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The Key to Constructability is Communication
Constructability is defined by the Construction Industry Institute (CII) as, “the optimal use of construction knowledge and experience in planning, design, procurement, and field operations to achieve overall project objectives.”
Some compelling statistics that CII has quantified in their effort to reinforce the benefits of an effective constructability program are:
- Reduces overall project cost by 4.3% on average
- Reduces overall project schedule by 7.5% on average
- Improves project quality (maintainability, reliability, and operability)
- Improves project safety, security, and environmental impact
- Minimizes rework and rescheduling on the project
In carrying out a constructability initiative on a project, communication among all stakeholders is one of the most important factors in achieving overall project objectives. And this notion is applicable to new construction, as well as renovation/reroofing/waterproofing and maintaining the integrity of the overall building envelope.
Owners must communicate “the project vision” to the designer. In turn, the designer will work to make the vision a reality—all the while communicating with the primary contractor. The primary or prime contractor, generally defined as the contractor who is under contract with the owner of the job and has responsibility for the completion of a project, must communicate closely with the subcontractors, suppliers and material manufacturers in order to form a well-rounded response to the designer’s requests for input.
In the case of a reroofing project, the owner provides the expectations for a successful reroofing project—a well-designed roof system installed in a timely manner by a highly qualified roofing contractor, with as little disruption to the owner’s operations as possible. The expectation of “as little disruption as possible” is particularly important to reroofing projects for owners of healthcare, education and office facilities. Therefore, particular attention should be paid by owners of these types of facilities to selecting a prime contractor who has a proven track record of working with owners and designers to maximize the constructability of projects they undertake.