Soft Landings BSRIA Young Engineers Forum Roderic Bunn 2 The - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Soft Landings

BSRIA Young Engineers Forum Roderic Bunn

2

The built environment experts

3

The built environment experts

“A process for a graduated handover of a new or refurbished building, where a period of professional aftercare by the project team is a client requirement – planned for and carried

• ut from project inception onwards – and lasting for up to

three years post-completion”

Soft Landings in a sentence

4

The built environment experts

What motivated Soft Landings

1996 – 2001 The PROBE Project

Energy consumption often much higher than 1990 benchmarks Feature packed, but not always functional Unmanageably complex controls Buildings not finished at handover

2006 – 2010 Low Carbon Buildings Performance

23 projects awarded DECC grants for renewables and Carbon Trust mentoring Even more feature-packed, but often not functional More unmanageably complex controls and BMS Buildings still not finished or commissioned at handover Energy consumption over 3 times Part L compliance calculations LZC technologies often risky, fragile and bolted on a dysfunctional core

2011 – £8 million TSB-funded Building Performance Evaluation

………Same again? Looking very much like it… Increasing systems complexity, poor commissioning BMS systems impenetrable and confusing Excessive layering of controls with bespoke protocols Lack of training and customer support after handover Energy sub-metering either too little or too much, and often inaccurate

5

The built environment experts

6

The built environment experts

What’s causing the energy waste?

• Energy intensive systems Fans, pumps, controls, lighting, catering

equipment, ICT, office equipment, refrigeration

• Things running for long periods Use of the building outside normal

hours, and/or local control that is either absent or difficult for caretakers to exercise

• Things left on when not needed Lighting, external security systems,

computers and printers on standby or overnight charging, vending machines, fridges and freezers during summer holidays

• Things that don’t work properly Systems and controls that are either

inappropriate, over-complex, difficult to use and maintain - and often poorly commissioned

• Things difficult for occupants to operate and change Controls that

are either too basic or too complex

7

The built environment experts

8

The built environment experts

9

The built environment experts

It’s not just about energy – it’s also about manageability, maintainability and usability…

10

The built environment experts

And that’s just taps!

11

The built environment experts

• A process that focuses on identifying performance risks before they

become ingrained and irredeemable problems

• A method of managing risks during design, construction, handover

and initial operation

• Support for those risks during the first few operating seasons
• Using experience and feedback from earlier projects to eliminate or

reduce risks – at least understand them – and focus on ways to enhance performance

Soft Landings is the antidote

12

The built environment experts

Soft Landings

Challenges and

• pportunities

A revolution in the way projects are delivered

A small change in the way you do things A big change in the way project teams think, behave and interact

• Practical completion becomes an extended handover process
• The project team does not disband at PC, but takes on aftercare duties
• Success judged on operational outcomes, not design specifications
• Everyone in the project team takes custody of building performance

13

The built environment experts

Why you need to take note

• 2013 Likely to be referenced in the Building

Regulations

14

The built environment experts Management 01 Sustainable Procurement

• Requirements 1&2: Roles and

responsibilities

• Requirement 3 Training schedule and

handover information

• Requirements 18-21 Construction and

handover

• Requirements 22-25 Aftercare

(seasonal commissioning; Energy and water data gathering; aftercare support (extra credit for a 3 year period)

Soft Landings in BREEAM New Construction

15

The built environment experts

Why you need to take note

• March 2011 The Innovation and Growth

Team called for UK Government to promote Soft Landings

• May 2011 Adopted within the Government

Construction Strategy

• September 2012 All Party Parliamentary

Group report on best value in construction recommends Soft Landings and POE

16

The built environment experts

• September 2011 Cabinet Office-

led Soft Landings working group established, linked to BIM

• 2012 Cabinet Office adopts Soft

Landings and reinvents it for Government clients

• June 19 2013 Launch of

Government Soft Landings at the ‘Joining the Dots’ conference at the QE2 conference centre

Well, that was the good news…

17

The built environment experts

Briefing and design missing from the dots Government seeks to join…

18

The built environment experts

• A framework of activities for the project team
• It begins by requiring greater clarity at the inception and briefing stages about

client and end-user needs and expectations

• A way for designers and constructors to focus on operational outcomes
• Requires the setting performance targets (such as energy use and occupant

satisfaction) and reality-checking them continually through the project

• Requires far greater emphasis on building readiness
• Requires a Soft Landings team on site during the initial settling-in period
• Requires project teams to stay involved for up to three years to troubleshoot

and progressively fine-tune the building to reach the performance targets

The basics of Soft Landings

19

The built environment experts

• Stage 1: Inception and briefing Clarify operational outcomes in the

client’s requirements

• Stage 2: Design development & construction Review past

experience, agree performance metrics, agree design targets, regularly reality-check

• Stage 3: Pre-handover Prepare for occupation, train FM staff,

demonstrate control systems, review monitoring strategy of occupants and energy use

• Stage 4: Initial aftercare Support staff in first few weeks of occupation,

be resident on site to respond to queries and react to emerging issues

• Stage 5: Long term aftercare Monitor, review, fine-tune, and perform

periodic feedback studies for up to three years to reach performance targets

The five-stage process

20

The built environment experts

So where do you start with SL activities?

By adopting the Core Principles of Soft Landings

• 1. Adopt the entire process
• 2. Provide leadership
• 3. Set roles and responsibilities
• 4. Ensure continuity
• 5. Commit to aftercare
• 6. Share risk and responsibility
• 7. Use feedback to inform design
• 8. Focus on operational outcomes
• 9. Involve the building managers

10.Involve the end users 11.Set performance objectives 12.Communicate and inform

21

The built environment experts

B1 Define roles and responsibilities B2 Review past experience B3 Plan evaluations & reality checks B4 Set performance targets B5 Sign-off gateways B6 Incentives for performance outcomes P1 Environmental / energy logging review P2 Building readiness programme P3 Commissioning records check P4 Maintenance contract P5 Training P6 BMS interface completion and demo P7 Migration Planning P8 Aftercare team ‘home’ P9 Compile Building User’s Guide P10 Compile Technical Guide P11 O&M Manual Review A1 Resident on-site attendance A2 Provide datacomms links A3 Building usage guidance A4 Technical guidance A5 Communications A6 Walkabouts Y1 Aftercare review meetings Y2 Log env'l & energy performance Y3 Systems and energy review Y4 Fine tune systems Y5 Record fine-tuning and change Y6 Communications Y7 Walkabouts Y8 Measure env'l & energy performance Y9 End of year review D1 Review past experience D2 Design reviews D3 Tender documentation and evaluation

Inception and briefing

Design & construct Pre- Handover Initial Aftercare Years 1 to 3 Aftercare

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 SOFT LANDINGS ACTIVITIES

RIBA Plan of Work

Design brief Design & Pre- construction Mobilisation & Construct Post practical completion Aftercare

B C to H J to K L1 L2 & L3 RIBA Plan of Work

23

The built environment experts

24

The built environment experts

Use feedback to inform design

• Visit previous projects to understand what worked well and what

proved risky Your own projects of course, but the client’s previous projects and existing buildings from where the occupants will come in order to understand the expectations and manage them during the project

• Workshops and focus groups can be useful but need expert facilitation

and structured questioning to get the best information. The opinionated can still drown out the meek

• Design Quality Indicators (DQIs) favoured in many quarters, but only as

good as the process manager – determining occupants’ needs from a checklist might reveal the “what” but not always the “why”.

• Occupant surveys Survey methods need to be well-structured and free of
• bias. Results should be a mix of the statistical for comparison and

benchmarking, and anecdotal to understand what people think

25

The built environment experts

• Your design assumptions will be poorly informed
• You won’t find out how well those design assumptions work in practice
• You won’t learn from your mistakes – or your successes
• Under-performance will come as a shock, but it might not be your fault
• You won’t be able to see where the problems lie – misfiring kit, controls

poorly configured, clients running things wastefully, extended hours of use, higher density occupation, or something else...

• You’ll join generations of building designers who have gone into denial
• ver under-performance, because pride, premature marketing of

sustainable achievements, and a culture of blame frustrates attempts to deliver a professional service to construction clients

If you don’t do feedback…..

26

The built environment experts

Why occupant satisfaction surveys matter

They provide insights on what will make the building comfortable and productive They provide guidance on critical factors for success:

• control over environment
• human perceptions of comfort and discomfort conditions
• tolerance to disturbance
• stable or instable conditions
• quality of management
• and a whole host of usability and manageability issues

27

The built environment experts

28

The built environment experts

A tale of two buildings…

29

The built environment experts

Design professionals are still hoodwinked by a good image

30

The built environment experts

31

The built environment experts

32

The built environment experts

33

The built environment experts

• There needs to be a PQQ and ITT process that can measure what the

bidders submit in terms of the Soft Landings elements

• Clients need to prevent contractors sub-contracting their risk and

responsibility down the chain

• Soft Landings costs could spiral if everyone tries to cost out their

roles independently

• …and we won’t necessarily get collaborative working!
• So the client (via the project manager) has to lead the process,

supported strongly by the professional team, and have an on-going role

• SL activities are best negotiated against a notional budget – who can

do what for how much – not simply the basis of a priced sub-contract

Procurement issues

www.bsria.co.uk/news/soft-landings-budgets/

34

The built environment experts

What is reality checking?

• It’s a way of looking at design
• ptions down the operational end of

the telescope

• It’s about thinking more about the
• perational outcomes – what extra

attention is needed to make sure stuff really works at handover

• It a series of structured, meetings,

designed to reality-check designs to inform Soft Landings pre-handover and aftercare stages

• It ensures that risky and innovative

systems get full attention by the project team beyond the design phase

35

The built environment experts

36

The built environment experts

You learn a lot from walkthroughs

• Easier for a completed building, but important to keep a watchful eye during

the construction phase reality-check against design specification, record any changes noticed, and account for them (extra DX coolers for example)

• Know what you are looking at and take nothing for granted! There are no set

survey methods, no real substitute for professional knowledge and experience

• Talk to people! You learn a lot from making yourself available and listening

diligently to what building occupants say Construction professionals think they are ordinary users of buildings, but they’re not

• Check the quality of the record information, ensure all drawings are there, and

that the controls strategy has been fully and accurately recorded

• Only use monitoring equipment when all other avenues are inconclusive

37

The built environment experts

Just a few more things to think about…

38

The built environment experts

It needs to be costed sensibly

• SL needs to be budgeted by the client, to cover specific costs if

nothing else such as feedback studies, the aftercare time, the POEs, and gathering of performance data where metrics are adopted

• BSRIA believes a reasonable, notional budget is about 0.1% of the

total contract value £30K on a £30 million project buys a lot of aftercare labour, weighted to the initial 8 weeks and first year, and tailing off thereafter

• If employers’ requirements simply call for Soft Landings

contractors/consortiums will say “yes” without knowing what budget resource is available. If project team members then cost out their activities separately, costs will balloon…

• If clients fund Soft Landings, with clear, agreed activities and

deliverables, it is less likely to be ignored or paid lip service

39

The built environment experts

So, does it work?

40

The built environment experts

Elizabeth II Court: Soft Landings in practice

• A classic opportunity for

demonstrating low carbon refurbishment

• Shows what is possible given

enough time, budget, and a design brief that is informed by analysis and feedback from the existing building

• Ambitions for energy use and
• ccupant satisfaction were well

informed and realistic

• Sustainability and energy efficiency

were key project objectives for the refurbishment

• The redeveloped 3000 m2 East block

was completed in December 2008

41

The built environment experts

• The buildings were refurbished back to

the structure, with new facades and comfort systems

• Energy targets 57 kWh/m2 per annum for

fossil fuel and 66 kWh/m2 per annum for electricity

• Combined carbon dioxide emission

target of 35 kgCO2/m2 per annum was a 10% improvement over benchmark (Energy Consumption Guide 19 )

• Completion December 2008. Hampshire

County Council and the Carbon Trust carried out performance monitoring November 2009 to October 2010

• 12 month monitored results have come

in at 131 kWh/m2 per annum, 7 per cent higher than the original design target

42

The built environment experts

Energy analysis

43

The built environment experts

2008 survey

Elizabeth II Court survey results

Covered by CIBSE Codes & Guides As above, but needs more thought These have metric potential Don’t even go there…

Possible SL metrics

Expectation is still running ahead of reality…

We aren’t going to reduce carbon dioxide emissions through slick marketing Those who fail to speak out – architects, engineers, builders, environmental assessors (and news reporters) – are complicit in the deception

We don’t have much time to put an end to green spin

46

The built environment experts The Soft Landings Framework

Includes all the procedures for applying Soft Landings, plus checklists and generic work plans

Soft Landings for schools

Soft Landings processes carried out on the UK schools rebuilding programme

BREEAM 2011 and Soft Landings

The BREEAM New Construction Soft Landings requirements explained

Soft Landings Core Principles

The main requirements for defining a full Soft Landings project

How to Procure Soft Landings

Model requirements for use by clients, contractors and consultants

Download from www.softlandings.org.uk

www.bsria.co.uk/news/soft-landings-budgets/