Soft Landings based Design Management as a tool to enhance Sustainability: A case study of non-residential buildings in the UK

This thesis charts the rise of sustainable buildings and traces the evolution of design management from a process used in design to its current position in the construction industry in the UK. The established fact that design plays a vital role in achieving sustainability in building presents itself from different perspectives. For projects to achieve their sustainability targets, the industry must understand the issues surrounding sustainability. The industry can look to Soft Landings to be the next step in the evolution of design management. With the industry having to deal with ever stringent targets from policymakers, and the uncertainty surrounding the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, how can Soft Landings be positioned to be effective in closing the performance gap in non-residential buildings? 'Intellectual inquisitiveness' should lead us to ask how we can get the best out of the current processes.

The thesis looks at the working processes of Soft Landings projects at the design stage to discover how the interactions between the design team and other team members can foster collaborative working. It also aims to develop a framework for quality communication and information flow. Using case studies and interviews with the professionals involved in the projects, the research uncovers important elements for achieving sustainability. The research discovered that although the projects adopted Soft Landings, there was still an atmosphere of holding back information that may be important to the project because of future competition. There was also a lag in the flow of information during the distinct stages of the project which had a negative effect on some of the projects.

The research concludes that although the framework for Soft Landings is comprehensive and can enhance energy efficiency in buildings, it does not adequately address communication between teams, especially during the design process. The implications of this research for design teams is the use of communication and information flow frameworks specific to Soft Landings to assist them in communication with other teams. The contribution of this research is adding to the body of work for academic research into Soft Landings. It has shed light on the practical adoption and the challenges of the process.