Ethical Consideration for a Better Collaboration Between Architects and Civil

Engineers: Design of Hospital Buildings

Abstract

Ethical consideration for better collaboration within any professional teams is one of a core
theory in the world. For instance, architects play their role on draw and design the building
structures while civil engineers play the role of ensuring the safety and economic of the
buildings. It is a normal controversy happened in terms of contradictory design processes and
the systems been held of these two pivotal profession. This article outline the strategy upon
architects and civil engineers on how they can solve the value conflicts among them by
analyzing phases of the structural design of the hospital buildings in architecture, the features
of the structural design for each phase and determining the conflicting values for each
criterion. The outcome shown in the article indicates that the architectural design of structures
is a complex procedure, which based on contradictory values and value systems. Finally, the
article suggest to architects and civil engineers to compromise each others responsibilities
duty and to choose a competent team leader in order to resolve any unethical behavior or
conflict between them and to avoid any unreasonable decision making.

Keywords: Ethical · Collaboration · Conflicts · Design · Architectural ·

Introduction

Hospital or health-care buildings have to be designed for hygiene and infection control, and
ease of circulation; they must have adequate space and ventilation, and the capacity to
function; and they must be safe and comfortable and provide a supportive healing
environment (Norwina et. al, n.d.). Hospitals, with their conflicting roles of centrality and
isolation, bringing multifaceted supplies and disposal in huge activities, layers of building
services, ranges of technologies and energy consumption, contribute to the environmental
issue (Norwina et. al, n.d.).

Design is a very essential component part of project development and has been found to
influence building construction. Designing new hospital facilities is not an easy task. Design
would affect the structure and materials installed and the life cycle of each building
component. The performance and physical characteristic of the building as well as its
durability of enduring environmental conditions and social interfaces are influenced by design
indirectly. It is also known that the most problems in construction could have been restrained
either by the architects or by civil engineers (Hürol and Wilkinson, 2005). Providing
proposition to solve the problems of designing the hospital buildings also requires a practical
analysis of conflicting values between the architects and civil engineers in order to gain the
quality of the product of their collaboration. Thus, the focus of this article is the ethics of
collaboration between architects and civil engineers.
There are various justification for the value conflict which form the basis for the contradiction
between architects and civil engineers. The first reason is the architects’ lack of practical
knowledge about structures and design of loading. There is a gap in the literature in respect of
offering architects practical support in the designing the structure of buildings specifications
and books on structures, is mostly directed towards civil engineers (structural engineers) not
architects. Many books on structure which were provided for architects generally contain
approximate methods of analysis and do not have adequate information about the practicality
of the architectural structural design of the most common structure types.

The second reason in respect of the problem of contradiction between architects and civil
engineers is the existence of many bad examples of reinforced concrete buildings in the
building market. The existence of these buildings creates a falsely positive impression with
many architects, who then believe that these bad designs are acceptable (Hürol and Wilkinson
2005). At the same time, architects should consider the functional and aesthetical criteria as
well as the economic criteria and safety requirements, whilst civil engineers should consider
only the two latter criteria (Pultar 1997, 2000).

The next point in respect of this matter of the contradiction between architects and engineers
arises as a a result of the presence of their different approaches to the criteria of economics.
Some professionals prefer to attain the ideal solution regards on the structural problems,
whilst others believe that it is also valueable to pay for the aesthetic worth of the building.

The objective of this article is to identify the initial steps in the architectural design together
with the structural problems on professional consensus between architects and civil engineers.
Besides, collaboration also one of the main aspect to be concern when involving professionals
such between architects and civil engineers. Collaboration plays a vital role in the architecture,
engineering and construction (AEC) industry. In construction projects, it brought teams
together to design and construct complex buildings. Effective collaboration in AEC projects is
essential for the success of the project (Sir John Egan, 2011). These collaboration may hold
up several years, but the movement of terms in and out of the project along with the diversity
and obscurity of the information in the project forms a better need for boundary objects.
Boundary objects such as drawings, specifications, and reports used in construction play
crucial roles in multidisciplinary construction project teams.

As projects become more and more complex, they require greater collaboration between
specialized team (Paul R. Lawrence and Jay W. Lorsh, 1967). Nevertheless, different teams
have their own norms, values, time frames, and coding schemes that can make collaboration
difficult (James G. March, 1965). In consensus-collaboration systems, great management is
understood to be key product of sufficient working relationships among the organization’s
members. Improving and perfecting the communication, control, and decision making
networks within the organization is, first of all, a problem of improving work relationship
among the team (James G. March, 1965).
However, there are many challenges to maintaining effective collaboration in these projects.
Specifically, the movement of individuals and teams in and out of the project and a strong
legal and cultural focus on individual work makes coordination and collaboration difficult
(Patricia Carrillo and Paul Chinowsky, 2006). Moreover, the challenges of maintaining
effective collaboration is influenced by the ethical of individuals and teams. Unethical
behavior of person either at workplace or anywhere else is a widespread phenomena (Muel
Kaptein, 2011).

There are two main types of collaboration between architects and civil engineers. The first
type of collaboration is accomplishing the design of preliminary design project by the
architect and its acceptance by the client. This means the civil engineer is asked to design the
structural system, which formerly designed the part of architecturally. The second type of
collaboration is executes during the whole design process, including the preliminary design.
This type of collaboration is usually realized within a multidisciplinary practice and for the
design of monumental buildings rather than background buildings.

Methodology

The main approach in recognizing the ethical consideration for better collaboration between
architect and civil engineer is by conducting a review based on secondary sources. Secondary
sources are the information collected by a party not related to the research study but collected
these data fot some other purpose and at different time in the past. Secondary sources are
generally available in written, typed or in electronic forms such as scholarly books and
articles. For this methodology, the literature findings are contain from books, journals and
articles. The search keywords used for finding are ethical, collaboration, construction and
professional. The Google search engine is chosen in a first place, before acquiring the full
documents through applicable online database such as Science Direct, Springer, Research
Gate and Scopus. In addition, secondary sources is classified into two term of source - either
internal or external. There are various advantages and disadvantages of using secondary
source.

Advantages Disadvantages
Cheaper and faster to access Sources by third party may not be a reliable
party
Provides a way to access the work of best Distort the results of the research.
scholars worldwide
Save time, efforts and money Raise issues of authenticity and copyright

Result and Discussion

The conflicts between architects and civil engineers are indeterminate to pictured on how
each of the professional would think and behave. Below are the value conflict between
architects and civil engineers as well as the suggested solution to overcome the clash.

Value Conflict Solution

Civil engineer has a hierarchical value system Make adjustments to achieve safety and the
which express the lack knowledge of requirement of aesthetics (and functionality)
architects towards structures. is subordinate
Architects has a hierarchical value system Make adjustments to achieve economy and
which listed from most important to the least ignores the aesthetics (and functionality)
important as safety; economy; functionally issues
and aesthetics.

Even though the ethical rule of recognition of the value system of other professionals should
restrain the issue of superiority come up on all sides, this engineer would not understand the
requisite of aesthetic.

If the architect has a value system, which requires that safety, functionality and aesthetics are
achieved as one, the solution solving for the first type of conflict is to meet the safety and
aesthetics requirements simultaneously. If it is not possible to get a resolution, which satisfies
both safety and requirements, only then is the criterion applied which disregard the aesthetics.
Even so, this leads ‘failure’ for the architectural projects. According to the system,
architectural solution to the second type of value conflict depends on the clients’ preference.

Being in collaboration with the above described civil engineer, this architect would have
difficulties in getting professional support while developing a design to achieve safety and
aesthetics simultaneously. S/he would anticipate the civil engineer to be more innovative to
assist him/her to reach the original design idea.

Nonetheless, personal conceptualization to values and oppose beliefs might change the whole
picture. Whatever is the case, understanding each others’ value systems and selection of the
more demanding professional as the team leader can lead towards a solution of the conflict.

Conclusion and Recommendation

The different approaches of architects and civil engineers to structural design along with their
different value systems usually clash during the decision making processes. Since the initial
designer of the structure is the architect, structural design phases are need to be adapted to the
phases of architectural design. Nevertheless, the structural design criteria would affect the
decision making regarding on matters such as safety and economy. Although these criteria
have a greater tolerance, the decision depends on the preference of the client. If the budget of
the client is tight, both economic and aesthetic requirements should be satisfied according to
the ideal approach. The design of hospital buildings is a complex decision making process
which requires the consideration of various and sometimes contradictory values. Therefore,
the architects and civil engineers should start to collaborate immediately after the conceptual
design phase, and before the end of the preliminary project. Architects and civil engineers can
resolved the value conflicts in a healthy way by choosing a team leader with demanding
values which could lead for a good collaboration and achieve a successful design project.

Reference

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