course content for elearning

1. Making buildings better
Introduction to Soft Landings
Michelle Agha-Hossein
3 Oct 2018

2. 2Making buildings better
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The course objectives
The objectives of this e-learning course are to explain:
• what Soft Landings is
• what motivated Soft Landings
• how Soft Landings work
• the role of the Soft Landings Champion
• how much Soft Landings costs
• the benefits of Soft Landings
• what Soft Landings publications are available
• what Government Soft Landings is
• the link between Soft Landings and BIM

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What is Soft Landings?
In one (rather lengthy) sentence Soft Landings can
defined as: “a building delivery approach which runs
through the project from inception to completion and
beyond to ensure all decisions made during the project
are based on improving operational performance of the
building and meeting the client’s and the end users’
expectations.”

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What is Soft Landings?
But, what does it ACTUALLY mean?
In other words, Soft Landings is about:
Measuring and evaluating the operational performance
Disseminating lessons learnt

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What did motivate Soft Landings?
• Studies between 1996 and 2001 showed:
• Energy consumption in buildings was often much higher than benchmarks
• Buildings were feature-packed, but not always functional
• Difficult to manage complex controls systems affected buildings’ operational performance
• Further studies between 2006 – 2010 showed:
• Buildings were even more feature-packed, but often not functional
• There were even more difficult to manage complex control systems installed in buildings
• Buildings were often not finished or fully commissioned at handover
• Energy consumption in some cases was over 3 times Part L compliance calculations
• Low Zero Carbon technologies used in buildings were often not working properly
• More studies between 2011 and 2015 showed:
The same issues again!
I want a building
that is thermally
comfortable and is
energy efficient
and provides a
good image to the
visitors and….

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What did motivate Soft Landings?
• Soft Landings came to life to help close the performance gap
• Performance gap exists due to:
– Poor understanding of the client’s and end users’ needs
– Approximations made at the design stage
– Poor quality of construction and cost cutting exercises
– Too much reliance on technology
– Complex control systems
– Poor commissioning
– Poor control and management

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How does Soft Landings work?
Soft Landings approach has 6 Phases and each phase has objectives to be
met. To learn about these objectives, please click on the relevant Phase in
the diagram below.

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Phase 1:
Inception and
briefing
Phase 2: Design
Phase 3:
Construction
Phase 4: Pre-
handover
Phase 5: Initial
aftercare
Phase 6:
Extended
aftercare & POE
Feedback
Soft Landings Framework suggests certain activities to be carried out in each Phase to
ensure the objectives of the Phase are met. Some of these activities are listed below.
Clarify the desired operational outcomes
in the client’s requirements and set the
success criteria for the project
Review past
experience, agree
performance metrics,
regularly reality-check
Prepare for occupation,
train FM staff, demonstrate
control systems
Support occupants in
first few weeks of
occupation
Monitor, review, fine-
tune, and perform
periodic feedback studies
Provide visualisations of the
key space, plan for and
conduct project tours, arrange
key supply chain events
How does Soft Landings work?

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How does Soft Landings work?
Soft Landings is not tied to any specific plan of work. However, the
Phases can be mapped against RIBA Stages to indicate how each
group of activities roughly relates to RIBA stages.

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How does Soft Landings work?
• A big change in the way project teams should think and interact
• The project team does not disband at PC
• Success judged on operational outcomes
• The project team takes custody of building performance
Soft Landings - an evolutionR

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Soft Landings Champion
• One Soft Landings Champion should be nominated by the client from the
client’s side to protect the client’s needs and expectations throughout the
project
• One main Lead should be identified from the building delivery side
• Each project delivery team should ideally identify a Soft Landings lead to
support the main Lead in coordinating activities.
• The Soft Landings Champion is a person with a wide range
of skills and with authority to make things happen, or stop
them happening
• The champion and the Lead should be fully knowledgeable
about the project’s success criteria and the client’s
expectations

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Soft Landings cost
How much Soft Landings costs? In short, the answer is: it depends! Soft
Landings Framework has been designed to run alongside any procurement
process without duplicating existing good practice, so it depends how good
the client’s project process already is, and how much it already focusses on
quality and operational outcomes.
In general:
• The initial aftercare and extended aftercare elements of Soft Landings are
additions to standard forms of procurement, and as such will require additional
funding.
• Depending on the size and complexity of a project, £12,000 – £60,000 is a
reasonable range to fund a three-year period of professional aftercare, weighted
to the initial period of occupation.
• These costs are modest in relation to the value added to the client's building, in
comparison to the cost of potential re-work, the potential cost of high fuel bills,
and the potential cost unhappy and unproductive occupants.

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• You will get what you order: Clear project success criteria set
out at the project outset and a continuous focus on outcomes
throughout the project ensure that the client and the end users
will have a building which performs as intended.
• Increased collaboration: The collaborative culture that Soft
Landings promotes, helps every project team member feel
responsible for delivering a successful project.
• Less re-work: Soft Landings reduces defects and system re-work
and therefore saves money and frustrations.
• Enhanced building performance: Soft Landings ensures that
building managers/operators get sufficient trainings on how to
operate their building effectively. This can enhance the
operational performance of the building and provide a more
comfortable and healthier indoor environment for the end
users.
Benefits of Soft Landings

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• You will get what you order: Clear project success criteria set out at
the project outset and regular reality-checking ensure that the design
and its execution continuous to match the client and the end users'
needs and expectations.
• Increased collaboration: The collaborative culture that Soft Landings
promotes, helps every project team member feel responsible for
delivering a successful project.
Benefits of Soft Landings

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• Less re-work: Soft Landings requires better communication during
briefing, design and construction and this means less re-work and
snagging revisits for the design and building team.
• More competent building operators: Soft Landings ensures that
building managers/operators get sufficient trainings on how to operate
their building effectively.
Benefits of Soft Landings

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• Enhanced building operational performance: The aftercare team will
be present on site for a few weeks after occupancy to address
emerging issues when necessary. Soft Landings allows for post
occupancy evaluation (POE), which monitors the project outcomes for
up to three years post completion against performance targets and
success criteria. During the POE period, the aftercare team should carry
out fine-tuning where needed to address the issues highlighted by POE.
• No performance gap: Soft Landings ensures lessons learnt are captured
throughout the project and during the POE period and disseminated to
improve future buildings.
Benefits of Soft Landings

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• BG54 2018 - Soft Landings Framework 2018: this newly updated guide
introduces a six-Phase approach to help the project team focus more
on the project’s success criteria throughout the project, to smooth the
transition into use and to address issues that POE has shown to be
common. The original Framework was published in 2009.
• BG74/2018 - Success Criteria for Soft Landings projects: this is a new
simple guide to help clients and clients’ advisors define the desired
operational outcomes for their new or refurbished projects.
Soft Landings publications

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• BG38/2014 - Soft Landings Core Principles: the guide introduces the
twelve Core Principles that define Soft Landings. The package of
principles should be adopted in their entirety in order for a
construction project to be deemed a true Soft Landings project.
• BG45/2014 - How to procure Soft Landings: this guide has been
written mainly to help public and private sector clients and main
contractors procure Soft Landings services from their construction
supply chains.
Soft Landings publications

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• BG 27/2011 - Pitstopping - BSRIA's Reality Checking Process for Soft
Landings: this guide describes a process that allows construction teams
to periodically reconsider critical design issues by focusing on the
perspective of the end user.
• BG 61/2015 - Soft Landings and Government Soft Landings: this guide
compares the attributes of BSRIA’s Soft Landings framework and GSL
and reviews both methodologies.
Soft Landings publications

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During 2011/12, the Government Property Unit, working with a Task
Group of industry specialists and in alignment with the BIM Task Group,
adopted some elements of BSRIA Soft Landings and developed
Government Soft Landings (GSL).
The GSL Implementation Guide provides structure and guidance on how to
embed and deliver GSL into central government. The policy is aligned with
the principles and work stages recommended by the BIM Task Group
digital Plan of Work and industry plans of works, e.g., RIBA, CIC, BSRIA etc.
GSL became mandatory for projects procured through central government
departments from 2016.
Government Soft Landings (GSL)

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Similarities:
• Better collaboration between the procurement team and the client
• Project outcomes should be reviewed and agreed at the briefing
• Use the lessons learnt from the previous projects
• Particular attention to be given to the pre-handover and initial
aftercare stages
• Extended POE period
Soft Landings vs. GSL
Differences:
• For GSL, there are certain categories, such as functionality,
environmental performance and economic, within which at least
one target should be set. BSRIA Soft Landings is more flexible
and let the client to set any target based on their needs and
expectations.
• BSRIA Soft Landings does not require BIM to be adopted for a
Soft Landings project, but clearly BIM can bring benefit to all
projects.

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Thank you
Michelle Agha-Hossein
Soft Landings Operational Lead
Michelleah@bsria.co.uk