By Jill Woller, CVS-Life, FSAVE, and Travis Godsoe, AVS
As we contemplate a New Year, it is valuable to remember there are important lessons from the past that inform the present. One of the fundamentals that has served us well is the tenet to define value broadly, and not neglect types of value that are very important on particular projects. Don Parker collected and presented many of these core principles for the Miles Value Foundation’s seminal work Value Engineering Theory (originally published in 1977.)
This book is an excellent reference volume for introducing VE Concepts. For instance, Part 2 focuses on “Aesthetics and Worth.” Our industry must not ignore this issue, especially on projects where it is part of the mission to be accomplished, such as on signature bridges, or on civic institutions that desire to establish their presence as a positive contributor to the attractiveness of the environment around it. Aesthetics can be a reason to handle even basic materials (such as brick) in a pleasing manner, for little cost, but still have a positive impact.
On these types of projects, neglecting aesthetics makes our recommendations less comprehensive and less credible. Paying attention to aesthetics increases the likelihood that the designers will treat the recommendations more seriously, hence making the likelihood of acceptance higher. Clients care about aesthetic functions, and want the ultimate project to reflect well on them. The VE Team needs the same perspective in order to be successful where this is part of the project’s intent.
This month, we visit one of our community’s present successes in an article on the new Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility in Langley, VA. Having VM used as a planning tool for this important facility demonstrates the versatility of the methodology as a means to bring numerous stakeholders together to crystallize the scope at an early, formative stage.
By studying the lessons of the past to inform the present, we build a better future. We know there are challenges ahead, but we also have confidence that our industry can contribute toward needed solutions across the board.
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