A renovation wave based on quality education and vocational training.

Introducing Project Management in Facilities Management

LUCA CARUSO MPhil Candidate, Well Ap, EDGE Expert

The challenges set up by the Long-Term Renovation Strategy require a new mindset for professionals of Architecture, Engineering and Construction Sector (AEC). Overcoming a silo mentality, seeking a life-long learning approach, and a multi-disciplinary knowledge is now recognised as an opportunity of competitive advantage rather than a mere obligation. In the current knowledge economy, information is the currency of wealth.

This is especially valid for the AEC stakeholders working in an industry lacking in innovation as well as productivity worldwide.

Indeed, the new European Bauhaus is calling for a cultural rather than a mere technical-ecological transition in the field of built environment with challenging goals that should be also equitable and socially just.

Building is an act of culture. This statement stems from the rationale of Baukultur, a uniquely coined German word, meaning the ‘culture of building’, defined as ‘the coordinated system of knowledge, rules, procedures, and habits that surrounds the building process in a given place and time. This word implies that good planning and building activities combine high design and construction standards with a holistic view of social, economic and environmental aspects and it has an emotional and aesthetic dimension. In a recent paper I submitted to the Kaunas Technical College conference I have emphasized that savings of up to 30% can be achieved in the cost of construction where integrated teams promote continuous improvement over a series of construction projects, as estimated by the United Kingdom’s Office of Government Commerce.

All the institutions are also supporting this transition: from the religious field with Pope Francis encyclical letter “Laudato Si: On the care of our common home” to the financial sector, where BlackRock’s CEO Larry Fink claimed that 100% of their active and advisory portfolios are now Environmental, Social and Governance Factors (ESG-integrated).

For this reason, an overhaul educational and training programme for AEC professionals and students is necessary.

How can this become actionable even locally?

I believe that in today’s already deviant professional practices this must start from the establishment of mandatory Continuous Professional Development courses, especially for veterans. These activities should not be always arranged in a traditional (sometimes boring) way but in my opinion, we could conceive them in more engaging ways. For example, we can get inspired by the topic of gamification (meaning adding rewards when completing the course); blended learning methodologies (included distance learning), and Project Based Learning (learning by doing) as innovative and interesting educational approaches.