Shaping the world
tHERE are obvious things that buildings do – they provide us with shelter from the external environment, comfort and safety. They also give us an identity and a place where we can secure our personal belongings. They offer us sanctuary from the outside world and protect us from the worst of the elements.
They also define us in more ways than we might at first think. Even something as fundamental as our view of self, our very identity, is determined by our home, our place, our city, our region.
If you don’t believe this, then visualise some of the iconic images that we have adopted to define our world cities. Sydney Harbour and The Sydney Opera House, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, The Petronas Twin Towers.
Now take away the iconic buildings and look at what you are left with. A typical harbour entrance, a nondescript city on a river and an unrecognisable city-scape.
So what does this mean? Probably lots of things but one of the most important is that, whether we like it or not, we define ourselves by our place in the world and by the buildings that surround us.
The very act of removing them from the landscape should start to make us realise that their shape, their form, their location and their very existence is down to us.
We decide where they will be located, what they will look like and what function they will perform. Every element of their design, build and operation is the outcome of human activity.
As owners and users of buildings, we all share an interest in them but the real stars of the show are those who commission, design and build them.
Most people will be familiar with the role of an architect, but not many will be familiar with the other professional roles that support and enable the architect in the first place.
For example, before any building work can happen, someone has to identify the need and spot the potential for a particular building or development.
It might be a shopping mall, a speculative office development, or bringing new life to a redundant warehouse.
So, it is often the real estate agent or property developer who will start the ball rolling. They will need to understand the potential of what is possible through planning regulation and building control and have some appreciation of the financial viability of any proposal.
In other words, will the scheme work and does it stack up financially?
One of the first questions that they will need to answer is how much it will cost.
Where building costs are concerned, it is the quantity surveyor who is able to provide the answers.
We might not own the land, so this will need valuing. We might not have sufficient funds to finance the scheme and will have to look to others for financial support to fund the proposed development. One person can’t handle all these.
So, the architect is commissioned by a client who is acting on the advice of a property developer or real estate agent, who in turn has to seek the advice of a quantity surveyor to get an idea of the likely construction costs.
All these people have to work together as a team in order for the project to progress.
Just as important as commercial development (shopping malls, office blocks and residential property) are the public buildings that provide us with medical centres, hospitals, educational buildings and sports/leisure facilities.
Even though these are sometimes not for profit organisations, they will still need to meet financial viability criteria before they can be commissioned. Once again, they need the work of surveyors, both property developers (real estate agents) and quantity surveyors. These are important roles that require expertise, team work and technical competence.
Anyone wanting to employ the services of a surveyor will need to be confident in the capability and professionalism of their professional advisors.
So, it should come as no surprise that there are specialist courses offered by colleges and universities that will allow students to qualify as surveyors.
Some of these courses are accredited by organisations that regulate the standards of a particular profession.
In Malaysia, this would include the Board of Quantity Surveyors Malaysia (BQSM) and the Board of Valuers, Appraisers and Estate Agents (BOVAEA).
In the United Kingdom, the leading body representing surveyors is the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
Students studying courses that are accredited by the RICS are, upon graduation and after a period of professional training and a final assessment, able to practise as members of the RICS and use the designated title Chartered Surveyor.
An undergraduate surveying award, like those offered by University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom, is more than just a degree, it is also a stepping stone towards a professional qualification.
Any client wishing to carry out property development will need to seek professional advice and it is likely they will appoint an individual with a recognised qualification.
Most students entering Higher Education Surveying courses study A-Levels or other pre-university qualifications. Subjects such as business studies, geography, economics, law and construction will help but they are only part of the picture.
Just as important as the subjects, knowledge is the ability to work as part of a team and to be creative in terms of problem solving.
Across the globe, property and infrastructure projects account for 10% of GDP. In the next 20 years, all nations will need to recognise and respond to the impact that human activity has on our environment.
It is important we pay attention to environmental imperatives, but it is the next generation of real estate agents, property developers and quantity surveyors who will be tasked to deliver.
This article is contributed by School of Civil Engineering & Surveying, University of Portsmouth, UK associate head Andrew Packer.
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