Ergo Pikas

ViBR Conceptualising a Virtual Big Room through the Framework of People, Processes and Technology

The “Big Room” in construction refers to a large facility supporting the colocation of the entire project team, where some of the critical problems such as delays in decision-making, problems in communication, disparity in design iterations are eliminated, and trust is increased. However, one of the most demanding aspects of this concept is the almost constant presence of the project participants, which may be difficult for small or medium projects. We therefore propose “Virtual Big Room”, where the concept of collocation of workers will be deployed through virtual technologies. A combination of product and process modelling techniques along with communication and social network tools are proposed to develop the proposed platform that will integrate the entire supply chain through the project lifecycle (i.e. design, construction, handover).

The Dual Nature of Design Management

Design management profession has probably got the least attention in the construction industry. One reason could be the lack of explicit conceptualizations about its nature, subject matter and principles. In this article, a conceptual design management framework is proposed on the premise that design management is the management of a structured system of object and subject-oriented, technical and social design activities. Additionally, an example of a mediating visual model is proposed to facilitate the discussions about design activities and design management in academia and practice. The two major premises of this research are 1) as design management is the management of design activity, it is dependent on the way design is conceptualized; and 2) design is a human activity, but not a thing (e.g., representation) or an event (e.g., decision-making).

Design Management in a Design Office: Solving the Problem of Relevance

In this study we contend that the conceptual foundations of conventional construction design and design management are obsolete, and these need to be substituted by a more comprehensive theoretical basis. As the first paper in the series of three, the main objective of this study is to justify the research by determining the significant problems and challenges related to the design management in a case study organization. Design science research methodology is chosen to develop a scientifically grounded solution with practical relevance. Based on surveys, interviews, database analysis and observations, we conclude that there are significant problems with the design management practice. The major issue with design management is related to the poor and simplistic conceptualization of the design task. The problems summarized in this study facilitate the quest for the proper theoretical understanding and developing a knowledge base for designing a new process model.

Design Management in a Design Office: Development of the Knowledge Base

In this second paper in a series of three, the aim is to develop a theoretical knowledge base for design science research (DSR) activity within the next paper. This is primarily a literature review based paper, inspired by the problems summarized in the first paper. The paper starts with a description and justification of the prototheory of design and design rhetoric. It has been argued that the design science has been concerned with the artefact rather as a technical than a social phenomenon. It is opportune to propose that the proto-theory of design and design rhetoric represent different, yet related dimensions of a productive act (techne). These concepts provide the necessary prescription for the root cause analysis of the problems addressed within the first paper and practical design and design management conceptualization within the third paper.

On epistemology of construction engineering and management

In philosophy of science, there have been two different starting points for epistemology: Platonism and Aristotelianism. These two alternative starting points have played a major role also in the formation of fundamental ideas of engineering and management generally as well as in relation to construction. It is contended that an overly Platonic influence on engineering and management has created a number of problems. For solving these problems, beyond mere patching, a more balanced take on Platonism and Aristotelianism is needed.