Is the design & Construction industry
our Least Innovative? >>
A design team envisions what can be and draws
this up conferring with a builder on how to get it
done. The builder sets out to build the design and
confers with the design team about intent. Along
the way, there is much conflict, consternation and
camaraderie as well as moments of exhaustion
and exhilaration. And then, one day the building is
finished and put to use.
This could describe the process today or in the
time of Queen Hatshepsut, perhaps the most prolific of all the Egyptian Pharaohs. It could describe
the design and construction of Hagia Sophia in
Constantinople in 525, Notre Dame Cathedral in
Paris in 1250, The Empire State Building in 1930 or
The Burj Khalifa in 2010.
We’ve cleaned things up a bit, leveraged research
findings, brought more people into the mix,
utilized the power of technology and generally
put a 21st century spin on things, but it could be
argued that the basic relationships and processes
have evolved at a snail’s pace over the last two to
three thousand years.
But, today’s model is changing; We believe we are on the cusp
of a quantum leap in the design and construction industry.
Dan Noble delivers a brief video introduction to the topic at hand.
is the design & construction
industry our least innovative?
Our industry has been virtually the same for
thousands of years. But now we are on the
cusp of a quantum leap in information and
technology that will revolutionize planning,
design and construction.
Let’s discuss the response to the changing
landscape and various tremendous opportunities at hand.
Dan Noble on design: “It’s about adding value and sense of place to the community
you’re designing for and for the people that inhabit these communities.”
Creating places that enhance the human
experience.
Collaboration. Conception. Community.
Creation.
The design process is one of people. It
starts with listening and understanding.
Before we imagine, we interact.
Dan Noble was selected the recipient of the 2010 Alumni Achievement Award by the
North Dakota State University Alumni Association.
The awards was presented at the NDSU
Alumni Honors dinner on May 12, 2010 in
Fargo. Noble is a widely recognized international leader in the practice of healthcare
architecture; a sought-after planner, educator and practitioner both nationally and
internationally; and a thought leader on
conceptual design, evidence-based design
and healing environments.
read more
Where We Are
First, we need to recognize the dramatic impact of technology on our industry.
• Architects are adapting gaming engines to create Functional 3D Visualizations of
architectural space, complete with moving figures, operational elevators and running
escalators. The new technology, including a 3D graphic editor, provides a powerful
tool that allows the architect or client to walk around their space at their own speed,
experiencing the virtual building in detail.
• We now have the ability to develop a Virtual Model working directly with the fabricator.
Quickly we can sketch the idea, create a model and produce a finished project, ready
to be installed on-site.
• If you can shape it, you can build it. Parametricism, the science of advanced computational design and digital animation in the creation of fluid forms. Through the use
of parametric design we can input variables that determine space efficiencies, overall
sustainability attributes, building skin performance, and virtually anything you can
measure. We can develop a prototypical virtual model of the design and predict how a
building will perform before it is erected.
• Through the use of revolutionary software such as Grasshopper and Rhino, we can
take these measured and prescribed building designs into a Revit model and collaborate with all the design consultants to eliminate conflicts among the various trades.
• BIM extends traditional two-dimensional drawing beyond 3D, augmenting the three
primary spatial dimensions (width, height and depth) with the fourth dimension – time
and information – and adding the fifth dimension, cost.
• And, our work continues to rely more and more on the collaborative lean processes
utilizing Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) teams. This compels the entire team to be
responsible for design and methods of construction in an organic, integrated way and
eliminates the potential for ensuing finger-pointing.
What’s Next
To continue the conversation, we are raising the questions,
“How is our industry different? Where is our industry going?
Where do we want to be?”
I believe our most important tool is our brain.
our intellectual capital.
Architects and contractors continue to be
called vendors. People say, “Hey, that firm did
that for a 4.25 percent fee. Can you do it for a
4.15 percent fee?”
I don’t really care to be competing in that kind
of environment for the rest of my career.
So you have to ask yourself, “Do you want to be a
vendor or do you want to be a thought leader?”
If you want to be a thought leader, you have to
think about what our clients need. What does the
industry need? What does society need?
We need to provide value and add something extra.
something different.
Quantum Leap Suggestions
• Instead of simply offering healthcare architectural services, create a consulting business
that informs healthcare clients regarding the population of the area; what the likelihood of
a particular disease is; what the government and insurance companies are reimbursing;
and how they might develop their business strategy, which might result in a new process,
but not a building. >> we may be in the business of informing our clients that a
new building is not in their best interest. So, we may be in the business of informing our clients that a new building is not in their best interest. HKS Knox Advisors, formerly
the HKS Clinical Solutions Group, was launched in 2007 to help our healthcare clients
evaluate all of the above.
• Or, if you design sports facilities, >> Help the client program the venue; match
architecture to market opportunity. Understand the demographics of a particular
area to determine how many suites to build, how many general admission seats to build
and how many mid-level seats to build, as well as the disposable income of the general
admissions and their capacity to consume within the facility. That is all informed by studies of demographics. AMP LLC was created to help our clients tailor the venue to enhance
financing as well as marketing opportunities.
• Another suggestion is research. >> Set aside a dollar amount each year for
research; Maybe it’s a percentage of profit. HKS established a non-profit, 501(c)
(3) organization, which has received more than $1 million in grants to conduct studies.
Our research has helped inform our clients on many issues, ranging from same-handed
rooms in hospitals to healing to natural light adaptation in children’s facilities.
• What about the science of actually building the building? How can we push that along?
There is so much work underway focusing on
the orientation of the building, sun-shading
devices and how the building works with the
larger infrastructure. To keep up with building
science, >> you must make a concerted
effort to stay on the leading edge, not
of what is happening, but what is about
to happen. That requires investment. The HKS
DesignGreen group works around the world
to continue to promote green conversation.
Our latest efforts focus on product manufacturers. We’re requiring our product manufacturers to disclose what’s in their products. Our
goal is to green up the products going into our
physical spaces, creating healthy buildings.
• We also must help clients find out who they are. We can be much more effective in finding a
design solution if we know who they are. >> A branding team serves as “storyteller.”
It’s like having an advertising group come in and
determine what the story is for a particular client, helping them craft that story, then helping
them to be more effective in communicating it
to their employees and the public. Our HKS
Brandspace group is working side-by-side with
architects to help tell the client story and impart this storytelling into their physical spaces.
• Our fundamental core relationships, the end product of design, and the processes of
imagining and building the spaces we inhabit are in the midst of a monumental sea of
change. But, as architects and contractors, we must continue to move forward, discovering progressive and innovative ways to work as a team, continuing as allies with our
clients, our industry and the world.
Biography on Dan Noble, FAIA, FACHA, LEED AP, 2014 President-Elect, HKS, Inc.
As Director of Design for HKS, Dan Noble is responsible for the firm’s overall design
vision. A 32-year veteran of the design industry, he has experience in master planning,
program development, functional planning and conceptual design of projects totaling
more than $7 billion in construction cost. His experience includes healthcare, hospitality, commercial, institutional, corporate and mixed-use facilities.
He is an avid writer and speaker representing HKS, including his latest “Smart Healthcare Initiative” and “Is the Design and Construction Industry the Least Innovative.”
His leadership as Director of Design has been exemplar in terms of emphasizing design in our practice. During his tenure, HKS has garnered more AIA design awards
than any other design department leader in the history of our firm. His projects have
been honored by the Texas Society of Architects, Progressive Architecture, Architectural Record, Texas Architect, Dallas Chapter AIA, TADA, the Architecture for Health
Facilities Review, Arkansas Chapter AIA, the Symposium on Healthcare Design, HealthCare Design Magazine and the Modern Healthcare design awards program.
Dan is a member of the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects
(AIA), a member of the Council of Fellows of the American College of Healthcare
Architects (ACHA) and is the immediate past President of the AIA Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) and currently sits on the national boards of the ACHA and the
AIA/AAH – the only person on both boards.
He has shown leadership on a national level with his creation and development of the
National AIA AAH Design awards as well as developing the Dallas AIA Art by Architects
event which has grown into Architects’ Week with Retrospect and other events.
Dan was recognized as a Distinguished Alumni of the North Dakota State University
(NDSU).
Background on HKS, Inc.
HKS, Inc. is a leading architectural design firm ranked among the top five architectural engineering firms, according to Building Design+Construction magazine. Since its
founding in 1939, HKS has completed construction projects totaling more than $75
billion in more than 1,263 cities located in 80 countries. The firm operates from 28
offices worldwide. For more information, visit www.hksinc.com.
HKS Viewpoint; copyright HKS, Inc. 2013