Carrying out a building project sustainably and economically - what is the contribution made by project management?

Savings of up to ten or 15 per cent of the construction costs are achieved if an external project manager is integrated into the building project early on - ideally already in the planning stage. With consultation expertise in the areas of cost-efficiency and sustainability, the investment costs as well as follow-up costs of a building project can be reduced. "The key to realising a building project economically and sustainably is in the hands of project managers who are familiar with the interrelations between planning and construction work as well as their content, and who are proficient in modern management methods," says Prof. Dr. Hans Sommer, chairman of the supervisory board of Drees & Sommer AG.

Project management ensures economical implementation of building project
Professional project management results in savings of ten per cent or more. Success is based on effective project organisation, a well-planned and on-schedule construction process, and thought-through cost planning that incorporates alternative construction options. In order to optimise the cost-efficiency of the building project, the project manager must have consultation expertise as well as proficiency in management methods.

Experienced generalists help to reduce costs
In addition to the project management services, process-based knowledge is applied in the project's construction management: the client only provides the general direction; as early as the planning process, the construction manager ensures that the architectural and technical solutions can be feasibly, sustainably and cost-effectively implemented. Through value engineering, the final objective is frequently compared with the current status, whereby the investment costs as well as the running costs that result later on are taken into consideration. In this way, further optimisations and considerably improved cost-effectiveness are possible. The supreme discipline is general construction management, which covers all general planning services from the concept through to construction planning, either independently or with a cooperation partner. In-depth expertise is necessary, depending on the type of project - for example the requirements for building a hospital are different from those for an office building.

Intelligently reducing investment costs
The investment is initially influenced by the construction volume. So for example, different forms of organisation in an office building result in very different floor plans. For example, even with an identical gross area, there can be a massive difference in the amount of façade area that needs to be created. Cubical offices in a comb structure require almost double the amount of façade area as an open-plan structure.In order to take all optimisation options into consideration, the project managers of Drees & Sommer scrutinise the space allocation plan. They clarify whether, for example, all employees need their own workspace, and how many square metres are needed per workspace; whether there's a canteen with its own kitchen or whether there will be catering. Usually, the necessary amount of floor space can be considerably reduced while still incorporating the same number of workspaces. That means that per square metre of floor space, less gross surface area needs to be constructed than with less sophisticated planning. The result is a considerable reduction of investment costs. The cost-effectiveness of a project can be further improved through a compact construction method or through the structural design and choice of materials.

Being aware of follow-up costs even in the planning stages
Costs that arise later on for maintenance and repairs are influenced to a great extent by the quality of the planning and construction. The more the detail planning pays attention to sustainable quality, the lower the future maintenance costs will be. Here, the project manager is faced with the task of ensuring the best possible quality for the best possible price. The maintenance costs are a considerable cost factor throughout the life-span of a building. For example, 20 to 40 per cent can be saved on cleaning costs, if cleaning system options are taken into consideration in the preliminary draft. Finally, the original concept determines the extent of the costs for future modifications by the tenants or for the investor after new tenants move in.

Source: Sommer, Hans (2009): Projektmanagement im Hochbau (Project management in building construction), Springer Verlag, Berlin, 3rd edition.

Download this professional article
Word