Evaluation
The Design Quality Indicator (DQI) session addressed problems at the briefing stage so that they could be remedied in the design process.
“the DQI session left the architects with a good understanding of what we wanted … we are the people who are left with the building in the end – we have the most at stake in ensuring the building is fit for purpose” (systems manager)
“The comments made by clients were surprising and useful – the conversation which was structured around the questions was productive because all parties were talking about the same issues at the same time which opened up issues and ideas that we had not thought about before as a design team”
Architect
Informal and collaborative spaces
Two successful aspects of the International Manufacturing Centre design were identified in the DQI session. The shared common room facilitated informal collaboration and the open ‘conversation stairs’ were conducive to socialisation and maintaining good working relationships.
The design for the International Digital Laboratory integrated these aspects, using:
- a prominent central concourse space
- central tea and coffee making facilities
- multiple informal meeting areas around the building
- an open stairwell in the central core of the lab.
These elements were designed to reflect the main purpose of the International Digital Laboratory to champion cross disciplinary work and cooperation.
Reception
By respecting users as experts in the DQI session, the architect gained an understanding of the specific requirements for certain spaces and re-evaluated their design assumptions.
The receptionist expressed her discontent with the design and functionality of the reception area at the International Manufacturing Centre. The “gold fish bowl” space cut her off from activity in the main building and isolated her from her own team. She also wanted control over entry into the centre.
The architects re-thought the layout for the reception so that the desk is in the central concourse space. The receptionist is now part of the main space, connected to activity going on in the laboratory and has control over the flow of people in and out of the building.
Marketing strategy
The DQI session showed that the new International Digital Laboratory should be part of the marketing strategy for the Warwick Manufacturing Group and the University of Warwick.
Stakeholders felt that the building should “talk the right language” in design terms, create immediate visitor impact and have a professional feel to attract industry and academic institutions.
The session highlighted the need for a dramatic councourse space and demanded a design which questioned traditional academic closed office culture through use of open plan spaces. As the systems manager said “The new building reflects the need to attract industry specialists to an attractive environment where they feel comfortable to work in.”
Flexibility in design
The DQI session showed that the International Digital Laboratory needed to be future proof to accommodate rapidly changing digital technologies. This meant designing a flexible and adaptable space.
The systems manager required suspended flooring for flexibile placement of electrical outlets and IT infrastructure. By placing these under the floor rather than in the walls, equipment could be installed at multiple points rather than being restricted to the edges of the space.
Team work and shared learning
The DQI session clearly showed how individual requirements affected the other stakeholders and allowed the estates office to outline cost and time restraints on some aspirations. A senior teaching fellow said, “the DQI session allowed me to gain a better understanding of the whole building rather than just the parts that concern me”. Shared priorities were agreed so that the architect and client could prioritise them.
Representatives from the estates department usually hand new build projects to facilities management one year after completion. Here they revisited the International Manufacturing Centre six years later and learned a lot from the dialogue with current users. These lessons have since fed into the development of other buildings.
Lessons and moving forward
The design process for the International Digital Laboratory could have been even more successful if DQI had been used beyond the initial briefing session. Further DQI consultations with the same stakeholders could have evaluated the design before it was approved.
There are plans to revisit the International Digital Laboratory through a post occupancy DQI assessment. This will evaluate the success of the building and feed lessons into the development of new projects.
