26 May 2021

ARCH 8 04
Project Delivery:
Communication Strategy
 AUT - ARCH804 Architectural Practice II: Project Delivery
Context Architects

The Importance of Effective Lines of Communication

Communication in the design and construction industry is vital to achieving a successful project from inception
to completion. Good communication strategies within a team can improve team working skills, lead to positive
collaboration and result in an optimistic project journey for the client.

When a project does not enforce a clear communication strategy for the project, it can lead to
miscommunication, stressed team members, suppressed action, and inefficiency.

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 AUT - ARCH804 Architectural Practice II: Project Delivery
Context Architects

Inefficient Lines of Communication

Design teams can typically consist of around 4 to 5 mini teams (for instance, a Client Team, Architect Team,
Structural Engineer Team, Civil Engineer Team, and a Project Manager Team). However within those teams there
may be 2 to 3 individuals that make up those individual teams, hypothetically, this amounts to 10 to 15 individuals.

The diagram below illustrates the Metcalfes Law on the network of communication lines, and demonstrates how
the extent of network is proportional to the square of the number of people/teams. From this diagram it’s easy to
see how messy and inefficient it can be when there are multiple parties involved.

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 AUT - ARCH804 Architectural Practice II: Project Delivery
Context Architects

How to Establish Clear Lines of Communication?

A good communication strategy for a design and construction project establishes clear lines of communication and
also distinguishes a chain of command.

Lines of communication can occur between all teams/people to enable effective co-ordination, collaboration, and
problem solving. However, decision making should rest with fewer people to make it easier to track and manage.

Below is an example of how different communication strategies can look like in an Architecture Team:

Chain of Command +
Only Line of Communication Defined Line of Communication Defined
Key
Chain of Command

Line of Communication

Project Architect

Project Architect

QA
Director

QA Intermediate
Director Graduate

Technician Intermediate
Graduate

Technician Junior Graduate

Junior Graduate

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 AUT - ARCH804 Architectural Practice II: Project Delivery
Context Architects

Methods of Communication during Construction

Another thing to consider when enforcing a Communication Strategy is the method in which decisions are enforced within a team
under the Chain of Command.

For instance during construction, under a standard construction contract, there are standard forms of communication that are
issued by the Contract Administrator to formalise an instruction to the Main Contractor. For instance, under NZIA’s Standard
Construction Contract (SCC), an instruction is issued by the Architect through a document titled an Architects Direction

Architect Main Contractor

(Contract Administrator)

Note, best practice guidelines advises that all instructions issued by the Contract Administrator (whether that is the Principal,
Project Manager, or the Architect should be uniquely identified (i.e. AD-001), managed, and tracked.
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 AUT - ARCH804 Architectural Practice II: Project Delivery
Context Architects

What did the Lines of Communication look like on real projects?

We’ll explore this in these two case studies

Case Stud y 01 - The Bl o ck VIII Fire House Apar t ments Case Study 02 - Luna Apar tme nts Re mediation

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CASE STUDY 02 AUT - ARCH804 Architectural Practice II: Project Delivery
Context Architects
Luna Apartments Remediation

The Team:
The people involved included:
- Client (Body Corporate Committee)
- Main Contractor
- Sub Contractors
- Client’s Representative
- Project Manager #1
- Project Manager #2
- Architect
- Fire Engineer
- Building Surveyor
- CSI
- Land Surveyor
- Passive Fire Engineer
- Emergency Lighting Engineer
- Truss Designer
- Structural Engineer #1
- Structural Engineer #2
- Facade Engineer
- Mechanical/Hydraulics Engineer
- Curtainwall Supplier #1
- Curtainwall Supplier #2
- Quantity Surveyor #1
- Quantity Surveyor #2

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 CASE STUDY 02 AUT - ARCH804 Architectural Practice II: Project Delivery
Context Architects
Luna Apartments Remediation

Communication Strategy - Body Corporates

For a small residential project a client is just one individual, or a husband and wife, but on larger projects you will encounter more
complex arrangements of a client structure.

On Luna Apartments, the client was the Body Corporate for an apartment complex of 124 apartments (roughly around 115 individual
owners). Within that Body Corporate, they elected a small number to represent them within a Body Corporate Committee (7
individuals). From within that Committee they elected a single individual to be the Body Corporate Committee Chairperson.

Body Corporate
Body Corporate
Committee
Body Corporate
Committee
Chairperson

Project Manager #1/

1 Individual
Architect
115 Individuals 7 Individuals

The Body Corporate Committee Chairperson, was the formal chain of command
from the Body Corporate to the Project Manager and Architect.

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CASE STUDY 02 AUT - ARCH804 Architectural Practice II: Project Delivery
Context Architects
Luna Apartments Remediation

Change in Project Team Structure

Following the termination of the Project Manager #1, the Client / Project Manager Team structure that was
previously in place evaporated entirely. In it’s place, new individuals were placed in positions of responsibility
which effectively altered the decision making process of the project.

For instance, the Body Corporate Committee Chairperson offloaded their duties on the Remediation project to a
Sub-committee (3 individuals) of the Body Corporate Committee. They then decided to employ an independent
Client Representative manage the client’s duties towards the Remediation Project.

Body Corporate
Committee

Body Corporate
Sub-Committee

Client Project Manager #2/

3 Individuals Representative Architect

7 Individuals

The Client Representative that was employed was highly qualified in Project
Management and heavily experienced in navigating through the Remediation process.
Since the duties and responsibilities of being a client for a project of this scale is
immense, employing someone more experienced and with more time made sense.

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CASE STUDY 02 AUT - ARCH804 Architectural Practice II: Project Delivery
Context Architects
Luna Apartments Remediation

Chain of Command during Construction

It’s important to be aware that the chain of command and lines of communication undergo change during Construction
due to the addition of the Main Contractor. Prior to construction starting on site, it’s beneficial for all teams involved to
be aware of the lines of communication, and chains of command in a Pre-start Construction Meeting.

Body Corporate
Sub-Committee Client Rep
Contract Administrator

Lead Consultant Main Contractor

Design Consultant Curtain Wall Sub

QS

Design Consultant Sub Contractor

Design Consultant Sub Contractor

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 CASE STUDY 02 AUT - ARCH804 Architectural Practice II: Project Delivery
Context Architects
Luna Apartments Remediation

Site Clarifications during Construction

It’s not uncommon for site clarifications to be made on site as construction progresses. For instance where a
clarification needs to be made, the clarification must be issued as a Formal Direction to all relevant parties.

The example below is from an instruction by the Contract Administrator under an “Engineers Direction” (formal term for
an instruction under the NZS 3910 standard construction contract) clarifying a Contractors RFI.

Engineers Direction 136 [ED-136]- Unique

Identifier to enable the Instruction to be
managed and tracked for progress.

It’s critical that all relevant parties are in

the distribution list - some are included for
Information Only, and others are included as
Main Contractor
Main Contractor they have a Action related to the Contract
Main Contractor
Main Contractor
Administrators Direction.
Main Contractor
Body Corp Chairperson

QS

A site clarification can have an impact on

the total construction cost. Every direction is
categorised into either:
Contract Instruction 136.01 [CI-136.01]- Unique - Variation Price Request (VPR)
Identifier to enable individual instructions within - No Cost Applicable (NCA)
the ED to be tracked for progress. - Cost Applicable Plus (CA+)
- Cost Applicable Negative (CA-)

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CASE STUDY 01 AUT - ARCH804 Architectural Practice II: Project Delivery
Context Architects
The Block VIII Fire House Apartments

The Team:
The people involved included:
- Warner Bros. (Client)
- Supplier Liaison (Client Rep)
- Peter Wolfkamp (Client Rep)
- Devo Construction (Main Contractor)
- Contestants [x5]
- Contestant Builders [x5]
- Contra Deal Suppliers [from Client side]
- Shop Drawing Sub-contractors
- Architect
- Landscape Architect
- Structural Engineer
- Acoustic Engineer
- Traffic Engineer
- Fire Engineer
- Civil Engineer
- Facade Engineer
- Services Engineer
- Quantity Surveyor
- CSI
- CCTV Drain Inspection

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CASE STUDY 01 AUT - ARCH804 Architectural Practice II: Project Delivery
Context Architects
The Block VIII Fire House Apartments

Chain of Command during Construction

As mentioned, for Luna Apartments prior to construction starting on site, all teams involved are made aware of the lines
of communication, and chains of command in a Pre-start Construction Meeting.

This never occurred for The Block project, and furthermore, the chains of command were incredibly messy due to there
being a number of separate contractors involved, no project manager, no QS involved during construction, and a non-
standard construction contract.

TV3 Principal Contestants

(Contract Administrator) Client Rep
(x5)

Builder
Supplier

Lead Consultant Supplier Main Contractor

Liaison Sub Contractor

Design Consultant Supplier Sub Contractor

Sub Contractor

Design Consultant Supplier Sub Contractor

Design Consultant Supplier Sub Contractor

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 CASE STUDY 01 AUT - ARCH804 Architectural Practice II: Project Delivery
Context Architects
The Block VIII Fire House Apartments

Site Clarifications during Construction

During Construction, there are going to be times in which the Main Contractors do not construct the building in accordance with the Construction
Documentation. Typically this gets rectified once the Contract Administrator issues a formal direction under the general conditions of the
Construction Contract.

However for The Block, since the construction contract between the Principal and Main Contractor did not include any standard conditions of
a typical New Zealand Construction Contract, the Main Contractor was able to overlook many Advice Notices that were issued by the Design
Consultants (i.e. Services Engineer, Structural Engineer, Architect), and build it as they saw fit.

This issue got to the point in which separate

consultants had to threaten that they would
withhold being able to award their PS4, of
which is required for the Contractor to get the
Code Compliance Certificate from Council.

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