About briefing. Q&A with Prof Leentje Volker, University of Twente

"A good brief should explain a bit about yourself as a client, about your values, the political and social context and other things that might influence the acceptance of a design."

Is there a difference between a brief for an infrastructure project (e.g. a road or tunnel) and one for a building project? In principle not, says Leentje Volker who holds the chair of Integrated Project Delivery at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. Leentje knows because she has a background in architecture, but currently covers all areas of construction. She is one of the brightest minds in the sector and a driving force in the push to make the construction industry better integrated and more service minded. Read the Q&A below to learn about her ideas about integrated project delivery and construction briefing.

JvM: Your research area is integrated project delivery (IPD). What is that, in short?

LV: My research is focused on the integration of construction processes. This integration can be horizontal, vertical or longitudinal. The central idea is that we should start thinking about construction in terms of ecosystems and that there should be a focus on providing services rather than just delivering and maintaining assets. A focus on services means a focus on end users, which triggers a simple yet existential question for the industry: what do users (i.e. citizens, public bodies, corporations, society as a whole, …) need and how can we best provide for this?

JvM: What is the role of the construction brief in an integrated delivery process?

LV: The brief explicates the needs and wishes of the users and/or the owner of a building or infrastructure asset. It should include dreams and ambitions, but also functional and economical requirements. All these implicit and explicit items inform designers and engineers about their solution space and design conditions. The brief shapes the context of a product and facilitates the translation of ideas into construction solutions.

JvM: Is there a difference between infrastructure projects and buildings project when it comes to briefing? 

LV: Traditionally, the main difference concerns the attention for ‘design quality’. In building projects, clients tend to pay a lot of attention to the desired architectural expression and the building’s relation to its surroundings. In infrastructure, it is often the technical requirements that dominate. But infrastructure and real estate are becoming much more connected and I notice an increase in the attention for design quality in infrastructure. Also a bridge or tunnel can be beautiful, carefully integrated in the landscape, or adding value to a city. The topic of user experience gets more and more attention as well. A road should only not be safe, but also feel safe. Likewise it can be argued that infrastructure should provide a pleasant experience for the people using it—just like a building should. So, the difference is not that big after all.

JvM: What makes a good brief according to you?

LV: A good brief leaves room for designers and engineers to show their professionalism. This room can be provided by developing a performance-based brief—even though it also important to be explicit about the options you have in mind, or about possible no-go’s. Furthermore, a good brief should explain a bit about yourself as a client, about your values, the political and social context and other things that might influence the acceptance of a design.

JvM: How do you see the future of briefing?

LV: Developments like BIM and other kinds digitalization efforts will offer much more insights in what designs will eventually look like and what the consequences of certain requirements are in terms of costs and planning. It will thus become much easier to assess and explore the impact of requirements. Hence, I expect the briefing process to become much more interactive, with rapid iterations between clients, designers, engineers and contractors. So, a more agile process than it used to be.

JvM: Any recommendations for construction clients in relation to briefing?

LV: Do not just jump into a project. Try to develop and refine your needs and ambitions first. Look and learn from others. This can be done with excursions in which you visit similar buildings or infrastructure projects. It can also be achieved by applying technologies such as VR. My research learns that making sense of what you really want usually accelerates when you are confronted with the possible options. Increasing the information level in the procurement phase of a project, helps preventing issues at a later stage.