It’s really about individual value drivers and these vary from client to client depending on their needs.. “Construction too easily gets into the solutions mode,” he says, “and starts thinking of the solution before answering the question.”.
As a result of my experience, I have on two occasions since graduating been asked to help out at crits as part of the panel.I really enjoy the experience and am very grateful to be given the opportunity to attend.
Even though I am there to help the students, I don't think it is only about them benefiting from the experience.I believe it is hugely important for architects to stay involved in architectural education, not only in order to help tutor the next generation of architects, but also to take inspiration, ideas and thought processes from student work back into real world practice.At University we are encouraged to create provoking, abstract, sensitive, conceptual and sometimes impossible design briefs and projects, testing the limits of the designer and the possibilities of architecture; skills that should never be forgotten.. BW: What and who does a crit typically involve?.
M: A crit involves the students individually presenting their design work project to a panel of critics.The panel is typically made up of their tutors, visiting tutors from either the same university or another one, external academics, recent graduates and other external people working in or somehow involved in design, architecture or the built environment.
The student pins up all their printed sheets on the wall and is then given a set amount of time to explain their work, the design process, the inspiration and their proposal, which is then followed by feedback by the panel and a critical discussion on how to push the project forward and improve it.. BW: What areas are assessed?.
M: The students are primarily assessed on their ability to critically develop a design brief, analyse and propose a solution, which responds to the needs of the users and society.They provide an objective way to compare and choose between products.. As we move away from procuring for lowest cost and start to make more value-based judgements, this becomes even more important.
One of the Construction Innovation Hub’s core themes is Value: ‘driving better social, environmental and economic outcomes through value-based decision making’.. Meeting the technical requirements would be the entry criteria for a vendor, evidenced through aspects such as CQP (.Construction Quality Planning.
Buyers can be assured that the products meet the specifications and will be reliable and consistent.The choice of vendor will then be dependent on what a client values more, which could be: cost; location (to limit travel miles); overall carbon footprint; or the number of apprentices they take on, for instance..
(Editor: Lightweight Heaters)