Koch, C and Bertelsen, N H (2011) The devil in the detail: The story of a sustainable trail blazer. In: Egbu, C and Lou, E C W (eds.) Proceedings of 27th Annual ARCOM Conference, 5-7 September 2011, Bristol, UK.
Abstract
The climate change agenda have yet again put construction under pressure. Not only is the industry expected to deliver value for the customer, cost reductions, and efficiency but also sustainable building of all types. This paper reports of a trail blazing building of a dormitory in Central Denmark in, 2006-2009. The project was supposed to be at a time delivering value, lean design and prefabrication. Moreover it was supposed to, and did indeed become, certified as a passive house following German standards. Using theories of innovation of both sociological and business economic origin, the paper discusses how early movers of innovation tend to struggle with image problems and even get discredited, because of minor details . The empirical work was carried out by one of the authors (Bertelsen, 2010). It encompasses both an evaluation of the design and construction process as well as a post occupancy evaluation. Process experiences encompass the use of a multidisciplinary competence group and performance measurement. After a creative beginning the process was forced into more traditional controlling, driven by challenges such as the necessity of a German pre fab supplier, the local craft contractors and the economic goals. Energy calculations, indoor climate and issues around demands of square meters became problematic. The quality goal, to obtain a passive house certification reigned over realizing a good indoor climate including sufficient heating. Project management needs to handle quantitative complexity. As the project manager noted: Because it is damn important to remember the banalities, when we built .
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | demonstration projects; Denmark; passive houses; prefabrication |
| Index terms: | sustainable building, design and construction, project management, passive house, post-occupancy evaluation, efficiency, passive house certification, project manager, climate change, dormitory, cost reduction, complexity, prefabrication, indoor climate, performance measurement, Denmark, competence |
| Subjects: | sustainable construction, building construction, project management theory and practice, evaluation methods, construction type, Geography, profession, environmental policy, economics, climate science, contractual arrangements, health safety and environment, performance measurement, systems engineering, personnel development, performance management, environmental science |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Sustainability, Engineering Principles, Project Management, Construction Technology, Health and Safety, Quality Management, Geographical Context, Cost Management, Procurement, Human Resources |
| Descriptive scope: | 2 PC |
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