Data and Design

Summary: Peter Drucker describes the transformation from data crunching to information thinking. In this article we consider the implications for architects.

From Book-Keeping to Accounting

Peter Drucker, in his book "The New Realities" (1), describes the implications of the application of knowledge to areas of management that previously relied upon "guesswork, brawn and toil". For example, the transformation from mere bookkeeping to accounting, thus facilitating the analysis and control of business finances. Similarly, the shift from the assembly line to automation as the means of manufacturing practice, thus creating a more flexible and more efficient use of resources.

Capital Investment Decisions

Drucker further highlight the shift in decision making that is created by the increasing availability of information technologies, through the example of capital investment decisions. (2) He outlines 6 information variables that need to be considered. In the past, these analyses would have taken "man-years of clerical toil to complete". Today every accounting student is exposed to the concepts and the task takes only a matter of hours when performed on a computer spreadsheet. Whilst there is no single answer, the quest is to assess and evaluate the range of options and select the most desirable outcome.

"The availability of information thus transforms the capital investment analysis from opinion to diagnosis, that is, into the rational weighing of alternative assumptions." (3)

The Client Makes the Rules

The impact of this shift will be felt in the use of computers and the design of buildings. Its importance should be viewed, not from the architect’s stance, from the position of the client as the instigator and paymaster of the building project. After all, as James Miller suggests in his book "The Corporate Coach" (4), the rules by which any business must play, are made by the customer.

Computer Simulation

The architectural equivalent of the computer spreadsheet as the means to analyse capital investment strategies, will be through computer simulation which will provide the means to analyse the performance of buildings at all stages of the design process. This will include the ability to measure the efficiency of circulation to the building volume; calculate the extent of heat gain from the sun; the correct heating and cooling requirements for the building; test the acoustic levels and give an immediate cost estimate of design options. These procedures will become standard practice once the cost of computing power falls to within the limits of the Architect’s budget. Clearly, the client is interested in calculating all costs that can be predetermined prior to commencing the commitment of funding. The complete cost of the building as an investment includes both the construction and operating costs.

Particularly in recent times with the development of the profession of Quantity Surveyors, a reasonable estimate of the building cost can be ascertained prior to construction. Computer software is now available, typically in spreadsheet form and linked to the drawings that describes the building, to enable the cost projections for design options to be quickly and accurately quantified. In contrast, the operating costs of a building have been considerably more difficult to forecast, particularly over the complete lifespan of a project.

Intelligent Buildings

These figures will become available as more ‘Intelligent Buildings’ are constructed to offer ‘realtime’ cost analysis of all the building operations controlled by computers. For architects, the major benefit will be to test the performance of the building design before it leaves the office. For the Architect’s client a new tool will be available to analyse and assess the merits of design proposals. Once this type of system is developed, clients will demand this service. For too long the client has had to wait until the building has been designed, constructed and occupied for several months before a full indication of the value of his investment can be determined.

In a competitive marketplace, the client will increasingly demand more stringent performance requirements for their investments. The Architects that respond in accordance with these guidelines will continue to prosper. The choice to forego this path is always open, but at the risk of diminishing opportunities.

Sources

(1) Drucker, Peter; The New Realities; Pages 216-7.
(2) Drucker, Peter; Pages 201-2.
(3) Drucker, Peter; Pages 201-2.
(4) Miller, James B.; The Corporate Coach; Bookman Press; Melbourne; 1993; Page 15.


The Future of Architecture Table of Contents