around the globe

CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION
AROUND THE GLOBE
22
INNOVATE MAGAZINE  NUMBER FIFTEEN  2013
As if the complexity of delivering top-notch construction
administration services in the U.S. isn’t enough, just think
about what it’s like in another country. Imagine dancing
daily with the details of language, cultural nuances and
norms; dealing with local, state and federal authorities
and construction laws, foreign building codes, technologies,
subcontractors and consultants, materials availability;
deciphering contract documents … is your head spinning
yet? Come along for an around-the-globe tour of what’s
happening, what’s new or different and how CA gets
done, international style: with hefty amounts of skill,
communication, flexibility, teamwork and mutual respect.
INNOVATE MAGAZINE  NUMBER FIFTEEN  2013
23
MEXICO
With Ricardo Heria, Associate and Senior Vice President, HKS Mexico City
Project owners and developers in Mexico have had
success with and have adopted similar structures,
procedures and standards as the U.S. construction
industry, but it’s not the rule of thumb, according
to Heria.
use of quality materials, comprehensive follow-up
and appropriate management, you can develop
top-quality services internationally, obtaining great
results independently of where a labor force is
sourced,” he says.
Yet some Mexican construction companies
are making quantum leaps toward investment in
advanced systems and job-site technologies, and
standardized safety procedures are becoming
increasingly common in Mexico.
So, while the construction administration process
in Mexico is less intensive than that of its neighbor
to the north, this landscape provides HKS with the
flexibility to customize its CA service model, depending on the project owners’ preferences and, of
course, within the appropriate legal context. “We
deal with a wide range of expectations on our projects,” says Heria. “There are owners who expect and
require more intensive follow-up, sometimes on a
weekly basis, or even daily – something closer to the
level of CA delivery that is expected and performed
in the U.S. And then there are owners who prefer a
local approach, with limited involvement from the
architect at the construction stage.”
According to Heria, another promising development
is a large number of subcontractor teams (carpenters,
painters and sheetrock installers) are integrated
with workers who began their construction education in Mexico and have trained and worked in the
U.S. under American standards, delivering a top-quality construction product. “This fact has reinforced my
belief that through appropriate procedures, the
01
01 – 02
TSM Neuvo Estadio Corona,
Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico
02
24
INNOVATE MAGAZINE  NUMBER FIFTEEN  2013
04
01
03
03 – 04
Camp Pendleton Replacement
Hospital, Oceanside, California
THE UNITED STATES
With Penny Wright, Associate Principal and Senior Vice President
Over the years, Wright has seen a project’s time to
market shrink considerably, as developers and owners
are increasingly seeking time and cost efficiencies
over traditional construction methods. Wright says
there’s a trend in the U.S. toward the use of off-site
modular construction, especially in healthcare
projects in which patient room repeats are the norm.
“Prefabricated building sections are built in a warehouse and trucked to the jobsite for fast installation,
including entire two- and three-story curtain walls,
complete wet walls and fully plumbed bathrooms
with fixtures and fittings, unitized windows and
pre-wired wall sections with all electrical connections
and power outlets installed,” says Wright. “On these
projects, you have reduced need for trade and skilled
labor on the jobsite.”
certification process. With consumer and end-user
awareness about LEED designation on the rise, owners
are making great strides toward greening their daily
operations, including facility maintenance products that
impact indoor air quality. Owners also are making more
informed choices regarding the chemicals and toxic
substances in the building materials and finishes they’re
selecting for their projects, regardless of whether they
choose to pursue LEED certification.
Finally, Wright notes that, by far, advanced technology
has had more of an impact in her line of work than
anything she’s seen during her career. “From BIM to
21st-century telecommunications, the depth and detail
of information, and the pace of information exchange
enabled by these incredible technologies, have increased
our ability to serve our clients better than ever.”
According to Wright, while many owners are
becoming more interested in building green, they
remain hesitant to complete the arduous LEED
INNOVATE MAGAZINE  NUMBER FIFTEEN  2013
25
THE UNITED KINGDOM
With Alan Palmer, RIBA, Operations Principal, London
Most construction contracts in the United Kingdom
call for a contract administrator (CA), appointed by
the project owner, to administer the terms of the
contract on the owner’s behalf. This applies to most
common forms of construction, from traditional,
design and build, to partnering and management
project types as well.
The CA is contracted to represent the owner but also
is required to look after the interests of the contractor.
In this dual role, the CA must remain unbiased in
assessing adherence to the contract terms.
In administering the contract through construction,
completion and the rectification period, the CA is
obliged to provide advice and information, as well as
inspect building progress. With traditional construction,
the CA role may vary considerably, but, typically, he
or she would issue necessary information to the
contractor, together with instructions and certificates
under the provisions of the contract. These varied
and demanding duties require the CA to be highly
skilled in employer-contractor relationship management, as well as administration and coordination
of routine procedures, including the valuation of
the project and the certification of payments. The
nature of these broad duties is reflected in the
contract between the CA and the owner, and in the
contract between the employer and the contractor.
Depending on the size and complexity of the project,
there can be ample opportunity for disagreement
between the contracting parties, both in contract
and litigation, about whether these duties have been
satisfactorily performed.
“It is in this context that those fulfilling the CA role in
the U.K. should be outstanding and willing diplomats,
serving all parties in a fair, reasonable and impartial
manner,” says Palmer. “They should also be extremely
clear from the project onset of what is contractually
required of them.”
02
01 – 02
Silverstone University Technical
College, Northhampton,
United Kingdom
01
26
INNOVATE MAGAZINE  NUMBER FIFTEEN  2013
03
04
03 – 04
Danat Al Emarat Women’s and
Children’s Hospital, Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates
ABU DHABI,
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
With Rick Bryan, Associate
In the United Arab Emirates, construction projects
are typically carried out under FIDIC (International
Federation of Consulting Engineers) contracts, in
which the appointed engineer assumes a construction
supervision role, while acting as the owner’s representative as well as the neutral arbiter of disputes.
“Except where specifically limited in the contract
documents, FIDIC contracts give the engineer a
great deal of authority and discretion with regard
to procurement and conduct of the construction
work, as well as making changes without consulting
the owner, and granting power to dictate means and
methods,” says Bryan.
Generally, the content of contract drawings and
specifications issued in the United Arab Emirates
are at the level we normally consider design development documents in the U.S. Consequently, much of
the design details and coordination are left to the
site supervision team or developed by the contractor through shop drawings. Projects are staffed
differently as well; the engineer (or supervision
consultant) is comprised of a supervisory team of
local engineers representing the major design and
construction disciplines: architectural/civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, planning and safety.
The engineer’s team members essentially perform
the supervision or construction administration duties
normally executed by separate consultants in the
U.S. In addition, our project team is augmented with
on-site project management/technical staff from
HKS to provide knowledge and expertise on healthcare projects based on the firm’s depth on this building type and for continuity through construction.
Construction practices, standards and codes are
somewhat different from that in the U.S. and are
influenced largely by available resources and cultural
considerations. Though the United Arab Emirates
has adopted much of the international construction
codes with which we are familiar, there are some
local regulations and standards that are not always
aligned and must be interpreted or changed by the
local authorities. While these evolving requirements
can make it challenging to navigate the system when
seeking local approvals, it is mindful to note the United
Arab Emirates is just 41 years old and as the country
continues to develop, governmental processes and
procedures are subject to change as needs dictate.
In general, the culture and business in the United Arab
Emirates are not as fast-paced as in the U.S. However, it
is a progressive environment with diverse architectural
projects that offer many demanding yet rewarding
experiences in construction administration.
INNOVATE MAGAZINE  NUMBER FIFTEEN  2013
27
02
01
01 – 02
DM Aster Medcity, Kochi, India
INDIA
With Gaurav Chopra, Principal and Senior Vice President
In India, most of the property developers involve
project management consultants (PMCs) for on-site
management of their construction projects. As a
result, construction administration responsibilities
are shared between architects and PMCs.
For a 550-bed healthcare facility project in Kochi,
India, HKS is providing a wide array of CA services,
including assisting the project owners on the technical
aspects of the bidding process; preparing and
delivering construction change directives (CCDs);
responding and providing clarifications to RFIs in
a timely manner; reviewing and approving shop
drawings and materials submitted by various
28
INNOVATE MAGAZINE  NUMBER FIFTEEN  2013
contractors and vendors; visiting project sites for
monitoring the quality of construction at regular
intervals; communicating inspection comments
on construction quality and progress to the owners
through site observation reports; and recommending
corrective measures for any damages incurred.
“The Indian construction market is developing rapidly,
and as with any burgeoning industry, there are growing
pains that relate to organization, quality standards and
adherence to construction schedules; these represent a few of the challenges faced on an everyday
basis,” says Chopra. “We have found that timely site
visits are important to make sure construction is
completed according to drawings and specifications.”
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
With Alex Ling, Principal and Senior Vice President, and Bruce Johnson, Associate Principal and Senior Vice President
Speed is the name of the game in China right now,
according to Ling. “All of our project schedules
are extremely short. The project detail produced
in China may not be at the same level we see in
the States, though the project time to market is
as much as 30 percent faster than in the U.S.,”
cites Ling, as Chinese migration to cities and the
trend toward urbanization continue to skyrocket. To
overcome scheduling challenges, advanced delivery
methods help meet tight delivery schedules, and
project teams are employing Building Information
Modeling (BIM) strategies with greater frequency.
Further aiding a project’s tight schedule is decisionmaking, which typically is made from the top down,
reducing the number of meetings and streamlining
the entire process.
Bruce Johnson notes that in China, architects team
with a Local Design Institute (LDI) that completes the
project engineering and architecture for construction
documents. These institutes are licensed by the
Chinese government. “Construction administration is
usually performed by groups that specialize in
construction,” says Johnson. “The architect (LDI)
works with this group, answering any questions
about the drawings and providing additional information. So the architect does less actual field inspection
than we do in the USA. There is more discussion and
changing in this phase than in the States because
the final level of drawings is much less detailed than
we typically do on a project. Many of the details of
construction are worked out by the architect and
contractor as the building is being constructed,” he
says, because drawings are not as well-detailed and
the design team has full-time staff on-site during
construction, working out problems and details.
When it comes to design, ingenuity and quality are
in high demand. “The Chinese client and culture
appreciate grand and imaginative ideas, and architects
have a lot of freedom to explore and present provocative design solutions here,” says Ling. Ling says
because many projects in China lack a clear program
and budget, there is greater flexibility if a client sees
the value in the big design idea.
The project scope tends to be larger in China than
we typically see in America, including the highly
popular, mixed-use, mega project. For example, an
enormous healthcare project will incorporate a variety
of building types, including a hospital, retirement
community, commercial retail, hotels, educational,
residential and more, all in one huge development.
03
03 – 04
Aiyuhua Hospital for Children and
Women, Beijing, China
04
INNOVATE MAGAZINE  NUMBER FIFTEEN  2013
29