Stage 7
In Use
Chapter overview
In the In Use stage of the RIBA Plan of Work 2013 it will become clear if the desired Project Outcomes set at Stage 1 have been achieved. There should be a concerted effort to understand what has been achieved: does the building or facility deliver the client’s original intent and desired outcomes?
Often, however, this is not clear. Some projects change shape and direction over the course of their progress, some are subject to other influences, and some are affected by changes in the client. Whatever journey the project has been subject to, it should be understood and reviewed for the benefit of following projects.
The set-up and handover should have addressed any remaining health and safety issues. Often, however, new issues emerge as the building users become familiar with its operation. Some may arise because the building is being used differently from what was anticipated. It may also have been subject to further work, such as a fit-out operation.
Any Feedback that can be gathered following occupation can be vital in improving future projects.
The key coverage in this chapter is as follows:
Following handover, responsibilities for health and safety, insurance, operations, security and liabilities are in the hands of the building owner, operator and user. This is a significant change and one to be recognised, and recorded formally, by the project team. It is no longer ‘their’ building or their direct responsibility. However, liability still rests with the team in certain quarters. If any risks arise, or actions occur, where the root cause is traceable back to previous design decisions, made either by the contractor or the design team, there may be liability. If the issues are of a minor nature, the client may seek compensation, but if they are of a more serious nature, resulting in actual or potential harm, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) may seek to take action through the various measures it has at its disposal. The HSE will investigate all serious accidents and life-critical circumstances. It will examine closely the cause of any accident, especially if there has been a fatality, and apply a tracking back procedure. This is to identify the various actions that led to the circumstances. In the case of a building this would track back how the particular elements involved in the accident were constructed and then how they were designed, picking out all of the significant decisions and who took responsibility for them during the project. This will lead to the investigators identifying the party who they think should have acted differently and could therefore have avoided the accident occurring. They may, of course, conclude that no one could have acted in a way that would have prevented the accident. This demonstrates the need for information provided at handover for the In Use stage to be as accurate as possible, the training and commissioning to have been diligently and professionally undertaken, and the team’s records of decisions made to be accurate and well organised.
From Stage 6
It is also important to take full advantage of the Stage 6 preparations:
Introduction
The Core Objectives of the RIBA Plan of Work 2013 at Stage 7 are:
The Core Objective at this stage is to ensure that any In Use services are undertaken. These may involve completing the building handover, recording the Project Performance, making sure that all certification and testing verification and commissioning data is complete, and gathering Feedback for the benefit of future projects. Some Soft Landings activities may also be continued through this stage. An area coming under increasing focus is the performance of buildings in use. In the past, the actual performance of new buildings has often not been measured. Unless there is an obvious problem, such as a leaking roof or a component failure, the performance in use is overlooked. As the measurement of all aspects of building performance has become more sophisticated, clients are demanding more – in particular, that designed performance equates to that delivered. This applies equally to the health and safety elements of the design and construction. As health and safety supports the building in use, the health and safety record of the building after occupation is as important as its energy performance or other outcomes. Post-occupancy Evaluation processes are set up at this point to assess Project Performance against the Project Objectives established in the initial project stages. It will be valuable to assess health outcomes over the life of the completed building. However, this may be difficult due to confidentially issues. Many health and environment-related matters go unaddressed simply due to lack of accurate information and good quality Feedback. Internal air quality is one area of particular note. Indoor air quality As buildings become more airtight, for energy conservation objectives, internal air quality can become poorer as a result. Concerns over increased levels of indoor pollutants are currently being researched. Creating sufficient levels of fresh air and avoiding materials that generate volatile organic compounds is a good starting point. When better information is available, it may well lead to more attention being given to this area. While health issues may be difficult to examine, the physical issues can be more straightforward. The Post-occupancy Evaluation should include reviews of the performance of the safety systems and the Feedback from the users of those systems. Some issues can only be properly understood after a full range of seasonal activities, therefore most evaluations include several visits, spaced out over several months or even a few years. However, the process must be proportional to the project and be realistic. In the past, changes to newly completed buildings, whether due to changing requirements or tenants’ needs, or simply to address shortcomings not identified in the main project, have been the cause of significant risk. These alterations are often undertaken without any real understanding of the building and without appropriate mobilisation, and many operations are extremely challenging when attempted on a finished building. Reviewing and understanding these changes can be extremely important, but achieving an understanding with the client and their team of the value in this process is often challenging. Often these issues may be seen as design shortcomings unless there is a continued relationship between the client and the design team. Health and safety in occupancy The Project Information is likely to require updating over the In Use phase of the building, as changes to its fabric and operation are made. If at all possible, the new information should be pulled together as a complete set of coherent information. Commonly, resources and time do not allow this process to be undertaken sufficiently thoroughly by the design team, unless as a separate commission. However, this is in everyone’s interests. Using a Building Information Modelling (BIM) methodology, it is possible at handover to provide the client with a complete and reliable model of the whole project. This can be developed by the client’s team and incorporated into a computer-aided facilities management system, for use in monitoring performance and managing maintenance processes during the In Use phase. Keeping on top of maintenance is a significant factor in ensuring ‘in use’ risks are kept to a minimum. The rapid growth of BIM and the development of its use in completed buildings promises to bring significant improvement in health and safety management. On UK Government projects for this stage a formal Information Exchange is required to be undertaken. Computer-aided facilities management A publicly available specification (PAS) has been published for BIM-based facilities management processes: PAS1192–3: 2014 Specification for information management for the operational phase of assets using building information modelling. Follow-up can usefully be continued for several years past handover and can be beneficial for both sides. As well as helping the client to resolve issues arising from how the building is being used, it may strengthen the relationship between the parties if the client feels they are being looked after. The kind of issues that can occur are often simple, but have the potential to cause real harm. For example:
Simple periodic follow-up can help resolve these issues quickly and efficiently. These can also lead the client to thinking about the next project, and who would be best to be involved. Raising standards in health and safety is largely based on making small incremental improvements, but it is also about changing a culture as well as changing actions. Pulling together information and lessons learned is a key principle of the RIBA Plan of Work 2013 – identifying what has worked on one project and, equally, what has not worked so well and needs improvement provides valuable Feedback for the next. During Stage 7, observations that would be relevant to a new project should be collated, perhaps in a table. These can cover procedures, information, approaches, team behaviours, particular construction techniques, design details and many more issues. If recorded clearly, ideas can be reused to work towards even better performance on the next project. What has worked? It is helpful to list the principal areas of the project and to set out for each what worked well (and what did not). For example:
The key headings can be broken down into more detailed subcategories. Information Exchanges required for Stage 7 are as follows:
The use of Stage 7 as a driver to achieving a full understanding of the building in use is a significant advance in several areas. The benefits for health and safety in particular are considerable. Ensuring that the building is managed and operated as designed and that all equipment is used as intended will enable the health and safety objectives to be fully realised. In the past, the lack of involvement of the design team in the In Use phase has resulted in risks being generated or building occupants being exposed to unnecessary risk. The full application of this stage could see this come to an end.
What are the Core Objectives of this stage?
Post-occupancy Evaluation
Health outcomes
Safety outcomes
The effects of changes
Updated Project Information
BIM methodology
UK Government projects
Follow-up
Passing on to Stage 0
Information Exchanges
Chapter summary 7