Project Brief Research Articles

An Evaluation of the Participation of the Affected Public in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) For Manufacturing and Processing Industries in the Central Region of Uganda

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) was legally introduced in Uganda through the National Environment Act (NEA) 1995 (now NEA 2019) and made operational by the EIA Regulations 1998. Since the origin of EIA from the National Environment Policy Act of 1970 in the USA, public participation has taken an essential part of the EIA process. This paper assesses the legal provisions for public participation in the EIA process and the actual practice in Uganda, particularly the affected public. Data was collected using a literature review, survey questionnaire, interview guides and documentary analysis. The results indicated fairly good legal provisions for public participation and involvement in EIA. However, public participation was not well legislated in the early phases of the EIA process (preparation of project brief, screening, and scoping) and the later phases, particularly final decision-making and EIA follow-up. There were gaps between the law and the actual practice due to many contextual factors, including public participation, weak monitoring by the regulator, weak community cohesion and environmental stewardship, limited dissemination of EIA information and lack of community awareness of projects' potential environmental, social and health impacts. The study made recommendations to promote the participation of the affected public in the EIA process

Volunteering on Heritage at Risk sites and wellbeing: A qualitative interview study.

We explored experiences of volunteering in Heritage at Risk (HAR) projects, intended to mitigate the deterioration to historic assets, and the relationship with wellbeing. We aimed to understand the value of HAR to volunteers' wellbeing and relationships between HAR programme characteristics such as location, asset type and type of activity. We used a qualitative design with semi-structured interviews of a purposive sample of volunteers recruited via Historic England (HE), employing Systematic Grounded Theory involving open, axial and selective coding. We interviewed 35 volunteers (18 male and 17 female) participating in 10 HAR projects. We identified six themes from the data analysis. (1) Purpose-was associated with volunteering motivations; there were some barriers to volunteering and many types of facilitators, including accessibility to local heritage sites. (2) Being-volunteers showed an appreciation and attachment to their place of residence. (3) Capacity-to learn heritage-specific skills and diversify experiences in learning new skills (life, technical and personal). (4) Sharing-community engagement, connectedness, and inclusivity captured diversity and inclusion within volunteers across age, ethnicity, ability, and gender. (5) Self-nurture-HAR volunteering created physical, psychological, and social benefits with limited risks and adverse outcomes. (6) Self-actualisation-described volunteers reflecting on their experiences. HAR volunteering was associated with positive physical, social and psychological wellbeing outcomes. The study provides an evidence base for specific wellbeing benefits of volunteeringat Heritage at Risk sites, although we could not conclude that HAR project activity was the cause of increased wellbeing. Staff from HE were involved in designing the project brief. In selecting the HAR project sites, we took advice and recommendations from HE staff across all their six regional offices.

Illustrating Complex Networks

This audio-visual discourse presents how the practice of network mapping can illuminate the project brief through the lens of all stakeholders. One challenge of research-through-design is that the knowledge produced is often embodied within artefacts, unable to be shared or interrogated by others. There is therefore a need to produce artifacts which are accessible to an interdisciplinary audience. To demonstrate the complex nature of project networks there is a need to visually articulate the networks involved to show where stakeholders sit and who is connected to who. By visually representing this data, the networks are able to be interrogated by others beyond the individual researcher. This discourse will reflect upon issues in creative practice research and respond to the issue of how we can navigate interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary quagmires in practice-based research. This short methodological reflection will interrogate the value of a predetermined brief and suggest that through network mapping, a more nuanced brief can be created through the lens of all stakeholders. This discourse suggests that this method can be used by those in inter or transdisciplinary fields, beyond that of architecture, to illuminate transdisciplinary quagmires that may arise through the production of a project brief.

Reframing Architecture through Design

Reframing Architecture through Design

Impact of project briefing clarity on construction project performance

Defining a clear project brief at an early stage is critical for the project success. A lack of project brief clarity can cause design and construction changes or errors throughout project delivery, which ultimately leads to project time and cost overruns. This research proposes a dynamic simulation model to evaluate the overall impact of briefing on cost and time performance of construction projects. The causal feedback loop model portraying the impact of briefing on project cost and time performance is developed. The interrelationships that exist among the influencing factors incorporated into the stock and flow model of the project briefing. Then, the proposed model is applied in a road project to assess its applicability and performance. The results indicate that a clear project brief aid in reducing brief changes, design changes, and construction changes throughout project delivery, which can ultimately improve project cost and time performance. Despite the fact that the clear brief increases required budget and duration for the project briefing, it still represents good value to the project cost and time performance overall.

An Ethnographic Case Study of Affordances in an Architecture Design Studio

Background/Context Studio-based courses—the primary approach in design education— have been viewed as effective environments for learning. This study uses an ecological approach to explore how the studio environment creates opportunities for social interaction through immersive studies of studio learning. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study We engaged in an ethnographic case study of a beginning architecture design course aimed at exploring the ways the learning environment of the studio affords social interaction, and how these interactions shape students’ understandings and behaviors as they learn. Particular attention was paid to the physical, structural, and instructional affordances that contribute to learning in the studio environment. Setting Over the course of one semester, we observed nine students and their instructor in Architecture Design 1 (AD 1), a first-year architecture studio at a large, public research institution. Population/Participants/Subjects The student participants ranged in age from 18 to 25, four of the participants identified as students of color, two identified as international students, three identified as female, and six, male. The instructor, who identifies as female, had taught AD 1 at the university for eight years prior to the study and holds a master's degree in architecture. Research Design We engaged in an ethnographic case study using an ecological approach, focused on the relationship between humans and their environment. We view learning and knowledge as individually constructed by the learner in a socially situated, public context; as such, a case study design using ethnographic methods of data collection was employed. Data Collection and Analysis Our data sources included observations of daily studio activities, participant interviews, researcher reflections on studio visits, and course artifacts such as the course syllabus and assignment handouts. We analyzed data using a two-cycle method of coding and analysis focusing on identifying patterns or themes in the data. Findings/Results We found several physical, structural, and instructional affordances that contribute to learning. The physical affordances of the studio environment of AD 1 included the open layout, public/private workspaces, and co-working in proximity to others. The structural affordances were long blocks of unscheduled work time, the project brief, and the sequencing of the projects, tasks, and deadlines. The instructional affordances included formal and informal critique, “mini-lectures,” and demonstrations. Conclusions/Recommendations Although focused within a design discipline, our findings have broader applicability to collegiate academic environments that support student learning. Recommendations include creating fluidity in the classroom space, centralizing feedback, demonstrating emerging understandings visually, and constraining constructivist learning environments.

Project brief effects on creative thinking skills among low-ability pre-service physics teachers

Creative thinking is high-order thinking that is not easy to stimulate with conventional learning, especially to solve complex physics problems. However, the learning strategy chosen must be in accordance with the teaching materials and students characteristics. Creative thinking is very important especially for low-ability characteristic in solving complicated physics problems; therefore, it needs to be triggered by student-centered learning strategies such as project briefs. This research was to analyze the effect of project brief learning on creative thinking skills (CrTS) of low-ability pre-service physics theacers. Sample was selected using purposive sampling (97 people) in the initial semester pre-service physics teachers which consisted of three classes A (32 people), B (35 people), and C (30 people). Data collection through essay tests on vibration and wave material and adjusted according to the CrTS-Kim indicators. The results show that the project brief has a positive effect on creative thinking skills. The highest effect on the fluency indicator has an average of 15.7 compared to the lecture strategy, as well as the mixture with an average of 9.89, and the lowest on the originality indicator.

Factors Influencing Waste Generation in Buildings Project in South-West, Nigeria

The study was aimed to assess the factors influencing waste generation in buildings project in southwestern, Nigeria. The study randomly sampled 261 professionals through a questionnaire survey. Tables and figures were used to present the collected data and ranking and percentage were used to analyze the data collected. It was revealed that Design (Frequent design changes and poor design) lack of early contractor involvement, last-minute client requirement, engagement of inexperience designer, undefined project brief, poor design quality are the most important factors that influence l waste generation during buildings project. It was recommended that site operatives and craft men should be equipped with waste minimization knowledge, they should carry along in every management decision regarding waste management plan development as a major player on sites.

The Adelaide Convention Centre East Building: the unconventional convention centre

ABSTRACTThe new Adelaide Convention Centre East Building replaces the original Plenary Building with a larger, highly functional and adaptable state-of-the-art facility. While the superstructure of the original Plenary Building was demolished, the substructure incorporating a car park and part of the Adelaide Railway Station was retained and significantly upgraded to provide structural support to the new building, which is almost twice as big as the original. The new superstructure supports the flexibility demanded by the project brief, including hinged seating bays and rotating seating drums in the main plenary hall.

Studio teaching experiments – spatial transitioning for autism schools

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate a teaching model involving an experimental studio project for first-year interior architecture university students.Design/methodology/approachContent, process, teaching style and feedback are examined in a project, run over five years, concerning transitioning between environments for people with autism in an attempt to advance design of autism schools. Research methodology, teaching model, outcomes and group dynamics are critiqued.FindingsFeedback from experienced autism-specific teachers across eight case study schools raise recurring issues framing a series of design problems navigated by students. The teaching model enhances student exploration of how sensory processing difficulties, through spatial transitioning strategies, might be approached, whilst furthering their specialist knowledge as future designers of inclusive spaces.Research limitations/implicationsEach transitioning platform requires deeper research to form a realistic interior typology. A further project to install and evaluate specific “transitioning insertions” into circulation spaces of an autism school is proposed for future research.Practical implicationsThe identification of this teaching model illustrates how to embed design for autism in the university curriculum.Social implicationsThe project brief helps address the National Autistic Society’s public autism awareness campaign “Too Much Information” highlighting anxieties that “unexpected change” causes. Effective design of transitioning spaces can help people with autism to cope with their environment, reducing behaviours and improving learning.Originality/valueThe creation of the “Co-specialist ASD-educator model” will be of value to universities. “Ten Spatial Transitioning Platforms” were uncovered relating to Transitions. This will be of importance to autism researchers and eventually design practitioners.

Transaction cost in PPPs project: exploration of influence factors for both public and private sectors in different countries with whole life cycle

The transaction cost in Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) project is an inevitable issue due to the long-term contract and complex interests. This research aims to explore the influence factors of transaction cost via public or/and private perspectives with developed and developing economics in the whole project life cycle. Literature review is adopted as the research method to study the transaction cost issue and provide a new perspective of transaction cost via distinguishing private and public sector in PPPs project. The research finds that the influence factors of transaction cost exist from preparation phase to operation phase, which include the following 11 dimensions: Improper allocation of risks; Lack of enough experience and knowledge for government staffs; Ex-post assessment; Lack of complete standards and regulations; Design flaw; PPPs’ inherent character; Government condition; Quality of project brief; Government’s serious investigation; Investment climate; Integrity and enforcement of contract. The research finds that, in different economics, the above 11 factors impact public and private sector in distinct way, and by understanding the factors how to influence the transaction cost will help PPPs participations manage and control the potential cost and risk better.

Study trip as means of expanded learning

ABSTRACTThis article explores the study trip as an interconnected activity of work and play, constituting an extended means of teaching design studio in spatial design related disciplines. This study analyses the case of a cohort of about 200 students involved in a joint project in three cities, Athens, Tokyo and London, where groups were challenged with a common project brief. The students conducted empirical studies of the cities through play and enjoyment. The case study provides evidence of the benefits and issues emerging in this particular teaching and learning method of project-based and field work research in spatial design.

An object-based research study of archive pieces incorporating digital technology

Abstract This article presents a case study of a collaborative project between garment technology students and museum costume curators, centred around object-based research. The project brief was to re-produce patterns and toiles of selected archive garments, with a focus on incorporating digital pattern technology, to explore the possibilities of this technology in an exhibition context. In addition to these specified outcomes, a successful knowledge exchange was observed, with the curators advising the provenance and social history of the pieces and the students sharing their expertise in manual and digital pattern cutting and in garment construction. During the project, the personal development of the students transitioned from a position of inexperience relating to archived garments, to one of recognized expertise through their recreation of the pieces in a pattern and construction context.

Impact of integrated collaborative technologies to form a collaborative culture in construction projects

PurposeResearch has shown that the lack of forming team collaboration works as a barrier in the use of collaborative technologies such as Building Information Modelling. So, there is a need to investigate whether and how integrated collaborative technologies have an impact on team collaboration between stakeholders, including clients, in the planning, design and construction stages. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approachIn order to investigate this interrelationship, researchers used a survey methodology involving gathering both quantitative and qualitative data, and used regression analysis to assess the strength of impact of integrated collaborative technologies on team collaboration. For the qualitative data researchers used content analysis.FindingsFindings show that integrated collaborative technologies impact on team collaboration by assisting the development of a collaborative culture throughout a project. This collaborative culture is deployed due to access to information by stakeholders from anywhere at any time. In this culture environment, stakeholders can share and access knowledge and awareness about the project and thus gain common ground and understanding about the project brief. In addition, integrated collaborative technologies give stakeholders the capacity to control the project process, to enhance the interaction and networking project processes as well as to pre-identify and promptly respond to project errors and uncertainties.Originality/valueThe value of this paper is to contribute in the identification and impact of collaboration culture in the architecture, engineering and construction sector.

Briefing practice and client satisfaction

PurposeThis paper aims to examine briefing practices and whether these are related to the quality of brief documents and client satisfaction in constructed health-care facilities in South Africa. The rational for the examination stems from the view held by scholars that the briefing process is critical to the success of projects, as well as client/user satisfaction in the constructed facility, and also because of undocumented reports of client/end-user dissatisfaction in constructed health-care facilities in South Africa.Design/methodology/approachThe research process consisted of a literature review to identify existing briefing framework and practices in use applicable to facilities. This was supported by an exploratory case study of a recently completed public hospital in East London, South Africa. Data collection for the study was undertaken by means of conducting semi-structured interviews with two groups consisting of client representatives and the technical design team on the project.FindingsThe research established that in the context of this case study, inadequate client consultation took place, not all design consultants were adequately involved in the development of the project brief, limited use was made of a specific briefing framework in developing the project brief and that despite these shortcomings in the briefing process followed, a comprehensive good quality briefing document was produced and the client was satisfied with the health-care facility constructed.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of this study are generalizable with health-care facilities only. As such, research inferences and projections can only be made within this set and may not necessarily be applicable to the wider construction sector or to all projects within this sector.Practical implicationsThe implications of this research are applicable to constructed health-care facilities. Practical inferences include the need to acknowledge that there is a need for a briefing framework, which should outline the involvement of all design consultants and client representatives when developing the project briefs for health-care facilities. The briefing framework is proposed for use in addressing the shortcomings in the briefing processes and practices and will also help the client in the choice of a brief process and practice which will comprehensively capture their requirements, give clear directives/information to the design consultants and will result in higher levels of end-user/patient satisfaction in the constructed health-care facility.Social implicationsClients and allied professionals in charge of health-care facilities’ construction are encouraged to consider the implementation of a standard framework for use in the briefing process. This reflection should encourage engagement through formative legislative provision and transparent awareness campaigns.Originality/valueThis work is original insofar, as it directly addresses the alignment of briefing practices to quality of brief documents and client satisfaction in constructed health-care facilities within the context of the South African construction industry. However, similar exercises have been undertaken on briefing practices in the wider construction sector.

Identifying critical factors affecting the effectiveness and efficiency of tendering processes in Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs): A comparative analysis of Australia and China

The success of Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) largely depends on the performance of tendering processes. This research aims to conduct a comparative analysis of critical factors affecting the effectiveness and efficiency of PPP tendering in Australia and China. A triangulation of literature review, semi-structured interviews and questionnaire survey was used. The research identified 14 critical factors underpinning the implementation of PPP tendering, under 7 dimensions: (1) Robustness of business case development; (2) Quality of project brief; (3) Public sector capacity; (4) Governance structures; (5) Effectiveness of communication; (6) Balance between streamlining and competition; and (7) Level of transparency of tendering processes. The following analysis suggested that there are statistically significant differences in eight factors between the two countries. By adopting the recommended strategies, both public and private entities engaging in PPP projects will be at a better position to structure and manage the tendering processes.

Change Order Management Factors in Building Projects in Northern Nigeria

<p>A change is an amendment or addition with respect to the original plans, specification or other contract documents and vital factor in construction project management. A change order is an instruction from an employer approving a change. Construction projects in Nigeria have suffered deleteriously as a consequence of extensive change orders, which has manifested in cost and time overruns, disputes, arbitration, litigation and even the abandonment of projects and this negatively impacts on the efficiency of the Nigerian construction industry.This paper explore the extent change order management strategies correlate with overall building project in Nigeria. Thirty strategies for managing change order were identified through intensive literature search. Twenty -one factors peculiar to the Nigerian construction industry were used to develop a questionnaire. A total of 323 questionnaires were administered through stratified random sampling to respondents in the cities of Abuja, Kano and Bauchi. The study targeted construction Consultants namely Architects, Quantity Surveyors Building Engineers, Service Engineer (Electrical & Mechanical), Contractor and Building owners in three sub-study cities. The study recorded an overall response rate of 80.8 %. Using SPSS version 22, the questionnaire was subjected to reliability test. Statistical analysis was used using average index; spearman correlation coefficient; factor analysis and multiple regression were used to analysis data from survey questionnaire. The study reveal that change orders are better manage at the design stage and that clear and thorough project brief, better initial planning and thorough detailing of design are the three topmost management strategies. The study established that overall project success is impacted by change order management with a R<sup>2</sup> of 0.252, meaning that change order management at the design stage accounts for 25.2% of the variation in building project outcomes. The Spearman's (rho) also show strong agreement among respondents. The study concluded that proper adoption and use of project implementation phase principles by project sponsor, increased effort at the design stage of projects by project participant and allocation of adequate resources to project requirement will help minimize change orders in project delivery in Northern Nigeria.</p>

Usage Of Design Thinking Tactics And Idea Generation Strategies In A Brainstorming Session

A brainstorming session was conducted with 13 designer participants following the issuing of the project brief, during which the participants explored the problem area, determined the main design concept, and identified solution areas for which they generated design ideas. The documentation of the session was thematically analysed to identify the design thinking tactics and idea generation strategies that the participants used. As a result of the analysis, twelve design thinking tactics were identified, grouped under the main tactic themes of involving personal experiences, solution-oriented analysis of the problem, and technical analysis of the brief. Also, sixteen idea generation strategies were identified, grouped under the main strategy themes of combination multipacks, types of packaging, protection, visibility, display, and reuse. Tactics were used for generating solution-oriented discussions, and led to the early identification of the main concept, which was combination multipacks. Strategies were used for idea generation, and led to the collective determination of the project objectives, which were identified as marketing, sustainability and user-product interaction. Overall, the discussions in the brainstorming session took place as an exploration of the main design concept in terms of the project objectives, resulting in the identification of various solution areas by the end of the session.

Enhanced project brief: structured approach to client-designer interface

Purpose – The focus of this work is on the client-designer interface where decisions have significant impact over the lifecycle of the project. Therefore, the briefing stage is examined in the context of clients’ needs which is divided into project-based strategy and broader clients’ strategy. The purpose of this paper is to address the pitfalls in the briefing process which has been attributed to the shortcomings in the client-designer communication interfaces. This will be achieved by developing an automated brief generation framework. The research examines the efficiency of standard approaches to modelling and design, and the benefits that these methodologies have offered to the computer industry. The work reviews the similarities between the two industries and argues in support of the potential benefits in adopting a standard methodology in the construction industry. The structure upon which the framework is developed is based on system analysis and design methodology (SSADM) which has proven to be an effective platform used within the software development industry. Design/methodology/approach – SSADM is an established methodology within the software development industry. The paper will demonstrate that due to fundamental similarities between the construction and software development industries, SSADM is likely to offer a viable platform upon which an automated enhanced brief generation model is developed for use in the construction industry. The construction design and construction process will be mapped on SSADM high-level definition before focusing and honing on the design phase. The methodology for the development of the framework will be based on the rationalist approach of generating knowledge through reasoning leading to model-building. Findings – A model that is based on SSADM is proposed for the design development phase of construction projects. In order to shape the project strategy, the model considers the combined role of clients’ requirements with organisation strategy and environmental factors. The paper has shown that it is feasible to increase the automation of the briefing process and enhanced the briefing output. The model here does not diminish the importance of direct communication between the client and the design team. It provides a more structured way of doing so, while taking advantage of vast array of data and technology in order to improve the brief outcome. Research limitations/implications – From practical perspective, the proposed framework is in its formative stage, thus requiring incremental refinement through several case studies. This is particularly true about the AI components of the system which typically rely on extensive data representing the real-case scenarios. Therefore, the work invites further research into the examination of various parts as well as the overall system. Practical implications – There are several ways by which construction projects are procured. There may be fluctuation in their rate of usage, but while there is no indication of any procurement option fading, new ones such as PPP and PFI are periodically introduced. The existence of this diversity is indicative of the fact that the industry tends to respond to problems rather than attempting to instigate a measured solution supported by theoretical underpinning. Subsequently, there have been suggestions of a communication and information discourse between actors and within processes involved in project lifecycle. This project is aimed at addressing the gap in the client-designer communication. The automated approach to brief generation will lead to better briefs while reducing ambiguities as well as the overhead associated with brief generation. Social implications – The quality of project brief has a significant impact on decisions at the design stage. In turn, these decisions will influence all phases of construction project lifecycle. The briefing session and requirement analysis of a construction project can be very difficult for inexperienced clients particularly for complex projects. Therefore, there is potential for the process of client-requirement-analysis to be optimised. The work promises to improve the quality of the briefing process, thus helping clients to realise their intended objectives and minimise resource waste. Originality/value – The work builds on the commonalities of the construction and software development industries and takes advantage of the advancements in the latter. In doing so, project quality is defined quantitatively which is used to develop project strategy in a three-dimensional space. The development of the model was also contingent upon enhancement of artificial neural network structure.

What teachers’ want: Identifying mathematics teachers’ professional learning needs

This paper reports on three differing approaches to ascertaining the professional learning (PL) needs of teachers of mathematics that were used in three PL projects. In each case the approach used was constrained to some extent by the project brief, practical considerations, and stakeholders’ preferences and abilities to contribute to determining the most useful focus of the PL. Nevertheless, there were consistent efforts to heed the advice in the literature about effective PL focussing on teachers’ needs in their particular contexts. The results of each approach are described and lessons about effective ways to identify mathematics teachers’ PL needs, and reasons for which teachers might be unwilling or unable to articulate their needs, are drawn from an overall analysis of the findings in relation to relevant literature on effective PL and teacher belief change