Buying and moving into a building that has been specifically designed for your use should
be a fantastic experience.
The trouble is there’s quite often a gap between the Client’s expectations and the
performance of the asset that is delivered.
The British Government want to change this and have developed something called Government
Soft Landings or GSL (just to give you another acronym to remember). This is quite different
to some of the more traditional forms of soft landings you might have heard of before, although
it is based on some of the same principles. It’s an approach that aligns the interests
of design and construction with those of operational asset management and the built asset’s ultimate
purpose.
Because the people that build, own or buy buildings aren’t doing it for fun. They
are doing it to support a desired outcome: to run a business, to run an organisation
or to have somewhere to live. The building process is just a small part of a much bigger
picture, but it has a huge influence on how we are able to live our lives. That’s why
it’s so important to get it right and to consider the long term goal you’re trying
to achieve with a particular project.
When that happens across society at a national and international level, we can improve the
overall quality of the built environment that we are all living and running organisations in.
The Government Soft Landings (GSL) approach starts right at the very beginning – in
fact before the beginning – when an organisation are identifying a need that they feel could
be addressed by a construction or civil engineering project.
It requires the desired outcomes, measures of success and the user or operator’s needs
to be clearly defined.
The design and construction of the asset, a number of key measures and the asset’s
operations are then considered at every stage of the project lifecycle. That could be high-level
portfolio benchmarking at inception, establishing the key objectives, performance indicators
and operating budget at the first information exchange, testing and modelling at the second
with development of the operational strategy, validation of proposals and market engagement
at the third and the process of handover, training and operational mobilisation at the fourth.
The fifth information exchange point sees the process of monitoring and evaluation formalised
in the first of three Post Occupancy Evaluations (POEs) one year after the project’s completion.
This is followed in year two by a second POE and with the capturing of lessons learnt in
a final POE three years into the operation.
The process allows actual performance data to be collated and compared against the planned
targets. The outcomes of all the Post Occupancy Evaluations are fed back to benefit future
projects.
These two points, along with clearly defined outcomes, measures and needs from day one,
form part of what the British Government call the GSL ‘Golden Thread’ that should run
through the entire approach.
The Golden Thread requires: Early engagement of end users right from the
outset and throughout the project delivery process with a strong focus on commissioning,
handover and training.
The appointment of a Government Soft Landings Champion within an existing project team role
to ensure that this engagement and focus is maintained.
The setting of clear environmental, social and economic targets and measures for the
project.
And those Post Occupancy Evaluations so that we can see the actual outcomes and learn how
to improve.
The alignment of different objectives under the GSL approach means that the needs of the
end-user, are considered and addressed throughout the design process. Designers and contractors
become involved with the building beyond its completion ensuring that handover is smooth
and operators are well trained. Optimum performance becomes the focus of the whole team. A Government
Soft Landing means clients get an asset that truly supports their desired business outcomes,
because that’s everyone’s focus right from day one.
An important point to note is that implementing the GSL approach requires better planning
and integrity in the project process but that doesn’t mean increased work or increased
costs. In fact using GSL effectively will save Clients money as their assets will almost
instantly perform at their optimum level.
So what has this got to do with building information modelling (BIM)? Well if you’ve seen some
of our other clips you’ll have spotted the similarities between what BIM is trying to
achieve and the GSL approach, and that is why the British Government has linked them
so closely together. In fact they call it “GSL, powered by BIM” with the strapline
“BIM + GSL = Better Outcomes”.
So project and operational management teams working in a BIM environment are in a perfect
position to take advantage of the GSL approach.
You can learn more about Government Soft Landings and how to successfully implement the approach
at this link. Have a go and let us know how you get on in the comments below.