Author(s)

R. Oberle, T. Pohlman & K. Roper

Abstract

In these times of global change many facility emphases are competing for limited resources. Competing factors include, but are not limited to, sustainable design or green buildings; security, hardening, or force protection; accessibility; historic preservation; aesthetics; and functionality. Yet, unlimited resources are seldom if ever available to fulfil all these competing requirements in private or public construction. The Georgia Institute of Technology designed a decision matrix to allow owners and planners to balance these competing requirements on a project-by-project basis and to document the rationale. Keywords: model, sustainability, security, facility hardening, green design, environmentally friendly design, limited resources, balancing priorities, competing factors. 1 Introduction In these times of global change many facility emphases are competing for limited resources. With antiterrorism we have federal mandates and employee demands for safer and more secure workplaces. These same employees, backed by federal and state environmental guidelines, are demanding \“greener,” more environmentally friendly and sustainable facilities. Other examples of competing factors are aesthetics, handicap accessibility, and in some cases, historical preservation. Yet, unlimited resources to fulfil all the needs and wishes are seldom if ever available in private or public construction. Although it is currently popular to profess a bias to life cycle costs, first costs are still the main factor for appropriations in public construction and the driving decision for most private construction projects. Making the right balancing decisions is primary, but documenting these decisions and the rationale behind them are

Keywords

model, sustainability, security, facility hardening, green design, environmentally friendly design, limited resources, balancing priorities, competing factors.