INGENIUM and “value engineering” applied to high-rise real estate developments
Anyone who has carried out the re-engineering of a high-rise real estate development knows the benefits it can bring:
- Some developments benefit from up to a 15% reduction in construction costs.
- Other structures perform better, meeting code deformation or strength criteria in all their elements.
- Some projects, through formal changes that are imperceptible from an architectural design standpoint, achieve a significant simplification of the scale of the structure.
- Other developments benefit from fewer clashes with building services, or from reduced construction risk and complexity.
- Some projects generate less formwork waste thanks to flat slab design or standardised beam sizes.
Re-engineering, however, involves:
- paying structural consultants’ fees a second time
- losing time on re-calculation and adaptation to the architectural design
- losing time, energy (and money) bringing in a new group of structural consultants, all of which leads to further costs and delays in design and construction schedules.
So why not produce a lean, efficient structural design and calculation from the outset, taking into account all the formal, functional, economic and construction aspects of a high-rise real estate development?
This guarantees the benefits of a fast design stage and an early fit between the structure and the architectural design. The result: a structure of absolute technical rigour, maximum economic efficiency and sustainable construction.
This is what INGENIUM offers. “Value engineering”, in which the project, the construction and everyone involved benefit without the need for a second round of structural analysis.
Solving a structural project with “value engineering” design
INGENIUM is a different kind of engineering consultancy. Our method involves putting every project through the three levels of analysis on which we base our structural solutions:
- Market analysis: at INGENIUM we continuously analyse the market in search of relevant alternative construction solutions to implement in different projects. Experience and knowledge alone are not enough for us.
- Analysis of the architectural design: when we receive each new project, which usually comes with a structural solution envisaged by the client, we first analyse its feasibility and question its suitability. We look for aspects of the project which, if modified (always with relevant changes that respect the original design), allow us to simplify the structural solution as far as possible.
- Analysis of the different structural alternatives: this allows us to identify the advantages and disadvantages of each one in terms of material consumption, speed of construction, minimising clashes with building services, risk reduction and simplified construction suited to each individual project.
Once the areas for improvement have been established and the structural solutions pre-defined, we deliver a brief report to the client so that decisions can be made together with the architecture team.
We then carry out a preliminary sizing of the elements and a “geometric delivery”, that is, the documentation reflecting the geometry of the structure, which is essential for coordinating the structure, the architecture and the building services.
Once the design geometry has been approved, we carry out rigorous checks of the structure, generally using several linked software packages, and produce the construction documentation.
We carry out this entire process in close communication with the architect, through pre-agreed partial deliveries, so that the final delivery of the project is simply a continuation of its development, with no surprises, undefined aspects or confusion.
What benefits does INGENIUM’s value engineering bring to the different players in the construction process?
Value engineering and investors
Whether it is an investment fund or several individuals pooling capital to make the investment, the investor’s main interest in a high-rise building is the project’s profitability. Although investors are not usually involved in the technical aspects of the development, choosing a consultant like INGENIUM, which offers a “value engineering” service, guarantees maximum optimisation of the structure and economic sustainability of the structural aspect.
Considering that the total cost of the structure of a high-rise building is around 30% of the overall construction cost, a 10 or 15% reduction compared with a structural solution without re-engineering means very significant savings on the investment.
Value engineering and real estate developers
From finding the land, market studies and defining the real estate product, to securing investors and hiring all the necessary services and professionals, the real estate developer is the driving force behind every development, from conception to marketing.
The direct benefits for this player of choosing a value engineering service such as the one INGENIUM offers are very specific and clear:
- As with investors, the real estate developer benefits from optimised resources, materials and construction processes. A 10 or 15% reduction in the cost of the structure of a multi-million-dollar building is a sum that cannot be wasted.
- A project that is economically sustainable and efficient thanks to its ease of construction also increases the product’s recognition in the market and the viability of future developments. After all, a project’s success is marked by its profitability and its smooth delivery on time and in due form, aspects that depend largely on the structural stage and its frictionless integration with the formal and building services aspects of the project.
Value engineering and architects
The architect or architecture team does not benefit directly from the overall construction savings achieved through the structural optimisation of the project. However, they are the main beneficiaries of the level of service the structural consultant provides.
The architect is directly affected by the degree of dialogue and synergy with the team of structural consultants. With our value engineering approach, INGENIUM joins the design team by proposing smart design changes that simplify and facilitate the construction of each project. The developer’s economic interests and the quality of the architectural design are not set against each other.
Architects place great value on the synergy of the architecture-structure professional team, forming a strategic partnership rather than a merely transactional relationship. Having consultants who provide a “thinking mind”, and not just the calculation of a structure already pre-visualised in the formal conception of the building, allows the architect to rest easy and trust in complementary work carried out in partnership with the engineer.
Value engineering and the project manager
The project manager is a relatively recent figure in Latin America that is gaining momentum in the construction world, but is not yet present in every project.
The project manager takes technical leadership of the project on behalf of the owner or developer, taking on a hierarchical role that is sometimes above that of the design architect. Their involvement in site management brings a global view that includes other dimensions of the business, and their main interest is for construction to proceed without cost or schedule overruns, accidents or conflicts.
Value engineering offers the project manager a strategic alliance and support in their responsibilities and decision-making, taking weight off their shoulders by carrying out a global analysis of the structure and its impact on construction, which considers:
- the cost savings resulting from simplified processes
- shorter construction schedules
- the analysis of possible difficulties during the construction process and their solution. This in turn minimises the involvement of technical and supervisory staff and the likelihood of errors and accidents.
Value engineering and construction companies
INGENIUM’s value engineering approach, while maintaining technical rigour and quality of service, delivers the re-engineering of a high-rise building project without the need for a second round in search of possible optimisations, saving time, money and energy.
By seeking efficient structural solutions and proposing construction systems suited to each project, to its setting and to the available technical capacity, INGENIUM increases competitiveness when tendering for a project and during its actual construction.
Conclusion
Whether precast structures or cast-in-place solutions. Whether in a rural setting or within the urban fabric. In Uruguay or in any country in Latin America.
The structural design of a high-rise building requires thorough prior analysis and the consideration of many factors that affect efficient construction, economic sustainability and meeting deadlines. For example, coordination with the building’s various systems and services; savings from a structure with lower material consumption (concrete, steel or timber), or a structure requiring less labour or less direct supervision and technical control, among other challenges.
Whatever the situation, each project requires a tailored structural proposal to achieve efficiency in materials, procedures, schedules and investment. Communicative and collaborative work with all the players is a crucial part of this optimisation process, not just working on an architectural drawing or in software isolated from the constraints of the setting.
This is our proposal at INGENIUM: “value engineering” from Montevideo to all of Latin America, applied to each specific project to achieve the most efficient structures in every high-rise real estate development.
Want to know more?
Contact us on LinkedIn, Instagram or through our new website, and we can discuss whether your project would benefit from INGENIUM’s value engineering approach.