The Efficiency of Cost Management of Design Process for University Buildings to Achieve Sustainable Performance

Optimum cost, performance and quality are the main drivers in building construction. Methods that have been developed so far have not comprehensively addressed building sustainability outcomes. However, there has been increased awareness of the importance of value engineering (VE) and sustainable development within the construction industry. Both subjects play crucial roles in realizing quality, reliability and durability as well as enhancing performance throughout the life cycle of a project. They also help to improve service related outcomes within budget constraints, achieve a more efficient use of resources, and accomplish an optimum combination of whole-life cost and quality to satisfy the owner and user requirements. This research reviews the requirements for designing a sustainable building and describes the Value Engineering program, including the different phases of the job plan. Then it explores conceptual linkage between the two that relate to achieving best value over the whole life cycle of a project. Finally, this research proposes a method for improving the building sustainability. The proposed method utilizes the job plan of the Value Engineering program together with a database that contains up-to-date information on construction systems and materials as a gear for studying and analyzing the sustainability requirements.