When building or designing any property it is important to take into account a wide range of factors before beginning the work or getting past the design stage. These factors can range from cost , time to complete , safety , planning permission , local surveys etc.
Costs
One of the biggest factors that is taken into consideration when a property is at the design stage is cost. Depending on the architect fees as well as the location of the property , materials used , size and time taken costing can vary vastly depending on the property.
One of the most recent and significant examples of this has been the design and construction of the famous V and A museum in Dundee. Originally the cost in total for the construction and design of the building was thought to total around £45 million. However by the end of the project the costs had almost doubled to a significant £80 million pounds. This is a classic example of the uncertainty and unpredictability surrounding projects and overall costing on the whole.
Another example of costs spiralling out of control on a significant architectural project was the London garden bridge project. In 2014 planning permission was given to allow for the construction of a bridge across London which would be a bridge covered in plants , flowers and trees.
Unfortunately from almost day 1 of the project being launched it floundered under a range of different issues from funding to support and general mismanagement and lack of ownership over the project and how it was going to be delivered and costed effectively. It was planned that the bridge would have over 270 trees and thousands of plants across it. In the end the project was abandoned and cost the taxpayer tens of millions of pounds. An inquiry into why this occurred was later launched in 2017.
Safety And Risks
Safety and risks that can be posed by a property are two very important factors that are the most important factors to take into consideration before a property is constructed. This is because without proper safety procedures in place a building can be susceptible to damage and people could be injured or worse if property safety procedures or precautions have not been put into place.
One of the most infamous and unfortunate buildings to fall victim to safety hazards in recent memory has been that of grenfell tower. Grenfell tower was a tower block that caught fire due to a faulty tumble dryer and as a result led to the death of over 70 people. The majority of these people died due to the design of the building and the plastic cladding that was attached to it.
The cladding was designed to make the property look better overall but it was made up of extremely flammable material and this caused the fire to spread across the length of the building in just a matter of minutes. Due to the intensity of the blaze it was impossible for the fire service to rescue everyone.
Clearly in this situation the cladding was not properly assessed for safety risk prior to being put on the property and an investigation into the tragedy is ongoing. This clearly highlights the safety risks of not assessing the risks of materials prior to their use in buildings.