Extract

The days when the project procurement game had only two players – Architect and Client are
becoming a thing of the past. With the advent of democracy, citizens now demand a broader
participation in general decision-making. They want their voice to be heard in the arena of
Architectural design too. Their participation is required not only during the design, but also after
the completion of the built project. Once they start using ‘their’ finished project, they provide
feedback about its qualities and shortfalls. This is done through the Post Occupancy Evaluation
(P.O.E.). Data collected in this way can then be used to revisit the original design and draw
lessons from it, thus making the next design better suited to the stakeholders of future projects.
How to conduct this new model of design and avoid obvious increase in time and cost
‘participatory design’ and P.O.E. inherently require? ‘Very difficult’ is the obvious answer but the
new digital technology and its capabilities make it quite feasible. The first trial of this concept was
with the Design Standards for Fire Stations for the Department of Emergency Services,
Queensland, Australia. The solution was to create a ‘kit of parts’ that can be put together in a way
that will match individual needs and expectations of any group of stakeholders on any of the
future projects.

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