An analysis of construction project management and its
relevance in the interior design academia and industry
was done through semi structured interviews of the
design fraternity in UAE. The interviews focused on
understanding the term construction project management
from the perspective of an interior designer. The design
fraternity encompassing the design professionals from
the various interior design consultancies, academics and
the students of interior design from various universities
in UAE had varied perceptions on the term construction
project management. A design professional with an
architectural background stated that “construction project
management was controlling, monitoring and carrying
the project forward to complete the same successfully
within the time and budget within the specified quality”.
A similar perception was reflected by a design
professional with construction project management
background who stated; “Systematic approach that aligns
the cost, time and quality of a project, keeping the vision
and mission of the organization fulfilling the set goal and
attaining its objective in the competitive interior design
business environment”. An academic who specialized in
the micro level aspects of design, in this case product
design reflected that “in construction project
management, the process is of preplanning time, cost,
construction stages and executing the project. This
execution involves problem solving, production and
people management”. She pointed out the fact that
construction project management was now becoming an
integral part of the design process in the form of design
management and project management.
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The design students’ fraternity put their theoretical
background to good use. An interior designer from a
foreign university based in UAE, who is presently
pursuing his graduation studies in construction project
management from another foreign university based in
UAE, stated that “construction project management is an
approach to analyze the project in respect to time, cost
and quality according to the current environment”. A
similar view was reflected by another Interior designer
doing her graduate studies in interior design from a
foreign university based in UAE “construction project
management deals with integrating all the aspects of
construction, so as to produce a well defined team work
where there is an effective use of resources and time”. On
probing on the issue of the relevance of construction
project management in the interior design profession,
both had a feeling that the academic world was, still very
far from catering to the specific needs relevant for
interior designers with reference to construction project
management.
When the design academic and professional fraternity
was asked about the importance of construction project
management on an interior design project, the overall
response was that construction project management was
the critical component and needed to be given a lot of
emphasis. The students’ fraternity felt that construction
project management was a major contributor to the
interior design project and provided significant benefits
or added value and in some cases was critical to the
successful completion of the project.
When asked about the fact that was employment
opportunities available for construction project
management professionals with an interior background in
UAE and the Middle East, the majority of the design
academic and professional fraternity felt that
opportunities were there and there was a dearth of such
professionals in the industry today. The design students’
community though, had a completely different viewpoint.
They felt that the requirement for interior design
professionals with a construction project management
background was somehow not reflected as a ground
reality in the form of employment opportunities in
newspapers, web sites and recruitment firms.
When asked about importance of construction project
management in the prescribed interior design curriculum
and whether it should be offered as a specialization, the
overwhelming response of the design academic and
professional fraternity was that this move was critical so
that the interior design programs offered by various
universities would then reflect the ground realities posed
in front of them by the construction industry. The design
students’ community though, took a tamed approach
reflecting on the fact that construction project
management should be introduced as elective
components in the interior design curriculums.
A focus group discussion was conducted where
professionals and academicians from the design fraternity
provided valuable input on interior design as a profession
and the impact of construction project management on
the industry. On the question of “whether in the design
industry catering to the complex and diverse built
environment developing in UAE and the Middle East
region, has interior design as a profession gained
prominence or is it still a subset to architecture”. The
academic viewpoint from an architect with a product
design background and teaching interior design was that
interior designers as professionals were still being
dominated by the architectural fraternity and they were
seen as a second rung profession by the design
consultancies in this region unlike the west.
A design
professional with a construction project management
background and practicing interior design agreed with
her viewpoint stating that “in interior design, basically
what is happening is when the shell is ready and the
common areas are done, then the role of the interior
design comes in place whether it is a commercial project
like malls or showrooms where there is a holistic picture
created by the architect and the interior designers work
out the details based on either the retail or the
merchandise or the specific requirements of the client. So
though interior design has been taken up as a separate
role, there is a general belief that the architect has still
got an upper hand”. A senior design academic and
practicing interior designer felt that renowned architects
and major architectural firms had the tendency to do the
interiors of their projects in their own signature style, but
when it came to mid level and small commercial,
institutional and residential projects, the role of the
interior designer gained prominence even in this regional
scenario.
An interior designer from a foreign university based in
UAE, who is presently pursuing his graduation studies in
construction project management, reflected on the fact
that an architect is in a position to play the dual role of
designing and procuring permissions from the authorities
in this region which the interior designer lacks. The
fraternity evolved a consensus to the fact that unlike the
west where interior designers have to give examinations
and procure a license to practice as professionals and
consultancies, the same was not applicable for this
region.
The role of a construction project manager in the design
– build – execute approach which is widespread in the
western world was discussed and whether this approach
was gaining prominence in UAE and the Middle East
region was put forward. The architect cum construction
project manager stated that it all depended on the
projects. For large developer projects, he felt that the
design – build – execute approach was being taken up by
the design and consultancy team, the construction and
contracting company, all of whom were a part of the
developer. Here he added that the project manager is
appointed by the client and in certain cases, by both the
design consultancy and the client for large projects. For
the middle range and smaller projects, he felt that the
architectural consultancy plays the dual role of design
execution and project management with the consultancy
having a project manager in their team.
The senior design
academic and practicing interior designer pointed out that
for large scale projects, project managers were appointed
from the clients’ team and the design team. She also
added the role of value engineering which has gained
prominence in such projects as she felt it led to a
substantial saving in interactive time.
The product designer cum academic pointed out an array
of specializations within the said project were being
taken care by the project manager. In a large project,
having an array of project management specialists was
feasible, but in smaller projects, she felt that this
responsibility was still on the shoulder of the architect
and interior designer. Thus she felt that it was very
pertinent for the architect and interior designer to
understand the project management cycle within the said
project, in turn pointing to the training that was needed to
be given in the said academic programs.
The experts had a common opinion when asked about the
construction project manager’s role in the interior design
consultancies that are working on complex and diverse
interior design projects in UAE. Here the nature of the
projects was discussed in detail, which included large
commercial malls, high rise typologies and mixed
typologies, where the overall building management had
to be given prominence.
The project manager cum
designer stated the various layers within the built
typology with project managers assigned for each which
included the building shell, the interiors, the mechanical
– electrical – plumbing and other specific components.
Here he felt the overall management by the project
management team was crucial and in turn reflected on the
importance of a project manager being a part of a design
consultancy. The product designer cum academic pointed
out that the advancement of the construction industry and
the import of technology and materials in this part of the
world had given a new role for the construction project
manager, in understanding and the implementation of
these new processes and helping the design consultancies
apply the same in the complex projects that are coming
up in this region.
The design fraternity, both academic and the industry
were asked about the various universities catering to
interior design programs in UAE and the Middle East
region, and whether there was a requirement for the
introduction of construction project management
components to be incorporated in the various
curriculums.
The interesting reflection by the fraternity
was the absence of a forum where universities could
come together and reflect upon in this very direction, the
interior design profession was taking in this part of the
world. It was reflected that project management had to
become an integral part of the design process so that the
interior design students would get the entrepreneurial
edge which was a necessity for a successful designer of
the future. It was also expressed by the design fraternity
that construction project management had to be included
as a compulsory component of the interior design
curriculum.
The focus group also reflected that professional
organizations such as Association of Professional Interior
Designers (APID), UAE had an important role to play in
bringing this awareness in front of the design fraternity
and the various building and licensing bodies, in UAE
and the Middle East region.
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