ASIDE from deploying cutting-edge technology, a change in the mind-set is much needed in the pursuit of a green agenda in building infrastructure and green buildings in the country, according to an architect and technology consultant of a major design technology company.
Gianluca Nicholas Lange, regional industry manager of Autodesk in the Asean region, said the Philippines must pursue collaboration among the member-nations to develop a more efficient and intelligent workflow and execution of green building among Filipino design professionals.
Lange noted that Filipino builders must take note that 38 percent of the carbon emissions in the United States come from buildings, according to the US Green Building Council. The construction industry is also low in productivity. According to the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) industry report 30 percent of projects do not make schedule or budget, according to Lange.
“Further, the CMAA Owners Survey pointed out that 92 percent of project owners said that architects drawings are typically not sufficient for construction.”
Citing the report of the Movement for Innovation Industry Reports and Economist Magazine, Lange said 37 percent of materials used in the construction industry become waste, an indication that the construction industry needs to become more conscious in becoming more efficient in construction.
In the pursuit of a green agenda, Lange stressed the need for an Integrate Project Design (IPD) Technology and Building Information Modeling (BIM). “We still build buildings the same way we built them 2,000 years ago. The main difference is that 2,000 years ago, we were only doing very simple buildings, and today we are doing very complex buildings. But you are using the same techniques that you were doing 2,000 years ago. And that generates, inherently, a big amount of inefficiency. The owners are throwing away money, the government is throwing away money, private-public partnership programs are throwing away money,” Lange said. The IPD, according to Lange, is a project-delivery approach that combines people, systems, business structures and practices into a process. Through collaboration, IPD taps the talents and views of all stakeholders to reduce waste and optimize efficiency through all phases of design, fabrication and construction.
Meanwhile, the BIM is introducing changes in global architecture, engineering and construction. He added that BIM solutions are enablers of IPD that can deliver leading-edge building technologies.
However, Lange stressed that the full potential of BIM would not be achieved unless the project will adopt structural changes to existing project-delivery methods. To have a successful deployment of the BIM, there should be greater awareness, owner mandates and industry initiatives which are vital to the widespread adoption of new delivery methods. To strengthen the practice of green building in the country, the Department of Public Works and Highways has drafted Green Building Code that will complement the existing National Building Code of the Philippines. Further, Lange said the two codes would push the implementation of sustainability standards in the local buildings. IPD, according to Lange, is a project-delivery approach that integrates people, systems, business structures and practices in to a process. It also harnesses the talents and insights of everyone involved to reduce waste and optimize efficiency through all phases of design, fabrication and construction.
By using the IPD and BIM, a project fosters collaboration by allowing the sharing of decisions and responsibilities between designers, engineers and builders, as well as the risks and rewards involved. With this it would be easier for them to achieve the best possible outcome for the project.
Lange added that the execution of IPD also relies greatly on a BIM infrastructure, the process involving the generation and management of 3D models of structures.
“In IPD mode what happens is that there are specific and clear goals that everybody has to comply with. So everybody gets incentives if the goals are met,” Lange noted.
Lange stressed collaboration among stakeholders is vital because it could help reduce waste generated by the building process as well as minimize any impact that the construction may have on the environment.
USGBC data showed that carbon dioxide emissions from residential and commercial buildings in the United States ten years ago were recorded at 2,236 metric tons, which accounted for more 39 percent of emissions; the transport sector came second 33 percent, while the rest came from industry emissions.
When people talk about climate change, Lange said everybody thinks cars are the big culprit, but the reality is that buildings are the major cause of carbon emissions and of waste being produced.
“That’s a massive issue because while we can’t influence what’s going on for future buildings, we can for example demand that there are certain energy levels that need to be maintained, about certain quality of efficiency and performance for all the existing buildings,” Lange said.