walk is unbearable. The benefit of developing a city
                                            in an emerging market that has a relatively flexible landscape with
                                            an evolving public transport strategy is to link the two together,
                                            promoting the use of the new metro and creating ease of access.
                                            Taking a programmatic approach to the whole development would
                                            have built this functionality in at an early stage.
ADOPTING A PROGRAM MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO MAXIMIZE THE BENEFIT OF 'VERTICAL CITIES' - Arcadis
The Triple                              The industry is becoming                 budget, but that also allows
                                        increasingly aware of the costs          benefits to be realized and
Bottom Line                             and benefits of building “green.”        business outcomes to be
                                        Knowledge in this area is                achieved. The delivery of major
A tall building is not only iconic      advancing rapidly, and the               buildings is becoming ever
in design but economically,             higher visibility, status, and           more complex, driven by
socially, environmentally               design quality of tower buildings        legislative change (sustainability),
impactful. But can a tall               means that they are often                technological change (BIM) or
building ever be sustainable?           the forefront of research and            the continuous fragmentation
We are no longer in the age             implementation of sustainable            of the design/procure/construct
of the high-rise urban ghettos          strategies. The adoption of              process. This complexity is
of the latter half of the 20th          LEED-type methods are helping            compounded for vertical cities
century, tall buildings can offer       to develop the efficiency of             where the systematic analysis,
unparalleled innovation and             individual buildings as “products”,      mapping and management of
exhilaration, with a flurry of          though there are many aspects            the interdependence between
technological advances that             of sustainability that are not           individual activity and tasks is
enable skyscrapers to be just           included in these methods.               magnified.
as green if not greener than            When addressing sustainability,
their low-rise counterparts             it is important to not only look         The role of the Program Manager
(Ijeh, 2015). There is a balance        at the energy efficiency of buildings,   is to create the right ‘controls’ to
required between creating a             but also their relationship to           inspire the team to deliver the
truly iconic development that           infrastructure and their                 required quality and innovation
attracts investment, tourism            long-term financial viability.           that tall buildings demand, but
and promotes a city brand,                                                       within a controlled and risk
ultimately warranting higher            Many key factors need to be              assured delivery strategy. Figure
rental income, and building             taken into consideration as early        1 summarizes five principles of
sustainably, environmentally            as possible to ensure a safe and         program quality assurance used
as well as economically.                efficient structure is delivered         on The Kingdom Tower.
                                        not only within time and to

 Figure 2. The five principles of program quality assurance

                                                TEAM         Focus on individual capabilities and
                                                             the relationship between team
                                                             members and organizations. The
                                                             creation of high performing teams
                                                             based upon the principles of
                                                             collaboration, accountability and
                                                             shared focus on outcomes.

     OUTCOMES        Defining performance outcomes and                                PROCESS       Tall buildings demand specific focus
                     success factors from a commercial,                                             on the deployment of granular
                     political and social perspective.                                              control processes at all levels of
                                                                                                    the project that integrate with one
                                                                                                    another. It is important to establish
                                                                                                    a controls regime that balances
                                                                                                    reporting and forecasting techniques.

      PRODUCT        Understanding and defining the                                   DELIVERY      Applying a forensic approach to the
                     performance requirements of the                                                mapping of granular tasks, interfaces
                     product to ensure it is translated                                             and dependencies throughout the
                     into the delivery strategy.                                                    design/procure/construct/operate
                                                                                                    cycle. Creating the time for creativity
                                                                                                    and innovation to overcome delivery
                                                                                                    challenges.
Health and Safety                   Figure 3: The Kingdom Tower approach to HSE

Assurance
Building tall represents many              Jeddah         Arcadis &            Dar              Saudi         Contractors
risks and as a result health              Economic        Mace (JV)        Al-Handasah         Binladin
                                           Council                         Consultants          Group
and safety should always be
                                         (the Client)                                        (Contractors)
foremost in any construction
project. Building a vertical city
has to consider the risks as
does any other construction
                                                  STRATEGIC
project, but there should also
be a focus on key areas, such
                                                                                  TACTICAL
as working at height, complex
lifting operations, access and
egress arrangements, perimeter                                                                       OPERATIONAL
working and fire and emergen-
cy preparedness. Mitigation
measures for these key hazards           •   Implement a strategic/proactive approach to HSE Management
must constantly be reviewed,             •   Provide leadership at all levels
updated and tailored to ensure           •   Ensure Accountability/Ownership
that the risks of working on a           •   HSE performance monitoring
high-rise development are being          •   Provide education at all levels
adequately managed. Figure               •   Set best practice expectations
1 describes the approach to
Health, Safety and Environment
(HSE) that was adopted on the
Kingdom Tower.
                                    As an example the following          Of specific importance in the
                                    eight key fatality risks have been   Middle East is the need for
                                    identified on the Kingdom            Behavioural Leadership. The
                                    Tower in relation to the             Behavioural Management of
                                    construction methodology:            Safety (or BMOS) integrates
                                                                         behavioural strategies and
                                    •   Lifting operations               processes into health and
                                    •   Work at height                   safety management systems.
                                                                         Working at all levels of a
                                    •   Shaft and riser works
                                                                         project or program, BMOS
                                    •   Building perimeter works         analysis promotes safer behaviour
                                    •   Edge protection                  and environmental conditions to
                                    •   Fire                             deliver continuous improvement
                                                                         in health, safety and business
                                    •   Electric shock and
                                                                         performance. A BMOS program
                                    •   Falling materials.               creates a systematic approach
                                                                         that defines a set of behaviours
                                    For each of these fatality risk      to reduce the risk of work-
                                    areas prescriptive risk control      related injuries. This is achieved
                                    standards are then developed         this by collecting data on the
                                    which are incorporated into          frequency of safety critical
                                    the safe systems of work. The        behaviours, providing feedback
                                    application of the standards         and reinforcement to encourage
                                    can be audited to assure             positive behaviour. The data is
                                    compliance.                          also used to identify root causes,
                                                                         facilitate problem solving, and
                                                                         develop recommendations for
                                                                         continuous improvement
                                                                         with particular emphasis on
                                                                         improving communication
                                                                         and awareness at all levels.
Focus on                            Building Information Modeling     design, details and construction
                                    (BIM) and other virtual           methods can save a lot of time
Design Innovation                   construction services are a       and money if managed
                                    critical part of executing        effectively and efficiently at the
The viability of any development    skyscrapers. Using these          front-end. However, innovations
is dependent on costs vs revenue.   techniques means more             need to be balanced with
These factors get ever more         efficiencies and accuracy in      reliability, fully exploring these
complex when building tall.         pre-construction planning         innovative solutions from the
Typically, as the height of a       and strategies, and equally       start is fundamental to actively
building increases so does the      important, during construction.   assessing, managing and
cost of construction. Many of       In addition to innovative         mitigating the risks.
the challenges faced in the         methods for coordination of
development, design and             structural and mechanical         On the Kingdom Tower,
construction of tall buildings      engineering, information can      innovative piling techniques
focus on finding innovative         be extracted from the model       were implemented by using a
responses to mitigate risks         to facilitate estimating,         110m Kelly Bar, manufactured
associated with the key cost        procurement, clash detection      for drilling rigs, this removed the
drivers, these must be identified   and field management.             need for extension pieces to
early.                              The 3-D model can be used         be inserted during drilling
                                    to identify and avoid safety      operations. This cut cycle times
Buildings like Kingdom Tower        hazards. The use of this          for depths down to 100m, a
could remain the exception           technology can enhance our       reduction of 50%, and saved
rather than the rule as cost is     overall productivity, provide     approximately 70 working days.
the major obstacle preventing       instant clarification and offer
developers going much beyond        important cost savings in         State of the art computerized
the one-mile mark. It isn’t the     high-rise construction.           drilling rigs were used (see
engineering, it’s the economics                                       Figure 4), which bettered
(Baker, 2008) that is holding       Prefabrication is not a new       tolerance targets by 50%.
back the development of more        concept, but architects and       On site fabrication of all
tall buildings. The reason that     engineers are tuning their        reinforcement cages ensured
many skyscraper schemes never       hats to the concept of            quality of fabrication and
come to fruition is usually the     prefabricated skyscrapers to      consistency of supply in order
business plan. Every time you       promote innovation and ‘Lean      to maintain schedule.
increase the height, the volume     Construction’. Due to the         Environmental factors were also
increases by several times          repetitive nature of supertall    considers and by recovering the
more. The Burj Khalifa is a good    construction, even small          drilling fluids, which were then
example of how to mitigate          improvements can have big         stored in site tanks and recycled
having too much space to sell       effects if integrated early       using dedicated temporary
by keeping the building as          enough. Simplifications of        storage pond.
slim as possible. This can be
measured and monitored
throughout the design process
by using a programmatic
approach and analyzing the
building’s useable space to
keep the design in line with
the desired outcomes.

                 Figure 4: The
                 Kingdom Tower
                 computerized
                 drilling rigs.
                 ©Jeddah
                 Economic
                 Company / Sales
                 & Marketing
                 Dept.
A key consideration in the            the Burj Khalifa, however
design of a vertical transportation   Kingdom Tower will contain 57
 system in tall buildings is to       elevators and 10 escalators and
reach the optimum balance             the highest elevator will rise
between the quality and               660m, with the world’s fastest
quantity of lift service provided,    double deck Elevators which
the capital cost of the lifts         ascend at 10.5 m/s from the
themselves and the loss of            lobby to the observatory level.
revenue-earning, tenantable           This is made possible by using
space taken up by the provision       carbon fiber rope technology
of lift cores and plant rooms.        (Kone Ultrarope) as illustrated
This becomes even more critical       in figure 5.
as buildings become taller than
50–60 storeys.

The type of vertical transportation
system is often linked to the
specific use of the building and
may facilitate the requirement
for sky lobbies. Double decker
lifts, a relatively new technology,
have been used in many high
rise developments to provide
efficient solution to minimize
tower core area requirements
and meet passenger requirements.

The challenge of moving people
up and down such tall buildings
is one of the reasons why the
prospect of a mile-high building
becoming a reality appeared
almost impossible until the
unveiling of Kingdom Tower
design. The longest distance it is
currently possible to travel in an
elevator is 504m, up to 638m in

                                                                        It is challenging for elevators to
                                      Figure 5 illustrates of Kone      go faster because of the rapid
                                      elevator system on the Kingdom
                                                                        change in air pressure over such
                                      Tower. ©KONE
                                                                        a distance. Early appraisal of
                                                                        options and development of
                                                                        a strategy that meets specific
                                                                        requirements of building design
                                                                        is critical to avoid costly late
                                                                        design changes or delays caused
                                                                        by inefficient ways of working.
Performance                               Constant and clear communication
                                          of intent throughout the team is
Management                                essential to create a culture
                                          that is focused on the expectations
The adoption of quality controls          and outcomes. Early identification
processes and approaches need             of the key trends to be monitored
to identify and forecast the root         and forecasting KPI’s will enable
issues that may have a negative           the analysis of progress and
effect on schedule, cost, quality         predict scenarios. On the Kingdom
and overall performance. These            Tower a specific performance
could be human, personality or            management regime has been
system issues which are slowing           adopted to identify trends and
things down or preventing quick           forecast outcomes (Table 2).
implementation. If necessary              This is of specific concern for tall
issues may need to be micro               buildings where the compound
-managed and micro-monitored              effect of delay to an individual
until they are back on track.             task can have exponential
                                          consequences.

                    REGIME                                             KPI                        OUTCOME
Contractor Submittals with specific focus on:
- Design Drawings                               Duration to complete review      Engineer performance
- Shop Drawings                                 Approval status                  Contractor quality
- Materials
                                                                                 Engineer performance
Request for Information                         Duration to answer RFI
                                                                                 Consultant performance
                                                Number of NCRs issued            Contractor performance
Non-Compliance Reports (NCRs)
                                                Number of NCRs Closed            Construction quality
Site Productivity                               Floor Cycle duration             Contractor performance
                                                Readiness for inspection         Contractor performance
Site inspection
                                                Approval status                  Construction quality
Health & Safety                                 Accident Frequency Rate          Readiness for inspection

Table 2: Kingdom Tower Program Management controls framework
©Jeddah Economic Company / Sales & Marketing Dept.

In addition to traditional
schedule and cost reporting,
performance data on the
Kingdom Tower is captured on
a weekly basis and outcomes
are presented in weekly and
monthly dashboards (Figure 6).
Performance issues are further
analyzed and appropriate
actions identified to reverse
negative trends. This micro-
management identifies root                Figure 6: Kingdom Tower 3D
causes at a more fundamental              Logistics Concept
level and provides key insight            ©Jeddah Economic Company /
into performance.                         Sales & Marketing Dept.
Construction Logistics and Operational
Readiness
Logistics planning is critical for construction speed. There is a
bottleneck at the base of every building built where manpower and
materials enter and leave the building. This issue is magnified in the
construction of tall buildings where peak flows of resource need
access to the vertical site. Adequate hoists must be installed, and
their use must be meticulously managed. Experience in operational
readiness has proven that it is essential to integrate the “opening
and operation strategy” into the design and construction schedule.
Early stakeholder engagement with the end users and appropriate
authorities is required to meet and manage expectations and avoid
delays.

For the Kingdom Tower specific
areas of focus have been:

Systems Analysis
Not all systems are equal when
it comes to onsite installation
and coordination with other
trades. Analysis on tall buildings
brings a clear focus on hoisting,
stocking and area requirements,
all of which have an economic
effect to the installed system.
Emphasis must be placed on
buildability, the management
of onsite work area requirements
and the simplification of
systems. Efficient and effective
planning of servicing, repair and
replacement must be considered
along with appropriate ‘Stack
effect’ planning.

Site Logistics/Crane and
Hoisting Scheme
Logistics planning is key to
streamlining material movement
                                                                         There is a significant cost
 to workface and eliminating         Figure 7: Kingdom Tower 3D
                                     Logistics Concept                   associated with cranes and
redundant or inefficient labour
                                                                         lifting strategies. Kingdom Tower
and plant. On the Kingdom            ©Jeddah Economic Company /
                                                                         uses “Jump Lifts” which were
Tower resources will peak            Sales & Marketing Dept.
                                                                         invented for the Sears Tower in
around 7,000. It is critical to
                                                                         Chicago. By utilizing this system,
engage with the design team
                                                                         hoisting is contained within the
very early in the process to
                                                                         core eliminating the need to
identify areas for material
                                                                         close up curtain-wall sections
deliveries and ensure worker
                                                                         out of sequence. This technique
welfare is meticulous planned.
                                                                         is not only lower in cost, but
See Figure 6: Kingdom Tower
                                                                         it also means that the interior
3D Logistics Concept.
                                                                         hoist is not affected by external
                                                                         weather conditions.
Procurement Methodology             Manufacture/Offsite Pre-Assembly       Interior Development Phasing /
and Timing                          Manufacturing offsite and using        Tenant Special Requirements
Tall buildings are unique,          techniques for pre-assembly            These can have a big impact
requiring inventive solutions       can save money and time, and           on MEP and structural design
that are at the cutting edge        promote quality control. It is         requirements. Identifying
of the industry. Using              critical to assess the site logistic   these as early as possible and
manufacturers to help deliver       and hoisting plans as this will        accommodating for them within
these solutions can offer           determine extent of off-site           the design will eliminate risks
an innovative buildabilty           assembly.                              to schedule, cost, and quality,
advantage. This innovation,                                                removing the need for retro-
if properly procured, can be        The Kingdom Tower curtain              spective structural coordination
brought in during the design        walling design is a high               and other costly changes.
strategy without impacting          performance system similar
competitive tendering. This         in specification to the Burj           Commissioning and Occupancy
procurement process must be         Khalifa. The complex system,           The testing and commissioning
clearly mapped out in advance       which comprises of over 33,000         strategy must be considered
with a specific emphasis on         curtain wall panels, is being          early so the opening and
requirements for design input,      manufactured and assembled             operation strategy can be
proprietary products, phased        offsite to simplify and                integrated into the schedule.
procurement and site logistics.     streamline onsite installation.        The construction schedule must
                                                                           be driven by pre-commissioning
Schedule and Trade Sequencing       Material and Tradesmen                 and start early with progressive
On tall buildings, there are a      Availability                           sign offs. The coordination and
number of trades that have to       Early awareness of market              integration of life safety and
work sequentially and vertically.   constraints and capacities             shaft pressurization, flushing of
The most efficient approach is      means these restrictions can           chilled water system and system
to plan the critical trades from    be accommodated by adapting            integration testing, validation
floor to floor, trailing trades     design solutions. Designing to         and handover can limit or
at the same pace, creating          promote competition is key and         eliminate the cost of temporary
optimum vertical sequencing.        it is critical to secure commitments   and/or retrofit work. The impact
This coordinated approach           from trade contractors and             of this is heightened on tall
allows results in improved          material suppliers early.              buildings due to the intricate
production rates and better                                                and innovative nature of the
quality control.                    Tolerance and Movement                 design.
                                    Tall buildings are designed for
Design aspects can often inhibit    their completed configuration.         Maximizing benefits through
the optimal pace, identifying       However, during construction           Program Management
this early means that adjustments   a building may have higher             Program Management provides
 can be made to improve             degrees of loading that the            substantial measures of
constructability. For example,      finished product. It is more cost      stability, clarity and certainty.
the core of the building is         effective to design with the           The application of sound
the main pacesetting trade,         construction sequencing known,         Program Management principles
simplifying the core will save      rather than build in excess             when building an iconic tall
time and money by setting a         capacity at additional expense         building provides the discipline,
faster leading pace.                that may never be utilized.            organization, structure and
                                    Coordinating cumulative trade          processes to manage and
Construction Quality Control        tolerances and deflection              mitigate risk whilst also
and Assurance                       criteria, accommodating for            creating the environment to
Quality control and assurance       lateral and thermal movement           drive design and construction
is key to setting expectations,     and planning for differential          innovation. The result is the
working within tolerances and       movement can help to identify          creation of exceptional buildings
creating repeatable sequences.      the construction sequence              and outcomes, the larger and
Construction quality can be         and allow the building to be           more complex the challenges,
assured by designing these into     designed accordingly.                  the bigger the benefits.
the details and building in
regular schedule checks. It is
critical to carry out performance
testing as early as possible,
ensure that shop drawings are
coordinated and that the right
mock-ups are being produced.
Tall buildings have challenged            and allow staggered opening,               Very small deviations from plan
technology itself and allowed us          including the possibility of               can have a big bottom line
to build towers more efficiently          earlier income streams.                    impact. It is not enough to
and sustainably; and to create            Maximizing buildability requires           manage to time, cost and scope
internal environments that are            the early, intensive interrogation,        of work without understanding
comfortable, productive, and               planning and scheduling of                the critical interdependencies
energy-efficient. The prevalent           the development, with detailed             and risks unique to delivering
green movement has propelled              consideration of alternative               vertical cities. Investing in
the design of high performing             methodologies.                             a Program Management
tall buildings to employ                                                             approach from the beginning
intelligent technologies and              It is critically important to first        will undeniably ensure that not
smart materials. Optimizing a             understand the business goals              only are the outputs achieved,
design for efficiencies can               and objectives, rather than                but benefits are realized and
shorten the construction                  hastily launching the delivery             outcomes achieved.
schedule, easing the financing            of technical services. Program
costs and reducing the risk of            Management can deliver these
price rises during the construction       iconic skyscraper and their
phase. Greater savings can be             surrounding cities safely,
made through phasing of works             efficiently and at speed by
to allow works to be carried out          providing a quality control
concurrently                              and assurance framework.

  References
  1. Bremner, B. (2007) The Race for the Tallest Skyscraper. May 01 2007. Bloomberg Business Week.
  2. Risen, C. (2013) The Rise Of The Supertalls. March 2013. The New York Times.
  3. Ijeh, I (2015) Can tall buildings ever be sustainable? 25 February 2015. Building Design Online.
  4. Langton, J (2013) Kingdom Tower, Burj Khalifa and the era of the megatall buildings. March 18 2013. The National UAE.
  5. Tilburn, J (2014) Supertall Buildings, 2014. Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty.
  6. Ali, MM & Al-Kodmany, K (2012) Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat of the 21st Century: A Global Perspective. 28
     September 2012. MDPI Buildings.

Contact
Julio Maggi
Global Director of Program Management
T +974 5039 2026
E julio.maggi@arcadis.com

Derek Roy
Commercial Director
T +966 558 886 520
E derek.w.roy@arcadis.com

Bryony Day
Program Manager
T +44 (0)7741 290 919
E bryony.day@arcadis.com

9507JAN16
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