Staying in groove

3 tips for successfully executing architectural design mock-ups

By Bill Slowik

Building a mock-up is a crucial step in the life cycle of a construction project that helps guide work, preserve resources and save time.

Whether putting together a quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) or aesthetic review mock-up, the tool grants architects opportunities to verify the integrity and efficacy of a conceptual design. Mock-ups are a key component of the quality management process, offering design teams the opportunity to install scaled-down or sample representations of a structure in a controlled environment that reflects site conditions.

The importance of a mock-up must not be overlooked, and its execution should receive special attention and consideration. To maximize the benefits, architects must have a clear vision and understanding of their objectives, as well as a well-defined project management plan.

What type of mock-up should you use?

If a team determines their project will benefit from building a mock-up, they must decide early on which tool is most appropriate for the job, since different types of mock-ups serve different purposes.

QA/QC

A QA/QC mock-up is used to verify the actual conditions and connections on a building, as well as the efficacy of different design details. These mock-ups are key to quality management as they provide a well-defined and measurable standard. Ideally, every project would use a QA/QC mock-up.

Building a QA/QC mock-up is particularly useful when a project has unique or challenging details, uses materials or connections in an unconventional way or if the available contractor is unfamiliar with the types of construction materials being installed. If a project uses conventional and well-understood construction techniques with commonly understood and defined measurable standards, a QA/QC mock-up may not be required.

It is vital to remember that a QA/QC mock-up does not replace the architect’s responsibilities during construction. They must remain diligent about observations and field reports. If a QA/QC is not employed, observation of the first work-in-place should be thorough and well-documented.

Aesthetic review

An aesthetic review mock-up typically is used for reviewing and approving material selections. They help the design team to understand how certain aspects—such as finishes and paints—will interact with natural daylight, weather and other constructed details. Aesthetic review mock-ups also allow for the review and approval of the total range of aesthetic effect, something that cannot be determined with individual material sample submittals.

3 keys to successful architectural design mock-ups

1. Determining scope early and getting buy-in

From the beginning of the project, the whole design and construction team should understand why they are building a particular mock-up and where it will fit within the project schedule.

As mentioned earlier, defining a clear purpose will help ensure the right tool is being used for the job and will help mitigate unnecessary schedule delays and costs.

For a QA/QC mock-up, determine what conditions need to be represented early in the planning process and communicate expectations clearly to the selected contractor and subcontractor. It will not be possible to represent every condition of the building, but identifying and working towards key priorities from the beginning will improve the overall quality and end result.

Establish a budget and clearly show the scope, even if it is just a preliminary drawing. Doing this will help your team understand the scale and scope before the mock-up is built. It should never be a surprise.

2. Attending mock-up installations

A mock-up is built to help visualize and verify a concept before it is fully installed at a site. It is a working tool and as such it’s imperative your team is present while the mock-up is being installed.

By attending a QA/QC mock-up installation, design teams can ingrain quality expectations and identify potential issues, including installation sequence issues, tolerance stacking and real-world “clash detection.”

The hands-on process can also be used to review materials as they are being arranged, including paint colors and finishes. Therefore, treat the mock-up installation as you would the actual installation: Conduct a pre-construction meeting and ensure all relevant stakeholders across disciplines are present. Ideally, you should work with the actual project subcontractors to install the mock-up. This grants both parties the opportunity to ask questions and work through the details, ultimately boosting productivity during construction.

Documentation is critical to risk management, establishing expectations and intent, and holding all parties accountable throughout a construction project. So, document everything you see, take as many pictures and notes as possible, and make it a priority to distribute them to the entire team at the end of the day.

While documentation is key in all phases, it is especially important during the construction of a QA/QC mock-up as the team is establishing the baseline that the entire building will be measured against.

3. Managing the mock-up as its own sub-project

The mock-up should not become an afterthought but rather be managed as its own sub-project with a critical path, submittal schedule and material lead times.

Since a mock-up may be used to give final material approvals, it is necessary to understand how those approvals fit into the overall project and submittal schedule, particularly in an aesthetic review mock-up.

Treating a mock-up as a sub-project will help avoid approval delays and budget spikes from material price escalations, as well as manage long lead times.

American architect Frank Lloyd Wright famously said, “You can use an eraser on the drafting table or a sledgehammer on the construction site.” Mock-ups serve as a critical step in between the eraser and the sledgehammer and are a highly effective strategy for quality management when performed correctly. They enable architects to evaluate and tweak their designs on a smaller scale to avoid potentially costly issues or changes when construction begins in earnest.

Thoughtful execution is the primary key to success for maximizing the benefits of building a mock-up. Architects need only allocate the appropriate time and attention to ensuring their mock-up succeeds—from there, they can watch their projects thrive to completion. CCR