In the last article I covered “if it ain’t broke then break it”. Here we look at the yang to the yin. The Lendlease definition of project engineering was the optimisation of solution that it could meet its intent and built the smartest way possible.
This was very uncommon in the marketplace at the time. The dominant view was to build what is documented even if it was sub-optimal. Not my problem. The power of project engineering was the tactile outcome of very good problem solving.
By way of example, we were planning a major heritage building refurbishment that had a very large atrium in the centre of the building. The standard practice was to design the work with safety in mind i.e., don’t have people working above each other because to drop something could be catastrophic for the person below you. A project engineering mindset was to design and build a temporary structure to cover the opening. This changed the constraints and enabled smarter project planning.
More cost for the temporary structure but saved many months in construction bringing forward rental income and increasing the total value of the project.
I remember a brilliant solution employed on a project to build the lift motor room on the ground and lift it into place. The common practice was to build the lift motor room after the lift shaft was completed. By that simple conceptual change, the project was shortened taking most of the lift motor room activity off the critical path. In an environment where time equals money the investment return was significant.
This can be large scale also. A major office tower was redesigned to delivery much greater value to the client and win the bid with a non-conforming bid.
Even the landscaper I employed at home displayed advanced project engineering skills. He requested small changes to the design that improved the result and made it a lot easier to build. He even used materials to be removed from the project as temporary protection saving money. This is a win-win. I respect bringing that expertise and caring to a project.
Share your project engineering examples.
Your comments and stories on the project engineering are welcome!
