Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10216/85605
Author(s): Jorge Moreira da Costa
Helena Corvacho
Title: Improving Housing Quality through Client-Focused Information
Issue Date: 2015-11
Abstract: Housing is among the main drivers for the Construction Industry (CI) in most countries, providing the response to a fundamental need of people. This fulfilment usually involves a significant burden to the financial resources of individuals or families, extending for a considerable lapse of time. Nevertheless, the information that the CI provides to its housing customers is far behind what other industries do. The choosing of a home is mostly based on non-specialist direct analysis as any documents that might be available are generally technically-oriented. Several Design Quality Evaluation Methods (DQEM) have been developed and even implemented in some countries (i.e. Qualitel/France, SEL/Switzerland, HQI/UK, MC_FEUP/Portugal) but they have yet to achieve recognition as a suitable tool for Client-as-User decision. Unlike other industries which engage in making their clients more knowledgeable and able to choose wisely among the diverse offers in the market, CI seems unconcerned by this. Thus, a recollection of surveys concerning the impact of the Design stage of a construction project is presented, followed by an overview of some of the more widely known DQEM. This is followed by a discussion and proposal of a more user-friendly approach for the presentation of quality performance levels in housing design and how it might be used as an asset for a change in the way CI is perceived by public opinion, fostering user knowledge and client-induced industry improvement .
Subject: Engenharia civil, Engenharia civil
Civil engineering, Civil engineering
Scientific areas: Ciências da engenharia e tecnologias::Engenharia civil
Engineering and technology::Civil engineering
URI: https://hdl.handle.net/10216/85605
Source: CIB 2015 Joint International Symposium - Going North for Sustainability: Leveraging Knowledge and Innovation for Sustainable Construction and Development
Document Type: Artigo em Livro de Atas de Conferência Internacional
Rights: openAccess
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Appears in Collections:FEUP - Artigo em Livro de Atas de Conferência Internacional

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