Page 31 - AGC_EN_iBook

31
WORkING IN
a BUILDING TEaM
Today the market has a preference for comprehensive solutions rather than a fragmented approach: construction is part of a total process. As a result, construction tenders are no longer made
by single companies, but by groups of companies or consortia. Involving the building contractor in the design process has proven to be a more ef cient and effective way to meet a programme of demands for a particular building. Collaboration is the crucial fac- tor. Ongoing consultation and dialogue create suf cient room for the development of innovative and creative solutions that can also be cost-cutting.The commitment of all parties is the motor for suc- cessful collaboration.
The designers and the implementing contractor work together closely from the very beginning of the process.The rst architec- tural proposals were made by Philippe Samyn and Bernard Van Damme, and were soon checked with Van Roey. This was followed by the required consultation on technical proposals, under the leadership of Philippe Samyn, assisted by Ghislain André.The nal decisions were always taken collectively. Because the motivation and ambitions of the partners sometimes differ, searching for mutually acceptable compromises is a very real part of this build- ing process. For example, in keeping with its three main aims for the project (see above), AGC had a very clear and consistent order of priorities – comfort, Breeam, an almost energy neutral building, planning – for decisions on the most dif cult points of discussion. This simple points system invariably led to the right decision, which, by de nition, was a compromise.
An important feature of this method of building is the long and thorough preparatory phase in comparison with the rapid
Fig.1 | 01-255 | Nissan european technology Centre | Louvain-la-Neuve | 1994
Fig. 2 | 01-500 | euroshopping Complex | mechelen | 2005
Fig. 3 | 01-510 | College tower | kortrijk |
2006-work in progress