DQI Case Study: DQI and Design + Construction Excellence 121ST Precinct 970 Sanders Street, Staten Island Rafael Viñoly Architects PC One of the first projects in the DQI program is the new DQI is one of the strategies in the City’s Design + 49,000 square foot facility for the 121ST police precinct on Construction Excellence program (D+CE). In 2004 Mayor Staten Island. The precinct will house a detective squad, Michael R. Bloomberg established the D+CE program an anti-crime unit, a community policing unit, and 300 staff as a Citywide initiative to improve the built environment. members who will work at the facility in rotating shifts. This wide set of strategies encompasses an array The project is expected to break ground in February 2009, of innovative procurement, design, construction, and and has been through steps one and two of the DQI educational programs to create outstanding public process. The group of stakeholders on the project includes works. In order for D+CE to achieve its goals, it must a patrolman, a lieutenant, a sergeant, and architects from incorporate design evaluation strategies, such as DQI, DESIGN QUALITY INDICATOR DDC and the consultant. A landscape architect and the to maintain constant focus on improving design quality. commanding officer for capital construction for the NYPD have also been included. The 121ST police precinct will be The program has begun to successfully develop the first NYPD facility designed under Local Law 86, and and implement new policy and procedure strategies, Measuring Design Quality is seeking a LEED Silver rating from the United States including revamping the RFP process for design Green Building Council. and construction services, redefining and improving quality contracting, expanding the use of professional peers, instituting a new pre-qualification program DQI Horizontal Diagram 121ST Precinct for construction contractors, and focusing on evaluation This chart illustrates the stakeholders’ collective scores as programs such as the Design Quality Indicator established by the FAVE process for the project’s most important program. D+CE also includes continuing education considerations. The follow-up assessment score (in gray) for all DDC and client agency employees. demonstrates how effectively the project’s goals are being met. urban & social integration THE GOAL OF D+CE IS TO CREATE OUTSTANDING PUBLIC BUILDINGS THAT ARE DESIGNED TO FUNCTION internal environment SAFELY, EFFICIENTLY AND PRODUCTIVELY FOR form & materials ALL USERS FOR DECADES TO COME. character & innovation construction engineering performance For more information on DQI, please contact The Design Quality Indicator program is part of the City space Faith Rose at [email protected] of New York’s Design + Construction Excellence program access or call 718.391.1080. uses 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 Average user score Difference between average user score and maximum possible What is DQI? What are the phases of the DQI process? ILLUSTRATING DQI’S RESULTS DQI, the Design Quality Indicator program, PHASE 1 The process starts with a project This sample DQI spider diagram is one way to illustrate is a tool for assessing and measuring design quality PROJECT briefing in which the stakeholders the stakeholders’ collective scores for the project’s BRIEFING USING most important issues on a capital project from start to finish, and FAVE TO BUILD collectively identify what is important advances the following objectives: A VALUE PROFILE in the design of the building. They do this using a data gathering tool Example A: uses 6 1) Establishes consensus on design priorities called a FAVE, an acronym for Funda- For illustrative urban & social integration access 5 at the onset of the project mental, Added Value, and Excellence. purposes, we’ve 4 created a deficit The stakeholders prioritize practical 3 in the access internal environment 2 space 2) Improves project scoping, scheduling, and value-based building criteria category. The 1 and management by placing brief FAVE statements shortfall in this (see examples in green box) into one category (indicated form & materials performance 3) Provides a framework and formal method to of the following three categories: by the indent) flags the stakeholders’ continually evaluate and monitor priorities dissatisfaction with throughout a project’s duration FUNDAMENTAL: What factors are how the current character & innovation engineering fundamental to the building achieving design meets the construction its purpose? project’s stated goals for access. DQI RESULTS IN TIGHTER SCHEDULES, FEWER ADDED VALUE: What factors will DELAYS, AND A DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF add value, enhancing the building’s Example B: uses CHANGE ORDERS. 6 usefulness and aesthetic impact? A circle indicates urban & social integration access that stakeholders 5 4 are satisfied that 3 EXCELLENCE: What factors will help all categories are internal environment 2 space Who is involved in the DQI process? the design achieve excellence— on-track towards 1 creating a building of distinction? realizing defined goals—with no A successful DQI team consists of: categories singled form & materials performance Once the FAVE statements are out for major 1) A DQI leader, preferably a project manager organized into these categories, they improvements. character & innovation engineering or design liaison selected to champion are weighted in value from 1 (strongly construction the DQI process disagree) to 6 (strongly agree). These results highlight the stakeholders’ 2) A group of stakeholders representing the most important values. clients, users, facilities managers, architects, and contractors PHASE 2 The next three phases in the process MID-DESIGN are assessment meetings. The stake- ASSESSMENT holders evaluate the project accord- SAMPLE DQI STATEMENTS 3) A trained DQI facilitator who insures that the PHASE 3 ing to the values identified in the DQI process is structured appropriately and runs COMPLETION > The building is the right size for its function. FAVE briefing, and indicate how well successfully ASSESSMENT > The building’s materials and finishes are well integrated. those values are being achieved. The PHASE 4 > The building enhances the activity of people who use it regularly. POST- data are displayed in graph form, which OCCUPANCY can flag areas in need of improvement During Phase 1, statements such as these are categorized under ASSESSMENT the three FAVE questions and are then weighted on a scale of such as in example A at right. 1 (strongly disagree) and 6 (strongly agree). Phases 2–4 assess how well each statement is meeting its goals. .