A dynamic design management system for improving buildability of construction

For many years, improving buildability of designs, an abstract concept that is hard to be grasped by designers, has been pursued by practitioners in the construction industry. Yet, because of the fragmented nature of the industry, designers do not have the practical intuition nor the incentive for developing designs that facilitate ease of construction and economic use of resources. The adversarial culture further hinders successful collaborations between designers and constructors. System dynamics deals with the issue of how a system responds to dynamic forces thereby enabling decisions on actions to be undertaken ahead. It copes with changing circumstances surrounding a system as time passes. In view of a project organisation being regarded as a system and the factors affecting buildability of designs changing perpetually, a design management system which is operated on a continuous basis with inputs and feedbacks from contractors and other project participants ensures smooth project delivery. With the dynamic system in hand, designers with or without adequate practical knowledge and experience can constantly enrich and update themselves for improving buildability. In the long run, the incentive for developing buildable designs would be enhanced from which clients and contractors will benefit the most. By identifying the major factors affecting buildability of designs, this paper highlights the need and principles for devising a dynamic design management system for improvement of buildability. A conceptual framework for the dynamic system is built up as illustrated by an Influence Diagram.