22 September 2010
Yorkon publishes technical paper on improving the whole life value of a building design
Off-site specialist and Portakabin subsidiary, Yorkon, has announced the publication of a new technical paper – ‘A Guide to Improving the Whole Life Value of a Building’.
This latest industry report takes an in-depth look at whole life value tools and provides specifiers, contractors and construction clients with a comprehensive understanding of the benefits of life cycle analysis and how it can contribute to achieving best value and sustainable development.
According to a National Audit Office report, Improving Public Services through Better Construction, there is a distinct lack of clarity as to what best value and whole life costing are, a lack of robust data available on running costs, and lack of tangible benefits to be gained from considering best value and whole life costing.
Commenting on the issue, David Johnson, Director and General Manager of Yorkon said, “Whole life costing is now a requirement on many projects. It is therefore critical that clients, contractors and building designers have a clear understanding of the terminology, their definitions, importance and impact on sustainable development.”
“The evaluation process should highlight the best commercial, social and environmental solution for a given function over the life of a building. This will help reduce wasteful processes and inefficiencies in specific aspects of a building’s design, construction, maintenance, and refurbishment.”
The new Yorkon technical paper provides a clear series of definitions for the project evaluation methodologies that are now in common use and examines the key aspects of achieving best value practice and sustainable design, including performance indicators for demonstrating economic, social and environmental value.
The report also includes an assessment of how off-site construction can deliver whole life value benefits, and a checklist for assessing the whole life value of a specific building design.
To download a copy of the new technical paper, visit www.yorkon.info/industryreports.
Editor’s Notes
Yorkon has pioneered innovative off-site building solutions over the past three decades, in some of the most challenging situations and in sectors as diverse as supermarkets, offices, hospitals, airports, laboratories and schools. Its steel-framed modular system can help deliver attractive, flexible and award-winning buildings up to 50 per cent faster, on time and on budget, and with greatly reduced disruption. It is a more sustainable approach to construction, which offers enhanced thermal efficiency and can reduce material waste by up to 90 per cent.
